NFC Mission Statement
NorFork Counseling exists to provide individuals with emotional tools to navigate life in ways that are compatible with their values.
Journey Metaphor
A sojourner travels through life. While the destination used to be visible, it somehow has become elusive and shrouded in fog. Additionally, the terrain has proved to be particularly challenging. More mountains loom ahead than expected, with no perceived pass through them. Unexpected tornados, illness, or vermin attacks have depleted resources. Water is scarce and the current water supply in the stream may be contaminated. Hunger gnaws. Some travelers prefer to not be alone in the journey and find encouragement from the presence of fellow travelers, while others suffer from close relationships that seem to shred any remaining hope. Descending alongside a treacherous stream to the bottom of a chasm, the sojourner looks up with little energy remaining, wondering how to get over the next ridge. The map the hiker is using has become ineffective. Exhausted, the sojourner proclaims, “I need help; I need a guide. Where do I go now? Can I get to a place where the hike is not so hard? Where is the compass that will point me north?”
Purpose Statement
This is an exhausting and frustrating point in a journey but can be a new beginning to manage life differently. NorFork Counseling seeks to be a guide to provide tools to navigate through life’s difficulties. At NorFork Counseling, each person has permission to be exactly where they are, then process how they arrived at that hard spot. From there, an individual can begin to practice different choices, thought patterns, and perspectives, gaining insight, building self-value, and applying new tools to start operating from their genuine value. In the end, they can experience an improved product or outcome from what they previously experienced––overcoming trauma or grief, recognizing relational patterns that haven’t worked, improving patterns of relating or recognizing toxic relationships. NorFork Counseling is a safe place to voice what is on one’s mind and be messy. From here, an individual gains a new perspective and tools to recover and move forward on a different path.
Guiding Principles/Values and Therapeutic Approaches
While Sharon uses evidenced-based practices and counseling theories in her practice, she uses them in ways that are compatible with the truths of her Judeo-Christian background. For those who desire, faith is included as an integral element in her counseling practice. At the same time, all people, regardless of their faith, have permission to wrestle with life in her office. She provides a listening ear with the motivation of assisting a client in gaining hope and tools to move forward in life. This may include increasing one’s awareness, recognizing choices and boundaries, healing from trauma and expressing grief, improving relational difficulties, identifying and changing maladaptive patterns or changing the script of self-talk. Sharon uses a combination of strategies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior
Therapy–Informed (DBT-Informed), and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) in her practice. Through therapy, Sharon believes that her clients can gain more hope, improve function, and make greater relational connections.