Barbara Flaherty, MA CDCII
Counselor
Barbara received her Master’s degree from Holy Names University in Oakland CA. and has experience counseling with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. She has taught substance abuse counseling at UAA, trained behavioral health clinicians throughout Alaska, and worked with Alaskan Native elders facilitating village recovery intensives that combine western counseling and indigenous ways of healing. Barbara is certified as a Chemical Dependency Counselor II, a Neuro-Linguistic Practitioner; and a practitioner of Dream Tending, a form of Jungian dream work. Her groups often include art, creativity, and meditation. Barbara has experience counseling people and families with substance abuse and/or mental health issues. For her, recovery is not just about letting go of substances or managing a mental health difficulty. It’s about really beginning to live your own authentic life. “We can rewrite our stories, can recreate ourselves as we grow with greater strength and resiliency. I like a solution-focused approach where we work together to meet your goals. It's a joy to assist someone in discovering or deepening a meaningful life as he or she understands that.”
Barbara enjoys writing, creating visual art, and nurturing green and growing things. She is the author of two books. She is a mother, a grandmother and a former slam poet.