Sharon Spivey, LISW-CP, BCPCC

I am a "seasoned" therapist.  I received my Masters degree in Social Work from Florida State University 1969 and worked for the SC Department of Mental Health in a variety of positions for 28 years, with early retirement from my last position as the Assistant Director of the Greenville Mental Health Center.  I did not plan to continue work in counseling following my retirement, however, God had a different plan for me.  My husband and I developed a premarital mentoring program at our church that evolved into a 5 day a week commitment with couples at our kitchen table.  We trained 13 couples to work with us mentoring engaged couples in preparation for a successful marriage.  We worked with over 300 couples in our ministry over an 8 year period and successfully reduced the divorce rate in our church by 40%.  Our work expanded to other churches in the area and we began getting requests for marriage counseling and couples retreats.  As a result we felt led to start a private practice in 2004 that was faith based and have continued to date.  We have been married 44 years and learned the hard way, how to be married and how to be soul mates.  We can definitely give couples hope and teach what we have learned.

 I am a licensed Independent Social Worker and am a board certified Professional Christian Counselor by the American Association of Christian Counselors.  My husband, an ordained counseling pastor and Master Life Coach,  and I work together in couple counseling.  We are both qualified in Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which we use extensively in our practice with couples, but also with businesses and local church staffs for team building and management. 

I also do individual counseling with adults with specialty areas in trauma, grief, depression, anxiety and panic disorders.  Individual counseling with me generally entails an initial assessment incorporating a psycho/social/spiritual history and jointly defining issues to address with preferred outcomes.  I look for possible solutions and  how to best achieve them incorporating faith and personal strengths.  I look for spiritual vulnerabilities and use prayer to minimize those.  Depending on the core difficulties, I use a variety of techniques to eliminate/minimize symptoms that interrupt daily living and help clients develop healthy coping strategies.  I am trained in solution focused approaches that can be very effective in eliminating effects of trauma, such as triggers for adult victims of childhood sex abuse.  I use MBTI results both diagnostically and as a teaching tool with couples and individuals.  I look for what works best for different types of people and my approach is eclectic with faith a central component.  My husband and I are trained in in Level IV Healing Prayer by Francis and Judith McNutt of Healing Prayer Ministries in Jacksonville, Florida which we use with clients who are comfortable and prefer that level of prayer in their treatment.