Sean graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe with a B.A. in Psychology in 2003 and an M.A. in Substance Abuse Counseling in 2005. He received his licensure as an LPC on December 14, 2007 (License #3610). Since graduating in 2005, he has been privileged to work in a variety of fields, including inpatient and outpatient substance abuse, inpatient and outpatient mental health, survivors of domestic violence, and survivors of sexual assault. He also spent a great deal of time working with war veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder during his internship.
Sean’s chosen approach to counseling is Gestalt Therapy, viewing the human condition as a constant struggle to maintain equilibrium. This equilibrium can be thrown off by “Unfinished Business” from our past or from unhealthy thought processes and beliefs about the world in which one lives. Many times, addicts and alcoholics use mood-altering substances to create illusions of control and equilibrium when their lives are anything but stable. Through counseling, he hopes to assist the patient in accepting emotions regarding the past and moving forward, developing more rational worldviews, and setting goals to ensure a healthy life in recovery. Sean also employs aspects of Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Existential Therapy, and education on the principles of the Alcoholics Anonymous program. After 18.5 years of working as a counselor, 13 of which were at Palmetto, Sean moved into the role of Compliance Officer. In this new role, he is now responsible for ensuring that Palmetto follows its outlined Policies and Procedures, maintaining credentialing with the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), coordinating Performance Improvement plans, performing quality checks on documentation, and ensuring the safety of staff and clients. While he is no longer providing direct therapy to those served at Palmetto, he still works to support current staff, many of whom he once trained, by providing encouragement and consultation.