Team Group: Stone Cottage Counseling

Maggie Akstin, LAPC

Hi, I’m Maggie Akstin, a licensed associate professional counselor working with adults. I have a love of helping people dealing with:

  • anxiety
  • depression
  • grief and loss
  • life transitions
  • family issues
  • relationship challenges
  • sexual orientation and gender identity questions
  • vocational and existential concerns
  • nontraditional relationships

 

I firmly believe that each person is the expert on their own experience and that every one of us has the internal resources to heal, grow, and change throughout our lifespan. I believe that relationships are as essential to human health and wellbeing as clean water and healthy food. I know that the relationship between client and therapist can be a catalyst for healing and evolution. As your counselor, my aim will be to understand your experience on all levels which are relevant to you – from your own internal world; to your relationships; to the family that raised you; to the level of social and cultural institutions; and ecology. My highest ambition in my work with clients is to help you to discover your own inherent strengths, resources, wisdom, and power, and to help you to cultivate compassion for yourself through radical self acceptance. The foundation of my training as a counselor is humanistic, client-centered, relational, and systems based.

So, you may be interested in the details.

I earned my Master’s degree in psychology from the University of West Georgia and am currently licensed as an associate professional counselor by the state of Georgia. I work under the supervision of Dr. Monetta Sinclair, EdD, LPC, CPCS, MAC.  I have trained in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, meditation, and Buddhist psychology with the Atlanta Mindfulness Institute. I believe that the increased awareness that comes from mindfulness practice can help us to live more fully by cultivating the ability to be present to the full range of our experience.

I adhere to the Code of Ethics of the American Counselor Association and to the ethical and professional standards of the Georgia State Composite Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Social Workers.

Ready To Take the Next Step?

Want to find out more? Reach out to me by email or phone to talk or schedule an appointment.

Dana Goldman, LPC, NCC

Hi, I’m Dana Goldman. I’m a licensed professional counselor and nationally certified counselor providing mindfulness-based therapy in intown Atlanta.

If you’re looking at this website, I’m going to take a wild guess that you might be feeling one or more of the following:

  • Stuck
  • Scared
  • Confused
  • Anxious
  • Depressed
  • Isolated
  • Lonely

If so, you’re in the right place to get help. These are some of the words that clients use to describe themselves when they first meet me. They’re often unsure if they’re beyond help or hope, and sometimes have resigned themselves to a lifetime of pain and quiet suffering.

But you don’t have to be in pain. Life can be better. I know this because I’m experienced at helping people get through the most challenging, hardest parts of their lives so that they can thrive with meaning and purpose.

I’m passionate about mindfulness-based therapy because I see it helping my clients every single day. I’m a strong believer in our ability to change and grow throughout our lives. That belief is based both on the science of neuroplasticity and on my personal experience growing from an anxious kid into a calm, mostly-mellow adult. (A few exceptions to my mellowness? Long lines at the post office, bicyclists without helmets, and people saying one thing but doing something else. After all, I’m still human.)

But You’re Probably Interested in the Details. So Here They Are.

After earning my graduate degree in counseling, I interned and worked as a counselor at Odyssey Family Counseling Center. Then, for four years I was proud to provide counseling and parent coaching for four years in the north Atlanta suburbs with McConaghie Counseling. I have also previously contracted with Emory University’s Counseling & Psychological Services to provide psychotherapy for undergraduate and graduate students. I hold a license through the State of Georgia as a Licensed Professional Counselor and am also a Nationally Certified Counselor through the National Board of Certified Counselors. My undergraduate degree is from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. My graduate degree is from Georgia State University. I adhere to the Code of Ethics of the American Counselor Association and to the ethical and professional standards of the Georgia State Composite Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Social Workers.

If you’re really, really interested in details then you can learn more about my experience–including trainings and workshops I’ve provided–through my LinkedIn page. Or read my blog or check out how about how my colleague Maggie Akstin and I think about counseling by reading What To Expect: The Stone Cottage Counseling Way. 

Ready To Take the Next Step?

Want to find out more? Reach out to me by email or phone to talk or schedule an appointment.