Meet Charles Gardner
LCSW
I grew up on the west coast. I spent my early years in California and moved to Washington State in my teens. When I was 17 years old, I joined the Navy. I spent ten years traveling the world while serving the country; I developed a worldview based on those experiences. Shortly after leaving the military, I moved to Maine.
Since 1991 Maine has been my home, over 30 years now. After various career fields and academic pursuits, I entered the field of therapy in 2009. I graduated from the University of Maine in 2014 with a Master's Degree in Social Work.
I have a broad range of clinical experience working in crisis, residential treatment for substance use disorders, psychiatric hospital settings, outpatient and intensive outpatient programs (IOP). I bring to my practice this work history and the wisdom and experience of the many talented professionals I had the honor of meeting along my journey.
I enjoy many hobbies including kayaking, camping, gardening, traveling, and spending time with family.
My Approach to Therapy
I enjoy and feel most competent working with individual adults and couples. I am experienced and specifically trained in treating maladaptive coping behaviors often seen as emotional deregulation in the person's actions and attitudes.
When someone is motivated toward the change process, I utilize a blend of therapeutic modalities specifically focused on that individual. These include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Adler's model of behavior modification, and Motivational interviewing. These efforts are unique to the individual, and the current Stage of Change they present.
I view the Clinical Social Workers Code of Ethics as my standard of practice and firmly adhere to this code's tenants. The consumer drives their therapeutic experience. I view the counseling process as an alliance between consumer and provider. Working in partnership to utilize the individuals' strengths and bring those to bear in a respectful and caring manner.
I practice from a Stage of Change of the individual perspective. I seek to apply the appropriate intervention to the person's stage of change. Hence, the process progresses, and the client experiences a sense of respect for their personalized journey. I am focused on the benefits of identifying the strengths of each individual and highlighting them in therapy as tools in the work of progress.
Lastly, I have strive for a balance between a formal and casual atmosphere in my practice. Environment is the lion's share of growth and change in therapy. I practice in the least restrictive level of formalities as is most comfortable for the individual to promote empowerment of the individual in my office.