I am Diane Semerak, MA, a licensed professional counselor (LPC) providing trauma-focused individual counseling and life coaching for personal growth. My office is in Carbondale, Colorado, and I offer in-person office sessions and tele-counseling services via HIPAA-compliant, secure video. My clients typically seek to resolve personal or professional issues which may be related to depression, grief and loss, life stress, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, and trauma-related dissociation.
WHAT I DO
During my initial consultation with clients, we discuss their concerns and I attune with them in a non-judgmental, intuitive and compassionate way to determine the method, or combination of methods, that are best suited to address their treatment goals. When traditional therapies don’t fit clients' wishes or needs, I may also use alternative therapies from energy psychology. These methods are particularly helpful when a person has a lingering problem that prevents progress or results in habits that are barriers to change. Many times these holistic treatments can create a shift that reduces distress and affects the whole person. In other words, it helps clients who are stuck, get unstuck.
HOW WHAT I DO HELP CAN YOU
In the 17 years I've been working as a counselor, I've seen how trauma and life stress can impact so many areas of life. Whether you are looking for your first counselor, have had repeated treatments that have not resolved your issues, or just looking for a "check-up," you may be in considerable distress and feel off balance. You may want to consider counseling that goes beyond traditional mental health treatments, that targets deeper issues and allows you to direct your personal growth.
I believe that counseling should go beyond just trying to fix surface symptoms. Comprehensive treatment needs to explore what happened, how that changed your life, and how you interact with the world now. Next we can address how those experiences can be resolved and integrated--maybe even transcended--so that you can find or regain a stronger sense of self. By embracing a holistic perspective and methods, I help clients pursue the personal growth that can lead to mind-body-spirit balance.
WHAT IS HEALTH?
Since quantum physics theorizes that everything is connected, change is systemic and what happens to one person impacts everyone and everything else in the environment. This expanded view of life allows for all aspects of who we are to be included in the therapeutic process. A holistic view of wellness considers the whole person, and tries to identify and remove whatever blocks the flow of energy and connection between the individual and the people around them.
I believe that wellness is defined by how a person balances the flow of their thoughts, emotions and actions; it reflects the ability to respond and connect in ways that express what we value and who we intend to be. That inner self or connection to our Higher Self (however we perceive that) allows us to transform into our authentic self. No matter what we've been through, we can still become more than the sum of our experiences, just like a seed contains the blueprint of how to grow into the flower or tree it was meant to be.
Once the negative experiences, beliefs and emotions are cleared away, we will find that our authentic self can survive; that core of who we are has never been harmed or damaged, and remains a reflection of what we aspire to achieve. In my sessions I offer tools to nurture the change and growth that help clients feel more empowered so they can improve their lives.
MY EDUCATION
After earning a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education, I pursued post-graduate training for the treatment of trauma and all its complications, including:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy
- Mindfulness and Stress Reduction
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
I also attend advanced education annually to update my knowledge and skills for treating trauma and dissociation:
- Advanced techniques for applying EMDR therapy
- Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS), an ego state therapy
- Theory of Structural Dissociation for severe dissociation including DID
I am a life-long learner and love to read. I am happy to answer any questions about how I work, my treatment methods and philosophy of health and growth. Watch for my blog where I plan to share my new discoveries after the first of the year (2020).