Joel Shapiro, LICSW, ACSW
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
(802) 651-7516
I work primarily with adults in both individual and couples counseling
providing therapy with a range of concerns including:
• Depression and Anxiety
• Relationships Issues
• Adjusting to major life transitions
• Workplace dynamics and stress
Biography
After receiving my Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania in 1980, I worked in community mental health field for 10 years and then was the Director of the Employee Assistance Program at the University of Vermont for 17 years. I started my psychotherapy practice during this time period and have been working with individuals and couples in private practice for over 20 years. While I work primarily with individuals, one of my approaches to working with couples is called Dialogue Therapy. Working with a co-therapist, Dialogue Therapy is a time-limited, intensive form of couple’s therapy designed to help couples who find themselves stuck in repetitive and troubling patterns with difficulties in negotiating conflicts and keeping intimacy alive.
I also consult with organizations focusing on team building, strategic planning and management skills. I received a certification from NTL in Organization Development and recently completed a certification in Appreciative Inquiry from the David Cooperrider Center.
Approach
I blend the many elements of my social work education, post-graduate work in family systems, psychodynamic theory and narrative therapy in seeking to offer a respectful, non-blaming environment in which clients can explore and understand the patterns in their lives which are giving them difficulty. As humans, we are interpreting beings. We give meanings to our experiences constantly as we live our lives. The stories we have about our lives are a way of explaining or making sense of them. I work to help people make sense of their lives and the patterns in their lives. I work form the belief that people have many skills, beliefs, values, and abilities that will assist them in this work. George Bernard Shaw once said:” Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself”. My experience is that therapy is some of both.
I work primarily with adults in both individual and couples counseling
providing therapy with a range of concerns including:
• Depression and Anxiety
• Relationships Issues
• Adjusting to major life transitions
• Workplace dynamics and stress
Biography
After receiving my Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania in 1980, I worked in community mental health field for 10 years and then was the Director of the Employee Assistance Program at the University of Vermont for 17 years. I started my psychotherapy practice during this time period and have been working with individuals and couples in private practice for over 20 years. While I work primarily with individuals, one of my approaches to working with couples is called Dialogue Therapy. Working with a co-therapist, Dialogue Therapy is a time-limited, intensive form of couple’s therapy designed to help couples who find themselves stuck in repetitive and troubling patterns with difficulties in negotiating conflicts and keeping intimacy alive.
I also consult with organizations focusing on team building, strategic planning and management skills. I received a certification from NTL in Organization Development and recently completed a certification in Appreciative Inquiry from the David Cooperrider Center.
Approach
I blend the many elements of my social work education, post-graduate work in family systems, psychodynamic theory and narrative therapy in seeking to offer a respectful, non-blaming environment in which clients can explore and understand the patterns in their lives which are giving them difficulty. As humans, we are interpreting beings. We give meanings to our experiences constantly as we live our lives. The stories we have about our lives are a way of explaining or making sense of them. I work to help people make sense of their lives and the patterns in their lives. I work form the belief that people have many skills, beliefs, values, and abilities that will assist them in this work. George Bernard Shaw once said:” Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself”. My experience is that therapy is some of both.