"Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing." - W.B. Yeats
Barb O'Dwyer believes life is a journey of learning and growth, and that everyone has the capacity to make their life better in their own way. She strives to provide a supportive and safe place for that to happen. She understands that life's pressures can be consuming, instill self-doubt, and leave a feeling that hope and rejuvenation are impossible. Barb has a passion for helping people through the difficult chapters of their lives, and wants to empower people to grow through connection, curiosity, and compassion. She offers a safe, calm, and grounded place for healing, growth, and meaningful change.
Raised and educated in Ireland, Barb came to the United States for university and went on to build a 28-year career in international telecommunications construction and project management before becoming a therapist. Her background in corporate culture, living overseas, and navigating conflicting cultures shapes her ability to find a style that works for each client. She works with clients to identify strengths, issues, and goals, find practical tools that fit their lives, and explore ways to make meaningful change.
At Foundations Counseling, Barb O'Dwyer works with individuals, couples, and teens who may be seeking services that include:
- Mental Health and Wellness: stress, depression, grief and loss, trauma and abuse recovery, bipolar disorder, PTSD, personality disorders, assertiveness training, boundaries, and nature-based therapies
- Occupational Trauma and Crisis: first responders, medical personnel, law enforcement, military members and veterans, vicarious trauma, burnout, and crisis support
- Life Transitions: life stages, geographical moves, job changes, retirement, establishing self, pet loss, and restoring meaning to life
- Individual Counseling: abuse, anxiety, assertiveness, suicidal thoughts, social anxiety, empowerment, self-esteem, issues of race and multiculturalism, catastrophic thinking, and perfectionism
- Growth-Oriented Counseling: workplace conflict and bullying, burnout and lack of motivation, relocation, and life transitions
Barb holds a Master of Science degree in Military and Emergency Responder Psychology from Colorado State University Global Campus, as well as a Master of Science degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse, and an Associate's degree in Accounting. She is also certified in Peacemaking Mediation in Violent Conflict Zones from Oxford Process, Solution Focused Brief Therapy Level 1, and Psychological First Aid from Johns Hopkins University. She is a certified Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist through the Association of Animal-Assisted Intervention Professionals, certified in Animal-Assisted Crisis Response through HOPE AACR, and a registered Therapy Dog team with her canine partner, Harry.
Barb has been involved in the animal-assisted therapy world for more than eight years, beginning as a volunteer at a local hospital. Watching ER doctors and EMTs carry the weight of their work sparked her decision to leave telecommunications and pursue a counseling degree focused on occupational trauma, with therapy dogs as part of the healing process.
Barb has extensive experience working with individuals in crisis and those working to overcome occupational trauma, including the impact of vicarious trauma and, when necessary, prior traumas. She has experience working with adolescents, individuals, and families, and draws on approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), mindfulness, and trauma-focused therapy.
Outside the counseling office, Barb is a dog lover through and through. She spends her time on therapy dog volunteer work with Harry, gardening, needlepoint, and baking. Clients describe her presence the way she hopes they will experience her work: relaxed, safe, and warm.
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