About Me
John Maxwell, LPCC, CCTP-II
5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ME:
#1: I love therapy. I would do it for free if I didn’t need to pay bills. When I come home from a long day at work I like to unwind by reading a clinical book!
#2: I don’t like coloring inside the lines. If something is helpful and effective, I’m interested! I want to go explore where other clinicians are not.
#3: I’m authentic. You won’t have to guess what’s going on inside my head — I’ll simply tell you. And you won’t experience me as this blank, distant expert. I’m a real person and my therapy shows that.
#4: Consent is very important. I won’t push you to go places you’re not ready to go. I always want to know your concerns and for you to feel safe enough to disagree with me.
#5: Helping people heal is a spiritual practice for me and I treat it as a sacred act.
Qualifications
I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (E.2303354) and can provide services to anyone in the state of Ohio. I have a Master’s Degree from Ashland Seminary in Clinical and Mental Health Counseling. Here is my training:
Ketamine-Assisted Trained Therapist
Transforming Touch® Practitioner Student (TEB) - Level 2 equivalent
Internal Family Systems (IFS) - Level 1
Somatic Experiencing (SE) - Level 1 equivalent
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - Fully Trained
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional-2 (CCPT-II)
Personal History
Like many people in the field, counseling is my second occupation. For the first ten years of my career, I worked in customer service. Out of college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life so I got the first job that I could. I ended up working in educational publishing in a call center, providing support to schools and students.
Until that point, I had often felt asleep in life. I would be going through the motions of living, but I was never fully embodied or alive. I had no clear picture of who I was or what my purpose could be.
Through the catalyst of several events including the emotional breakdown of one of my closest mentors, an unexpected friendship, a spiritual journey, and my own personal therapy, I finally decided to return to school for a Master’s Degree in Counseling.
Even though it took years for me to realize I wanted to be a therapist, I do think starting in customer service helped lay some groundwork for connecting with and helping others. (I’m also typically pretty fast at replying to emails!)
Safety
I believe that all clients are inherently worthy of love, acceptance, and deep understanding.
I believe that many groups of people are in special need of healthcare that is supportive and empowering. This includes black, indigenous, people of color, LGBTQ and sexual minorities, and other groups alienated by society.
Gabor Maté