clinical counselor • speaker • educator
Dawn Friedman MSEd
Folks come to me because they feel stuck. They want to know how to create real, lasting change. They want to improve their lives or resolve a life crisis. Sometimes they don’t know what they want except that they want things to be different. I help them figure it out.
I offer my clients unconditional loving acceptance of who they are right this minute, especially if they cannot find that acceptance for themselves. I trust that my clients can and will discover their best selves by confronting both their successes and failures. I hold my clients in this trust as they work towards understanding, helping them find their strengths and bring them forward in their struggles.
At it’s most essential, the work I do helps my clients figure out who they are so they can take this knowledge beyond the counseling office and into the rest of their lives.
In 2012 I opened my private practice serving families in Columbus Ohio.
Since moving to the Poconos in 2023, I’ve moved my practice online. I’ve miss seeing folks in person but am grateful that I can continue to connection with clients both in Ohio and here in Pennsylvania through the miracle of modern technology!
I received my undergraduate degree in Sociology at Portland State University where I also served as a Peer Mentor in the University Studies program. I returned to school to get my masters in community mental health counseling at the University of Dayton. I have additional training in pregnancy and postpartum (I completed the certification training in Perinatal Mental Health through Postpartum Support, International), parenting, infertility and adoption issues. I also have a post-graduate certificate in Infant and Toddler Mental Health through Arcadia University.
In my spare time I head outdoors, read books, and play logic problems. I also like to watch movies that pass the Bechdel test (and some that don’t) and nag my now grown children.
Education and Credentials
Certification in Infant-Toddler Mental Health – Arcadia University
MSEd in Clinical Counseling – University of Dayton
BS in Sociology – Portland State University
My Other Sites
DawnFriedman.com (my speaking site)
Open Book Parenting (raising anxious kids in a worried world)
ADHD Assessments (exactly what it says!)