“The Secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”- Socrates. Many of us were conditioned to accept and live with situations in our lives that we wanted to change but felt we could not or did not know how to. By seeking out counseling support, you have taken the first step to respond and not react and change your emotional climate. I am Gala Oliver-Singh, and over the past 17 years I have had the privilege to witness numerous transformations occur when people just like you have taken the risk to have a different relationship with change by responding instead of reacting and be in trust instead of distrust with change. When we do our transformational work, we can experience the gifts of growth, joy, and opportunity that these changes are here to teach us. I decided to become a Licensed Professional Counselor when I was a client, doing my own transformational work. This profession has provided an opportunity for me to help other people do their transformational work and learn to tell and live new stories that reflect the positive choices and changes they want to experience in their lives presently. My goal in pursuing a Master’s degree in Counseling and Guidance from Louisiana Tech University was to use what I’ve learned in turmoil to actively bring others to a better position in their lives. I have worked in a variety of settings with many different client groups. I have a demonstrated passion for and commitment to educating and empowering individuals and groups that have been historically marginalized, stigmatized, and oppressed, specifically ethnic, and sexual minorities. I have facilitated personal growth support groups for LGBTQ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) young adults and served as a mental health consultant addressing identity development and the coming out process at a Safe Zone Training. I have provided individual, family, and group mental health therapy for children, adolescents and adults in outpatient clinic and community settings; provided individual and family therapy, intervention and support services to parents and students as a school-based mental health therapist; and was responsible for counseling, educating and empowering battered women and their children to make choices that result in safe, independent and violence-free lives in my position as a domestic violence family counselor. My approach to healing, wellness, and mental health is client-centered, relational, and based on a flexible, collaborative approach. The goal of our counseling relationship will be to identify healthy new behaviors that you choose and to incorporate them into your life. I am here to help support, inspire, and motivate you to make those changes. Together, let’s create a healing, non-judgmental, safe environment to help you transform and live your best life. SPECIALTIES: • Ethnic and sexual identity issues (multicultural issues; LGBTQ issues) • Anxiety • Depression • Relationship issues • Youth development and adjustment (young adult counseling) Also experienced in: Parenting issues, Family conflicts, Coping with life changes, Career difficulties, Life purpose, Self-care Clinical approaches: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Family Systems Therapy Years of Experience: 17