Ellen Ferguson LMHC, MA

Hi! I’m Ellen Ferguson and I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Florida. I have over 20 years of experience counseling children, adolescents and adults. I believe the knowledge and experience I have gained might be able to help you as well. Let me tell you a little about myself. I began my counseling career working as a Behavioral Clinician for the Indiana Department of Corrections at a maximum-security facility for adolescent girls who were incarcerated for a multitude of reasons. It was at this job I discovered my love for working with troubled teens. I saw their potential and wanted to help them learn new life skills and coping skills so they could reach it. We dealt with hurts and abuse from the past that led to their substance use and behavioral issues. I impressed upon them their importance and helped them realize someone cared, while still holding them accountable for their choices that led to them being locked up. My goal was to provide them with knowledge; helping them make the changes necessary for better choices in their future. I witnessed many of the girls grow and learn to make those better choices, return to society and live productive lives. I then went on to work with women and children living in a Domestic Violence shelter. I helped them heal from the abuse they had experienced and to see hope for a brighter future. We addressed things like depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse, self-esteem and healthy relationships. I was able to provide equine therapy to some of the women and saw significant improvement in mental health symptoms. It was here that I learned to help hurting people move from being survivors to thriving. My time here meant so much to me and really helped me to grow as a therapist. After leaving the shelter, I worked with youth who had severe mental health issues and were in danger of being placed in residential treatment facilities. Their family lives, friendships and education were all being negatively impacted by their struggles. My goal was to bring in a team of people to support the child and their families while using a strengths-based approach to help the child remain in the home. It was through this teamwork that I saw positive behaviors increase, mental health issues decline, and family, peer and school relationships improve. Upon moving to Florida, I worked at a community mental health agency with people ages 5 to 85 suffering from an assortment of mental health issues. My patients and co-workers challenged me, thus broadening my counseling skills even more. I assisted people with anxiety, depression, grief/loss issues, oppositional behavior, gender or sexual identity, life transitions, relationship or marriage issues, shame and/or guilt. I built on my skills by helping those who had experienced trauma such as victims of accidents, abuse or crimes, veterans, and ex-police officers suffering from PTSD. I believe this experience helped me grow both as an individual and a therapist. I have now opened my own practice. This allows me to focus on where I feel I can help most. Adolescents and women are where my heart really is, although I will continue to serve others also. I love being part of cultivating self-esteem, relieving anxiety or depression, teaching successful coping skills, and assisting someone in letting go of the past and focusing on their future. It takes a great deal of work to accomplish these things, and I enjoy walking beside my clients throughout their journey.