Founder · Therapist · Meets at Robious Landing
Parke Sterling, LPC
Therapy that doesn’t feel like therapy.
Schedule a Free ConsultationI’m much more like my clients than unlike them.
I think that’s why I enjoy working with them so much. If we’d met under different circumstances, I’d probably be friends with most of them.
Most of the guys I work with have full lives. They’ve got jobs, kids, mortgages, relationships, and grass that needs cutting. They have a lot competing for their attention and they’re functioning at a pretty high clip. Sometimes all of that starts adding up. Most of them have subscribed to the bullshit belief that they should just grin and bear it. As a result, almost all of them are suffering more than people realize.
I’m always proud of the courage it takes for them to walk into therapy. I remember how hard it was for me.
My approach
I primarily use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and motivational interviewing, along with pulling from other modalities when needed. A lot of therapy focuses on trying to get rid of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. I’m more interested in helping you clarify what you actually want out of life, take steps toward it, and stop organizing your life around avoiding discomfort.
We’ll talk, but success in therapy is much more about what you do with those insights. The real change comes from taking the tools you learn and using them in your day-to-day life.
By the end of our work together, I want you to find better ways to cope with what you can’t control, do more about what you can, and spend more of your life in ways you actually enjoy and are proud of.
Who I work best with
- Guys who look fine on the outside but are struggling more than anyone around them knows
- Dads, husbands, professionals, and business owners carrying a lot at once
- Guys dealing with anxiety, stress, burnout, or a general dissatisfaction even though life looks good from the outside
- Guys tired of letting social anxiety dictate what they do and don’t do
- Guys who want therapy to lead somewhere and are willing to make changes outside the session
“Almost all of the guys I see are suffering more than people realize.”— Parke Sterling, LPC
The clinical part, and the rest
Before becoming a therapist, I spent about eight years in corporate America working in sales. Somewhere along the way, I realized I didn’t particularly enjoy selling people things they didn’t really need.
Around the same time, I was dealing with my own anxiety and work stress. I started reading about psychology and experimenting with meditation, exercise, breathing, and anything else that seemed like it might help.
I’m mildly grateful for both the anxiety and the years in corporate America now. They gave me a much better understanding of the guys I work with than graduate school alone ever could.
I studied Sociology at Randolph-Macon College and earned my master’s in Mental Health and Rehabilitation Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University. I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia.
Outside of therapy, I’m interested in Eastern philosophy, history, baseball, music, playing with my kids, and being outside as much as possible. I’m a Baltimore Orioles fan and listen to a lot of John Prine, Van Morrison, and especially the good ol’ Grateful Dead.
I’m married with two kids, a boxer named Poppy, and a cat named Wilson who has an ongoing disagreement with his veterinarian about what constitutes a healthy weight.
Let’s talk
Start with a free 15-minute consultation and we’ll figure out whether we’re a good fit.
Schedule a Free Consultation