“All behavior is communication. Whether it’s a child having meltdowns at school, an angry teenager, or an adult with anxiety – each contains a message that therapy can help decipher. I believe everyone is doing the best they can with the tools they currently have but sometimes that isn’t enough. By collaborating with you, the client, we will look at the bigger picture of things that may be influencing your challenges and make adjustments/learn new tools so that more effective strategies can shine through."
Arthea has a BA in Psychology from the University of the Pacific and got her MA in Psychology from West Virginia University in 1984. Arthea has lived in six states in all corners of the United States and brings this understanding of a variety of cultures to her work. She has over 30 years’ therapy experience in community, home, school and residential settings. She specializes in working with children, adolescents and families with particular interest in youth on the Autism Spectrum (Aspergers) as well as LGBTQ+ youth. She is licensed as a marriage and family therapist in Illinois and Iowa. She also holds therapy licenses in several other states.
Arthea works from both a cognitive behavioral and a family systems approach. She is committed to utilizing approaches that have demonstrated their effectiveness with the challenges you may be facing. Arthea has specialized training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Triple P Parenting, Social Learning Family Therapy and teen girl life coaching.
Arthea genuinely enjoy people from many walks of life and greatly values the variety of people and perspectives she has experienced working in the vast urban sprawl of Southern California, the deep South and the mountains of northern Idaho. Arthea has been coming to the Quad Cities to visit family since she was a baby and feels privileged to have settled here.
When not at work, you can generally find Arthea reading and being entertained by her three large dogs.