Hola, I’m Daniel,
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I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve got to just start off by saying it. I don’t know how yet but, it’s going to be okay. I don’t mean to say that it’s all going to turn out exactly the way you had planned or hoped for. It might!
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But, it might not. Man, do I wish I could promise it would. It may not be clear yet. We may not know what’s going to happen along the way, but we’ll get there. I want to help you get there.
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CAN I HELP YOU?
I don’t believe in finding perfect solutions. I don’t think they exist. And when we find ones that seem perfect, they’re much more fragile. We need imperfect solutions. Ones that will get you closer to what you want in life. Closer to what feels right. But not ones that are unattainable or inaccessible.
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I know what it’s like to straddle 2 different worlds. To feel like you belong to both and yet not feel fully at home in either. What it’s like to not understand and to feel misunderstood by others. To know what direction you want to head in and yet feel so lost in how to get there.
I get it. I know the pressures we face in this world. I’ve been raised with the same messages. Be strong. Don’t show emotion. Keep it together. Plow through. Buck up. If I’m honest, I’m still wrestling with how to balance what it means to be a good man, good father, good husband AND to be well. How to be strong AND vulnerable. Tough AND gentle. How to keep going AND rest. How to lead AND be humble enough to follow others. So much of the therapy process is learning to tolerate these extremes. Making room for both to exist. To recognize that it doesn’t have to be one or the other.
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WHO DO I HELP?
I help people who want to feel less stuck. Who are having trouble pulling the lever and getting into gear. Wanting to launch into the next leg of their journey but unable to find the clarity to do so.
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Have you guessed yet that I’m a car guy? I love cars. Driving them. Restoring them. Working with them. The freedom they bring. The challenge of problem-solving through a mechanical failure. The sounds, smells, and deep emotional response that can come from feeling one with a car.
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I want to help you feel restored and free of the stuckness you’re feeling. To feel one with yourself. To figure out that you’re capable of more than you’re giving yourself credit for. To see that it’s possible to feel better and possible to have more clarity. Maybe you’re feeling a little rusty, prickly. Suspicious of the process. Of what therapy is all about. Perhaps you’re still debating if this is something you really want to do. Still questioning if it’s worth the trouble and time. That’s okay. We can build momentum together and get you back in the driver’s seat.
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HOW DO I HELP?
More often than not, meeting with me is going to feel like any other conversation. I’ve got all the right training and have a bag of counselor-y tricks up my sleeve (see below) but I aim not to be too jargon-based. I call stuff when I see it. I don’t like to play games. It’s not that I don’t do emotions. That’s an important part of the process too. But let’s cut to the chase and talk about what’s getting in the way of you feeling happier. Let’s work together to find the solutions that will help life feel more manageable.
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WHY DO I WANT TO HELP?
There’s no simpler way of saying it than to share that I feel called to help. To find ways I can give back to the world. Life can be hard. Sometimes, situations just plain suck. I may not be able to take away your pain but if I can help it feel
more manageable, if I can help you feel less anxious, if I can help you get back to feeling like your full self again, then I’m in.
READY TO GET TO WORK?
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MEET
DR. DANIEL PAREDES
Want more specifics about my training and experience?
Read on below:
MY EDUCATION
I have a BA in Psychology from the University of California at San Diego. My Master's degree is in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and my Doctoral degree is in Counseling & Counselor Education, both from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). I have received and led multiple Safe Zone trainings to increase my awareness and ability to be an ally to individuals who identify as LGBTQ.
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MY THEORETICAL APPROACH:
My goal as a counselor is to help people find the answers to their problems, which they often hold, but are having difficulty seeing. How answers are found will vary from person to person - it is one of the things we will explore early on in our work towards addressing your concerns. I use a variety of approaches, which include, but are not limited to Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Person Centered Therapy. I consider my basic understanding of human behavior to be based in Individual Psychology. I would be happy to explain how these approaches impact my work if you like. I am trained in EMDR, a brain-based trauma protocols that help clients identify, process, and release core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation, lower affective distress and physiological arousal, and reformulate negative beliefs into more positive ones.
PERSONAL:
When I am not working, I’m spending time with my family or indulging my hobbies. I tend to gravitate towards hobbies that lead to concrete results so I like to work on cars, running, walking, being outside, and cooking. I acknowledged a long time ago that I am what many would consider a geek – indeed even before it was en vogue to be one.
MY CREDENTIALS
I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor & Supervisor
(NC #S5363) and National Certified Counselor (NCC# 76400). These are part of what add to the alphabet soup after my name. I know that these letters can sometimes be confusing.
The LCMHCS and NCC signify that I've acquired the education, training, and supervision to provide therapy to individuals seeking support and to provide clinical supervision to therapists-in-training.
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MY EXPERIENCE:
I have 22 years of counseling experience, including within acute inpatient psychiatric care and chemical dependency outpatient facilities, college counseling, private practice, and support group settings. My full time work is at Wake Forest University, where I am the Associate Director for Clinical Services. I really enjoy working with young adults as they begin to become more independent and explore the possibilities of life. Before my time at Wake Forest, I was a clinical counselor at North Carolina A&T State University for several years.
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My professional experience also includes teaching and supervising at the undergraduate and graduate level, face-to-face and online at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
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LANGUAGES:
As a native Spanish-speaker, I can provide counseling and clinical supervision in English or Spanish. I am a proud immigrant from Mexico.