My Approach to Helping
Dr. Katherine Best founded the Encouragement Institute in 2004 after working in hospital, residential, and outpatient clinical settings for eight years. She holds two Master's degrees: Clinical Social Work and Public Health with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health. Her Ph.D. is in social behavioral science. She has been certified in clinical hypnosis and has worked as a life coach since 1994. She completed her certification in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2001. Dr. Best has been a Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator since 2009, and is also a member of the International Association for Collaborative Divorce Professionals, helping to assist couples and families through an amicable divorce process. In 2013, she completed a two-year post-doc in Archetypal Pattern Analysis and Dream Analysis in Vermont with the Assisi Institute.
More Info About My Practice
A rich and diverse academic background in the field of mental and behavioral health, Dr. Best has worked as an adjunct professor for a number of years, at the following colleges and universities: Simmons College, Boston, Smith College, Northhampton, MA, and University of South Florida in both Tampa and Sarasota.
She offers strategies based upon a synthesis of theory, research, practicable application, and experience. The Institute was founded upon a philosophy that embraces the leading research on resilience and supportive connections, and is dedicated to personal development, offering expertise to guide you in reaching your potential, resolving conflict, and accessing your own inner resources to create the clarity needed for manifesting your intentions or just removing the barriers to love and creativity.
On the Fence About Going to Therapy?
By offering you the winning combination of your own personal therapist-coach, Dr. Best puts years of education and experience to work for you. She offers an empathic and encouraging perspective to anyone struggling with histories of depression, anxiety, chronic or acute trauma, or grief and loss. For those overwhelmed with the day to day stresses of life, motivation, procrastination, or life transition; strategies for rapid resolution are available.
Clinicians who offer sliding scale payment structures may offer lower or reduced fees based on an individual's ability to pay. Please contact this clinician for more details regarding their fees or sliding scale policy.