Edward Derr

I am an experienced counselor having helped people with their mental and behavioral health for over 30 years. I am a licensed professional counselor in Missouri, national certified counselor, and also a Missouri certified gambling disorder counselor. Most of the counseling I provide is face-to-face individual counseling, however I lead group counseling meetings and also provide family therapy. I treat clients for a variety of issues, most commonly anxiety, depression, problem gambling, stress, family/marital relationship conflict, men's issues, and chronic mental health diagnoses. I am also able to use CBT-I therapy to help people reduce sleep disturbance due to Insomnia and can assist individuals get better sleep (good sleep is vital to better mental and physical functioning!). People ask me often why I chose counseling as a profession. I actually believe counseling chose me. I have wrestled with my own mental health struggles as have members of my family. Balancing being a spouse, a father, and having a career is a challenge, however it has made me even more sensitive to others' mental health needs. I look forward to working with you too.

At the beginning of treatment, at our first interaction, it is important for you to feel comfortable with me and the process of counseling. Trust, open-mindedness, and an ability to communicate freely are key. I want to get to know you and what you wish to accomplish from counseling. I want you to also get to know me. This kind of working relationship leads to being successful in achieving your goals and enjoying the process to get there. I like to create visual maps of your treatment to visually depict where you have entrusted me to lead you to accomplish your counseling goals. I have experienced that clients are more willing to talk about things and go places when they can see where the paths are leading. I am a counselor who will identify your strengths and attempt to use them in counseling, utilize change-talk therapy strategies if making change in your life is what you want to do, and if you wish to change your behavior you will need to change your thoughts about certain things - this is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and I find it a helpful strategy when working with clients.

My hope is for my clients to feel a sense of relief after each session, thinking "coming to counseling was a good idea, I feel better, I'm glad I came."