Paige A. Foster

My journey to becoming a mental health professional took a few unexpected turns. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Services, with a minor in Psychology, from Ohio University in Athens. After a decade of working to live, I decided in my mid-30s to pursue a long-held dream of becoming a counselor. My husband and I sold our home and moved back to Athens with our black Lab so I could earn my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

I spent several years working with a community health organization in Athens-area schools, primarily with middle and high school students. During that time, I worked with a broad range of concerns, including depression and anxiety, neurodivergence, social skills, anger management, childhood trauma, mood and conduct disorders, career planning, traumatic grief and loss, self-harm and suicidal ideation, identity and self-esteem, and major life transitions, to name a few.

As a neurodivergent person myself—and a southpaw!—I understand how difficult it can be to feel like you’re trying to fit into a world that doesn’t always seem designed with you in mind. I bring that perspective, along with curiosity and compassion, into my work with clients.

I believe you are the expert on your own life. My role as your counselor is to provide a supportive, collaborative space where we can make sense of what you’re experiencing, identify what you want to change, and work together toward meaningful goals.

My therapeutic foundation is Person-Centered Therapy, which means I follow your lead and recognize you as the expert on your own experience. I also draw from cognitive and behavioral approaches to better understand your thoughts and behaviors; I utilize psychoeducation to help you understand how the brain works. Together, we can explore coping strategies for times when things feel overwhelming and use SMART goals to support measurable outcomes. We can create meaningful change and develop practical tools to support your long-term well-being.

My work is grounded in peer-reviewed, evidence-based research, while my therapeutic style is intentionally human. I use humor, authenticity, and appropriate self-disclosure to help create a counseling environment that feels comfortable, genuine, and collaborative.

You don’t need to arrive with a perfectly organized explanation of your life or have everything figured out.

Our first session is about getting to know each other, talking about what brought you in, and exploring what you hope to get from counseling. I’ll ask questions, give you plenty of space to share, and help us identify where you’d like to go from here.

We might laugh, get serious, or discover that something unexpected is important. We’ll take things at your pace and focus on what feels useful.

Think of it as a supportive conversation with someone who is here to listen, understand, and help you explore what might make things feel a little easier. Just show up as yourself—I’ll meet you there.