Kristen Benner, LPC
Through personal experiences, I have found that the challenges we face in life bring forth exceptional growth and change. Given the beauty of this concept, these challenges often require support, acceptance, and the need to confront our barriers. I have found my passion in helping others face these challenges by offering a connection through talk therapy.
My path to the field of psychology involved many turns and bends, as opposed to a straight route with an end goal in mind. I graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in 2013, only taking my first psychology course during my senior year. I fell in love. I graduated with a degree in biology and was able to fill my schedule with enough psychology classes to achieve a minor. A year later I enrolled in Millersville University’s clinical psychology program and graduated with a Master’s degree in 2017.
Since 2017, I have been working in the field of drug and alcohol treatment, earned my counseling license, and developed skill sets for co-occurring mental health and substance abuse therapy. I have enjoyed facilitating group therapy and individual counseling for individuals struggling with a variety of substance abuse disorders, acute mental health symptoms, and co-occurring traits. I have worked with a variety of demographics at inpatient and outpatient settings, most specifically, young adult populations, clients with trauma history, and those struggling with anxiety and depression.
I hope to help enhance personal growth and self-identify with all of my clients, given that the only constant in life is change, and change can be hard. To be our best versions of ourselves, we often need an alternate perspective and support throughout our journey. We have the answers within ourselves, but sometimes we need help to bring those answers to the forefront of our awareness.