NOTE: I just started working a week day daytime only schedule. In other words, appointments are only available between 9:30 am and 2:30 or 3:30 pm. The most amazing thing about BetterHelp is that you can find a counselor who’s work schedule matches your availability. Various counselors work all different hours, some on early mornings, late evenings and/or weekends, so you can choose someone who’s schedule works best for you! My name is Linda Culver and I am nationally certified as a Master Addiction Counselor (through NAADAC), and licensed in the State of Indiana both as a Mental Health Counselor and a Clinical Addiction Counselor. I have experience working in hospitals, residential treatment centers, and outpatient counseling settings with many kinds of individuals ages 12 – 90. Being licensed in both addiction and mental health, my first love is helping people who are in 12 Step recovery with “outside issues” when additional support that does not contradict basic recovery principles is needed/desired. Typically, I am is cognitive-behavioral in orientation, with a focus on thinking/reframing and choices/behavior, and I strongly believe that learning to experience and effectively cope with feelings is key to more effective coping and a better life. I truly believe that “no situation is hopeless,” that no problem is so difficult that it cannot be improved, and that no unhappiness is so great that it cannot be lessened (tenets of recovery programs). When adjustment to change is difficult, when grief and loss are overwhelming, or when stress seems overpowering, I believe that it makes a huge difference to “walk though” the adjustment, grief and/or stress with someone else, and talking about it (or sometimes talking about talking about it) is the first step towards learning to manage, feeling better, and resolving issues. Feel free to choose any method of communication that feels most comfortable for you, and to ask any questions you might have. You don’t have to know how or that this might work to start the process! Congratulations on getting started!