Marcia Tharp

My name is Marcia (Marcie) Jo Tharp. I am 69 years old, married, with 8 children, 16 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. I retired from 20 years of foster care and returned to school, having a deep desire to help others struggling with life challenges. Four of my children are adopted through the foster care system. I am physically disabled. I enjoy reading, knitting, diamond painting, cooking, gardening, my two rescued Yorkies, and spending time with my family.

Having worked in the foster care system for 20 years, I have learned about trauma, difficult life experiences, and the great need not to face it alone. I learned a lot about the lifelong effects of prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol when I served 30 preterm, high-risk newborns. I helped parents of these special and fragile babies to learn how to care for them. I was a CASA for foster children, serving them by being their voice in court. I was a CASA Trainer, providing specialized training to other CASA's. I supervised Parents and their children during visitation. I participated in building a private, non-profit mental health center and provided therapy to a wide variety of clients. I provided services to seniors by leading an intensive outpatient mental health group suffering from major depressive disorder. My therapy style is conversational, patient centered, using accompaniment, problem-solving approaches, and psychoeducation. I have worked with many individuals experiencing trauma/trauma history to all ages, 2 to 93. My strengths are empathy and compassion.

Clients can expect to take away from sessions hope, empowerment, new learning, and purposeful activities to improve their lives. I believe self-care is foundational to mental wellness. Improving sleep, exercise, and nutrition is a beginning to feeling better. Developing interests, meeting and being with others, helping others can improve the quality of our lives. Learning, seeking, and dreaming help us to maintain hope. Building self-confidence by reducing and taking charge of our pain empowers us to reach our personal goals.