About Sheila

Hi and thank you for visiting my website. Beginning therapy is a very personal experience and the relationship between the client and the therapist is a critical element to success. I would love to tell you a little bit about myself, my background and philosophy, and what you can expect from me as your therapist.

My name is Sheila Holly and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Arizona. I am licensed by the AZ Board of Behavioral Health. My license number is LPC 15939. I have had several roles in my life including being a therapist. I have a background in teaching and spent eight wonderful years as a first grade teacher. I have worked in community behavioral health with both children and adults, most extensively children and adolescents. However, the role that has shaped me, taught me, and prepared me to be the therapist that I am, is the role of being a mother. I have four children whom I adore. I began motherhood at what most would consider a young age. Unlike most jobs in our adult lives, there are no training manuals that could ever adequately prepare one for parenthood. Through it all, the good the bad and the ugly, the joy that this job brought and the lessons I learned have had a profound effect on the person I would become. NOTHING in this world matters more to me than being a mom. Being a mother (or a father!) is the hardest job you’ll ever love because nothing matters more than your child.

I work with both adults and children as well as families and couples.  I am extremely honored and humbled to walk with my clients through whatever struggle they are facing. I believe wholeheartedly in the Rogerian Approach to therapy which dictates a strong therapeutic alliance and a client centered approach. I want you to feel heard, cared about, and valued.

My approach to working with children and their parents, my office space, and my drive to be the best therapist I can stem from an experience I had many years ago with one of my own children. We were struggling with some behavioral issues and were told we should consider seeing a child therapist.. We went to a psychologist that had been highly recommended and that event changed my life. The office was a cross between an ordinary office building and a sterile, clinical setting: certainly not a place where a child would feel welcome or at ease. The doctor was very business-like and by the time we left, my child felt like there was something wrong with him and I felt horrible about the job I was doing as a mother. We never went back and I decided to just keep trying on my own. Little did I know how profoundly that experience would affect me and the incredible impact it would have on my future work as a therapist. I had no idea at that time that I would end up going back to school and becoming a therapist. While it still pains me that my child had this experience, I am thankful to have witnessed how the wrong setting and approach can profoundly impede the therapeutic process. This no doubt helped to shape the manner in which I work with children and their parents.

My goal for every client is to feel comfortable, safe, and most importantly heard and understood. It takes courage, humility, and love (either love for yourself or your child), to pick up the phone and decide to begin therapy. I recognize that and honor your decision. Please take a look at the services I can provide and if you feel we might be a good fit, please call or email me today.

Please note: I do not work with court related or court ordered counseling. I do not get involved in custody issues and do not write reports on a family’s behalf

   

About Hannah

Hello! My name is Hannah and it is my privilege to go on this life changing journey with you. I am a certified Life Coach and Behavior Specialist, and am currently working on my Masters of Counseling degree. For the past three years I have been with Hope and Healing’s Children and Families Counseling practice, working predominantly with children, teens and their parents in a one-on-one setting, and at times as a group session where applicable. The most common issues I work with are anger, self-esteem, depression/anxiety, and social awareness/relationship skills. Simply said, I help kids face the parts of life that are difficult for them, cause them stress or make them feel bad about themselves; I help them take control of their feelings and behaviors by helping them learn to express themselves in healthier ways, practicing coping skills to make calming down easier, and changing their thought-patterns and behaviors in positive ways.

I’d like to take a moment to tell you a bit about me, my background, and why I came into this field. I have lived in Arizona all my life; I am one of four children and the only girl so, while I am very girly and love dancing and getting dressed up, I also know how to throw a football and can hang with the boys. I graduated from The University of Arizona (Bear Down Wildcats!) in 2015 and have been living in Gilbert, AZ ever since. I love to cook delicious but healthy meals and bake decadent treats, read good books with my book club, go on girls’ trips, and to take my dog Hazel to the dog park. I have always enjoyed working with children—I began babysitting at age 12 and nannying at age 14 so I’ve been working with children since I was a child myself! I have worked with every age, from infants to young adults in a variety of settings.

I always knew I wanted to work with children, so first I became a teacher. Working as a kindergarten teacher, I had the opportunity to work with children sometimes experiencing a structured environment with rules and consequences for the first time. During my time teaching I saw firsthand that what works for one student is not always going to work for another, and saw how stressful school can be on young minds. I was able to work one-on-one with students that needed help with coping skills to adjust being away from home, dealing with disappointment and failure, making friends and picking up on social cues, and more. I realized my heart is fully invested in working with the kiddos that need that little extra attention, to help them work past the things that feel too difficult or scary to deal with. As a former Kindergarten teacher, I have a strong working knowledge of the classroom setting which helps me in my work now; if the misbehaviors being observed are mainly at school, I can work closely with parents and educators/administrators to develop strategies for behavior modification and can provide them different interventions to help meet the child’s needs.

Another experience that brought me to this line of work happened while attending the University of Arizona when I spent a summer as a camp counselor at Camp Wayne for Girls in Pennsylvania. I lived with twenty-four (14-15) year old girls for ten weeks and taught swim to girls ages 5-18. Working and living exclusively with young girls, I had the opportunity to coach them through, sadly, many common teen issues. These included body image issues, insecurities and low self-esteem, cyber safety and self-respect, friend issues, learning to speak and be kind to themselves, the courage to be who they truly are without concern for what others might think, and more. This was an extremely impactful and insightful experience for me, as I got to see these young women grow and strengthen their senses of self. Since working in this field I have come to realize these issues are not exclusive to women or girls at all, and that young men struggle with these things just as much. I enjoy working with young women and young men of all ages on these issues, to help them discover their best self and how to live that self as their truth. Being able to help a child feel more confident (in themselves, in their ability to make friends or handle challenging situations, etc) is my ultimate goal and is what makes me feel fulfilled.

Please allow me to get personal and very real. I came to this field because of several reasons and experiences, some of which I’ve already told you. Perhaps most importantly however, I have suffered with my own anxiety and depression in the past, so I truly understand how it feels and know how important the healing process is to moving forward in a positive direction. Those who knew me during that time in my life found it difficult to believe, because I could put on the “happy face” like nobody’s business; I have always been the person to find the silver lining that others look to for positivity. When I was going through the worst of my depression, I thought I had to provide that positivity for others even if it meant depleting myself. I now understand the absolute need for making yourself a priority, the importance of self-care, and having an unconditional, ear. I would feel tremendously honored to fulfill that role in your life. You have taken an important first step, you looked at your life and desired more. After every storm comes a rainbow and you are on your way. I would love to be a part of your better tomorrow.