Hello! My name is Beth Salmo, and I am a fully-licensed counselor in Illinois and Missouri with the ability to perform telehealth in those states as well as Florida. I'm working on getting full Colorado and Texas licenses and am also a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP). I am excited for you for choosing to reach out for help, which can often be a difficult decision to make. When life feels overwhelming and scary, you do have safe and healthy options for relief. I am happy to support you on your journey to overcoming the dark spaces in your world without judgment, only caring realism, and compassion. As a counselor, I have almost 7 years of licensed experience working with people from all ages, walks of life, income brackets, and cultures in different settings. I have the most experience working with young people to middle-aged adults presenting with mood disturbances (e.g., depression, anxiety, bipolar); trauma; anger; relationship struggles such as infidelity; and grief/bereavement/loss. I've worked in environments including probation/parole and drug court; inpatient psychiatric hospitalization; an intensive outpatient program (IOP); residential and school facilities; therapeutic day treatment for youth; medium-maximum security state prisons for males; outpatient clinics; and many years providing telehealth.

As a person, I have experienced many challenges in life and have sought counseling myself, which helped me tremendously, so much so that it inspired me to become a clinician. I do my best to be approachable and relatable to clients, and I sometimes use and encourage humor for healing. My foundation of practice is reality therapy-choice theory and using trauma-informed and mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques. I also borrow techniques from other modalities such as person-centered, solution-focused, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and Gestalt. I am also well-versed in the body-mind connection and will refer to physicians if I suspect a medical condition may be at play in your psychiatric presentation.

I hope you find therapy to be a positive experience. If you feel that my approach is not a good fit for you, I will be happy to help you find someone whose approach is more tailored to you as an individual. Above all else, please give the therapeutic process a chance, be honest with yourself, and take care of your mind, body, and spirit.