The Grounding Center offers counseling for individuals, couples, and families. Counseling in Spanish is also available (se habla Espanol).
CREDENTIALS
The GC is staffed by two licensed therapists: Dana Baduna (Ph.D., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) and Alex Chapunoff (M.S., Licensed Mental Health Counselor) with thirty years of combined post-Master's professional experience.
The initial visit typically includes a brief assessment of the presenting situation to get a good understanding of the person's concerns and capabilities. We then collaborate with our clients in developing a plan of action for future visits.
ABOUT OUR PROFESSIONAL STYLES
DANA BADUNA:
I follow a solution-oriented systemic approach to therapy. This means that I highlight a person's visible and hidden strengths and consider each individual, couple or family within the larger context of life and culture. Curiosity, empathy and respect are qualities I value when understanding one's unique struggles or traumas. Although the clinical focus is on the present, my interventions integrate resolutions that involve both a person's past experiences and future goals.
My post-graduate research into the field of family therapy concentrated on understanding how people manage "life-altering" experiences. When faced with pain and hardship, individuals seek support to get them through the hard times. Since we are forced out of our "comfort zones," anxiety, depression, anger, guilt and other symptoms can easily fill up one's life if not checked and managed properly.
I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist and State-approved clinical supervisor with fifteen years of clinical experience. Working through difficulties with a professional therapist is like having a "personal guide" to show you new approaches, offer you support, eliminate what doesn't work, and encourage you to do more of what brings you personal and professional happiness. I practice Aikido and actively value principles that are mindful of the mind/body/spirit connection.
ALEX CHAPUNOFF:
More than just an intellectual endeavor, counseling is a special experience. It is a place where clients can begin to enrich their own understanding. When that happens, the nature of their problems begins to change, appearing more as solutions in disguise. When a client practices the concepts and exercises discussed, he or she then directly sees how they work. The process itself can be as interesting as it is rewarding.
My specialty is to closely listen to my clients and acknowledge where they want to be as people. The next step is determining what changes will bring about the desired goals. Considering the client's views and feelings is key and my job is to translate these into opportunities. Other useful tools I use include guided relaxation and hypnotherapy.
Unhappiness is often a sign that we have outgrown our old habits of living but haven't realized it yet, so we carry them with us and they become a burden. Counseling is a setting for exploring the necessary changes and learning how to carry them out. When clients work on this in a helpful, supportive environment, they can experience satisfaction and relief as well as a renewed sense for their potential.
