Therapists in Whitewater, KS

My name is Stacy Braiuca. As a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) for over 20 years, public health educator of 10+ years, and technology-focused early adopter of 40+ years. I received my Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and my Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Kansas Medical Center. Combined they help me help people bridging the gaps between holistic health and wellness and mental health concerns. As a therapist, I have had the honor to help many different people: starting with children, teens, and their families, to working with elders in nursing homes, and those facing crises in the emergency room. Clients I have worked with struggled with anxiety, depression, life changes and stress, marital issues, trauma, and parenting issues. I love bringing knowledge of current cutting edge technology tools and wellness perspectives together as a powerhouse toolbox which can help you on your journey to your better self. Through this process you can learn how to: identify and analyze issues in your own life, to step back and interrupt negative patterns in your life, use new tools and skills to find relief from the burdens that you are constantly carrying around, and get unstuck individually or in your relationships. My main goal as a therapist is to start where you are in your journey, help you define and those goals and dreams for your life, and finally be your navigator in putting tools, skills, and resources in place for you to deal with past concerns. Therapy is still so stigmatized, so it is a truly wonderful thing that you have reached out to take care of your overall health! I would love to walk beside you as you embark on that journey. I look forward to working with you! Stacy

I am a licensed Clinical Social Worker and therapist with over 12 years of experience working with individuals facing some very difficult life challenges. I enjoy helping people get the results that they are looking for. I work with individuals who are motived to change and I help create a plan that will work with their lifestyle. My style is warm and solution focused. I will meet you where you are and help you to get where you want to go. It takes courage to seek for a more fulfilling and happier life as well as to take the first steps towards a change. If you are ready to take that step I am here to support and empower you. I look forward to working with you!

My specialty & love are helping individuals at transition points of their lives, with a focus from Adolescence to Mid-life and beyond. These are times of dealing with many changes in one's life. These changes may include family, friends, and your role in community. This is also a time when we are surrounded with "Transition Myths" i.e.; How we SHOULD be feeling, acting and thinking. Some of these are Memory Loss, Depression, Anxiety, Physical Fitness, Sexuality, and being Neurodivergent! My goals are to educate and separate myth from fact while helping YOU ease life's transitions so YOU can continue YOUR life with new hopes and dreams, respect and dignity. Each person is UNIQUE! Issues are NOT AGE SPECIFIC and can impact ANYONE at ANY age! With advanced education & experience, I offer Memory Loss & Cognitive functioning assessments. Not all memory loss is permanent. Let me help you down this journey. And I promise, while some professionals may hand you a diagnosis and walk away, I will provide you with all the research and resources I have to offer and will help you look for more answers. People should never have to go through life and hardships alone. One of my newer areas of focus, which was a great unmet need, has been providing counseling for those who have lost a "4-legged" family member. This is an area that I receive referrals not only from veterinarians but also family doctors and OB/GYNs, "I am referring Mrs. Smith as she recently lost her only child...her child was her 20 year old cat, Roxie..." I offer counseling for Pet Grief & Loss. Some individuals have family members with 4 legs vs 2. Those losses are devastating as well and rarely understood by the general public. I have been providing counseling to individuals, couples and families from many races, religions, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds for over 30 years. I work with preteens to those over 100 years young. I have provided therapy in my office, in individual homes, in schools and in retirement communities, nursing homes and hospitals. I have provided instructional in-services on cultural awareness and aging issues. I have set up memory clinics and performed routine depression and anxiety assessments. For me, helping people live better lives has always been what I am about. It is a gift I share every moment of every day. As an older, more "SEASONED" therapist, I have been where many of you are and survived. It has not been easy. I can tell you that with each action comes not one but many reactions and in many areas. My father was the highlight of not only my life but all the lives he interacted with. He was a teacher and elementary school principal. He saw everyone with the same lens and stuck up for the kids picked on. After school, he would give no charge swim lessons to neighborhood kids who were in need. He had cancer in his 30's and only had a 5% chance of beating it, back then, but he did. He lived till age 45 and died suddenly during a vacation with my mother and my little 7 year old brother. I was 25. Even though it was summer break and most teachers and principals were on vacation, the mortuary was standing room only, inside and out. I have a little brother born when I was a senior in High School. Another highlight of my life. He was always athletic, going to the Hood River in Oregon, when he was a young teen, to compete in the Junior Windsurfing Olympics. He is now a full professor at a state college. He does research in cardiac and ultramarathons. My sister, 18 months younger than I was born blue and had seizures all her life. She died suddenly of seizure and heart attack before the age of 50. My mother was a highly educated strong woman who would never give up the fight. However after watching 2 husbands die, one suddenly in front of her, her youngest daughter die suddenly before she was 50 and then one by one, all of her other family members at home, Great Pyrenees and New Foundlands, died. After that, mom gave up the will to live and died within a few years of a broken heart (even though she would never admit it). I divorced my husband after 50 years, I experienced many areas of stigma, prejudice, shame, loss of friends and family and many other areas of life we often take for granted. Being married to 1 person for 50 years was not always easy, but we made it, just not to 51, good and not so good. I developed tools along the way to cope for me and us. Tools you may also need to develop for you and yours. It was a journey that has been heart wrenching but I can guarantee you that this event(the divorce) like the other traumatic events in my life and other successes in life, they have been identified, dealt with. The constant, "ON THE JOB TRAINING" allows me to offer a more empathetic and knowledgeable therapist for my clients. Not all relationships can be saved in the way we wish. Some need to be reevaluated and redefined. I am here to assist you in whatever way YOU CHOSE and support YOU IN YOUR DECISION. And yes, I have gone to therapy to have a neu;tral third party to help me navigate my future courses. True, I have the formal education and life experiences as well as a "Dr's Bag" full of information and skills, but sometimes all of us need someone on the outside to truly listen, validate and help us navigate through the storms. Take care and Keep in touch. Dr Michaela Hammer

I am a medically retired police officer turn mental health therapist. I am a licensed professional counselor with a certification in sex addiction treatment, I am a police trainer of trainers for domestic violence. I have been on certified DBT teams, I am EMDR l&ll trained, my thesis was on attachment disorders in adults, I have worked the suicide hotline, I investigated rape and sexual assault cases, many hours in trauma education and training. I helped develop Building Resiliency for First Responders 4 hour training. I have worked with Fort Carson, Fort Hood, FE Warren AFB, Air Force Academy and Schriever AFB and provided therapy for those with special clearances, individuals and couples. I have worked closely with mental health court, drug court on both the state and city level, I have also worked with family drug court and juvenile drug court. I have worked with many trauma survivors. I teach some mindfulness and meditation classes and love providing education on neurotransmitters. I provide counseling to couples on relationship issues, attachment issues, and intimacy issues, and infidelity issues. I worked at a care clinic for HIV/ AIDs and HEP C specific patients with emphasis on LGBTQ clients.

I am a licensed clinical social worker licensed in Missouri and Kansas. I have been in practice for over 10 years. I have experience working as a psychotherapist and consultant. I have worked with clients with a wide range of concerns from anxiety, depression, life balance, relationship issues, parenting, career challenges and ADHD. I have helped many people who have experienced physical trauma or emotional abuse. I work with those from young adulthood through geriatrics. I also work in education and have the understanding of what impacts educators, first responders and the like. My counseling style is warm and interactive. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion, and I don’t believe in stigmatizing labels. My approach combines cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, solution focused counseling. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. It takes courage to seek for a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. If you are ready to take that step I am her to support and empower you.

I am a bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Missouri with over 8 years experience working with teens, families and adults. I have worked with clients with a wide range of concerns including anger, depression, anxiety, work/life balance, school issues, PTSD, and trauma. I am great at listening and supporting clients to express themselves, problem solve, develop effective coping skills, and brainstorm for better solutions. My therapy style is client-centered, recognizing that you know yourself better than I do and you are the expert. I am here to facilitate your personal growth and self-reflection. I believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect unconditionally. I learn from my clients about their unique culture and upbringings. I don't judge you, but will assertively challenge you to work on yourself to reach your goals. My approach combines cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, narrative and other evidence-based interventions. I will tailor our plan to meet your own and specific needs. Even if we don't get to work together I am glad you are seeking support and I hope you find the right fit for you to achieve your goals. -Alex

I am licensed in Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma with 25 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with coping with addictions, relationship issues, trauma, and abuse, & intimacy-related issues. I believe that you are the expert on your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process.

I am licensed in Kansas with 22 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, coping with grief and loss, & motivation, self esteem, and confidence. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process.

I am licensed in Kansas with 22 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, trauma and abuse, coping with grief and loss, & motivation, self esteem, and confidence. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.

I am licensed in Kansas with 6 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress, anxiety, relationship issues, motivation, self esteem, confidence, depression, concentration, & memory. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. Through my years of working with clients, I came to recognize the significance of secure attachments to holistic well-being and engaging in healthy connections. I am dedicated to working with clients to increase personal growth through emotional regulation and gaining the confidence to be vulnerable in connecting with partners, friends, and family in meaningful ways. Through practice my approach to therapy has developed into a client-centered and humanistic experiential methodology. I believe Maya Angelou’s words give meaning to the client-centered experiential approach: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process.