DIRECTIONS COUNSELING - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Master of Science, Business Psychology
Brian Davis earned his Master of Social Work degree from The Ohio State University and holds a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) credential. He has nearly 30 years of clinical experience and is the founder and owner of Directions Counseling Group. He also is the founder of New Directions Substance and Behavioral Services, a leader in online substance abuse and mental health assessments throughout the U.S. Additionally, Brian provides a limited amount of assessments and counseling services and frequently helps referring professionals such as attorneys & physicians find the assessment, therapy, and treatment options best suited to the specific needs of their clients and patients.
Job Titles:
- Child Therapist, MA, LPCC, RPT
- Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
Emily Geissel is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and a Registered Play Therapist (RPT). She works with children and adolescents who have a history of trauma, whether that involves grief, disabilities or attachment wounds. She has helped foster and adopted children and their families work through significant adjustment concerns, educating them on the attachment process and navigating them toward healthy bonded relationships.
Behavioral concerns and defiance are also areas of specialty for Emily. She has worked closely with schools and parents/caregivers to help set children up for success emotionally in order to have them succeed academically. Seeing children develop self-control and grow in confidence sets them up for a healthy adulthood.
Emily has also served as a job coach for individuals with cognitive and physical disabilities. She uses a modeling and teaching approach to help these young people develop skills to create a sense of independence.
Emily believes in the importance of creating a safe and caring environment for each client and strives to form a positive alliance with both the child and parent/caregiver. She tailors each session to fit the client's needs and personality.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Executive
- Certified Coach, MA, MS, DMin, PCC
- Professional
Karen Semon is a professional certified coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation, and a Spiritual Director through Sustainable Faith (2009). She brings over 15 years of experience as a Leadership and Executive coach working with corporate, individuals, pastors, and teams. She has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Ashland Theological Seminary (2020), focused on Formational Leadership, and obtained her coaching education at the University of Texas, Dallas in 2007.
Karen's work has primarily focused on coaching mid and senior level executives, small business owners, and pastors. She has focused on developing leaders, helping them discern career direction, transition to the next level as a leader, learn to communicate more effectively, build effective teams, develop stronger interpersonal skills, build their emotional intelligence, and more effectively manage conflict. Although Karen's background has focused on leaders, she has blessed many as a good spiritual listening partner for people with challenging marriages, step-parenting, childhood wounding, and deep loneliness. A significant part of her weekly work presently consists of leading people through the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius and offering spiritual direction and inner healing prayer.
Through her work as an executive coach Karen has witnessed leaders desiring to improve their leadership skills. Karen has discovered that under the surface lies the various other challenges that interfere with leadership. It could be a wound from childhood, such as abuse, shame, or a lack of a clearly formed identity in their spiritual core. Many times leaders hide their past emotional wounds, and it comes out as aggression, poor interpersonal skills, extreme competition, or a strong lack of trust, to name a few complicating factors. The challenge is that people are complex, and exploration of both their spiritual and emotional health may be required. Karen believes in the integration of Formational Prayer, Spiritual Direction and Coaching to help people incorporate their spiritual path into their life and work journey.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Therapist, MSW, LISW - S
Theresa Black earned her Master of Social Work degree from The Ohio State University. Her clinical experience includes working for over twenty years in various roles as a case manager, school counselor, mental health specialist and prevention clinician. She has worked in independent and public schools as well as in private practice and community mental health. Theresa has experience with individuals and groups of all ages, though she is most energized and passionate working with children, adolescents, and families.
Her specialties include autism, trauma, depression, anxiety, grief, behavior problems, and parenting concerns. She has experience with children who are identified as gifted and with those who are neurodivergent. Theresa will encourage, teach, and gently challenge you on your journey toward the life you desire for yourself and/or your child.
As a clinician certified in Gestalt Psychotherapy and Trauma and Resilience, with extensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Theresa's goal is to provide you with a safe and nonjudgmental space where you can fully engage in the present and deepen your awareness of self and others.
Coming into therapy can be a difficult and uncomfortable experience for many, yet Theresa's warm, empathetic, and caring approach quickly puts people at ease. She sees the strength, value, and worth of each individual and helps them discover their impact and purpose in life. She places great emphasis on the therapeutic connection and views that relationship as a foundation from which growth and change can begin to take place.