Hello, I am Risa Garon. I welcome you to NFRC, a center for families that I co-founded with Barbara Mandell. Many years ago, we developed counseling and educational services that welcome all families and in particular, families in transition. Our model of serving families remains the same in terms of believing in comprehensive, customized services offered by a team of clinical staff who have extensive training and experience in working with families of all compositions. We are known for our work to help parents remain decision makers about their children and for training other professionals in a child-focused approach to making decisions about children.

I work with children, teens, adults, and couples who are seeking counseling to support concerns they have, make decisions about their present and future, and most importantly, strengthen relationships. I have had the opportunity to develop all of our programs at NFRC with a strong belief that parents need to remain decision makers about their children, and can, when given the opportunity to work as co-parents with child development experts. I specialize in helping couples develop parenting plans that focus on the child and are based on developmental needs and challenges for everyone in the family. I believe children benefit from a loving and healthy relationship with both parents and caregivers. I work with grandparents as caregivers, step parents and significant others in addition to birth or adoptive parents.

I work with individual adults or groups, provide marriage counseling and therapy, and offer blended family counseling. I enjoy working with teens and specialize in individual or group sessions for adolescents. Many of the teens I work with are initially hesitant about counseling. Through joining with them in their lives, we develop trusting relationships where teens can grow, gain confidence and cope with family and peer relationships

I continue to learn from our clients and work to develop new programs and services to better support and advocate for all families. I was a member of the recent Maryland Child Custody Commission, Howard County Public School Student Services Committee, and I serve on the board for the Maryland Association of Families Conciliation Courts.

My philosophy is to help families or individuals to achieve their goals by working together using a variety of techniques to help my clients feel comfortable, while building a trusting relationship through humanistic, cognitive and behavioral therapy.

My best rewards are hearing from clients about how they are doing, working with them as they return with new challenges and celebrating their achievements in life.

I am honored to work as a team with a highly professional staff.

I have worked at NFRC for almost 25 years, and feel like I live and breathe the issues that families in transition deal with on a day-to-day basis. From adults to small children, to teens and even grandparents, working with families means dealing with every age, shape, form and constitution. During these years, I have started with children as young as 8 to help them deal with the changes in their families. I've even watched some of them grow and develop into their teen years and beyond, as they struggled with new challenges and developed new coping skills. I've guided many families through separation, divorce and remarriage, helping parents make child-focused decisions regarding their parenting and how they work together to nurture and care for their children.

Some of my specialties:

I enjoy helping newly single parents re-discover themselves and figure out what they want their future to look like, and how to mesh that with being a single mom or dad. Sometimes it means changing jobs, re-training or joining the workforce after many years. Sometimes it's reconnecting with their child or children in a new way.

Working with teens has been an especially enjoyable part of my work. Creating a safe and trusting connection with the teen allows me to be a "guide" in their journey to find their way in the world. Discovering their truths, developing a sense of confidence using their voice and practicing new skills all help in dealing with the social challenges, relationship issues or family conflict they face.

Helping healthy parents find a way to keep their divorce out of the court room has been one of my most important career goals. In a safe space, parents come together to creatively develop parenting plans. Without the pressure of lawyers or the court, parents can make the most creative and flexible arrangements for their children. Using a Child and Family Focused Model, the parents decide together what each of their children need and how they can each be a part of making that happen.

I enjoy the work of listening, caring, and self-discovery that has come with being a counselor over the past 25 years. As a clinical social worker, I work with individuals and families, couples and small groups, helping people find meaning in the changes they encounter.

“Life goes on, within you and without you.” George Harrison

Crisis prompts change. It disrupts our status quo and offers a window into new ways to live life, though at the time it is rarely welcomed.

Short-term therapy helps to navigate a crisis, provides necessary skills and helps you to find your balance.

Longer-term therapy helps you to understand patterns in your communication or behavior that could contribute to potential problems in the future and offers skills to change those as well.

“My dear, you’ve had the power all along.” Glinda, to Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz

If you are experiencing low level dissatisfaction right now, or if a larger life crisis event has occurred, talking with a trained counselor may help you to sort through your feelings.

Please call or contact me to see if working together with me is a good fit for your needs. I have been actively involved in professional trainings over the years in family therapy, complicated grief counseling, anxiety and depression disorders and trauma concerns. I incorporate mindfulness practices with a practical skills approach to my work with clients.

Specializations in adult group therapy, step-family adjustments Ready? Or not? People generally think for some time on their own before contacting a counselor. While you are waiting here are some tools that may be of some use to you.

Carolyn is a certified professional school counselor with a twenty-year history of working with children and families in the school and private, non-profit settings. Carolyn believes in a strengths-based approach to helping families create thoughtful, durable parent plans for their children in a non-adversarial manner.

For the past sixteen years, Carolyn has coordinated educational programs at the National Family Resiliency Center, Inc. (NFRC). Carolyn has co-authored NFRC’s on-line parent plan program and KidsConnex, a children’s education program. Carolyn teaches professionals in other jurisdictions the curriculum and guidelines for presenting each of the educational programs around the state and country. Carolyn currently works full-time for the Howard County Public School System as a School Counselor at Deep Run Elementary School. Carolyn assists in writing school counseling curriculum for Howard County and mentors first year counselors. She was awarded “School Counselor of the Year” by the Howard County Association of Professional School Counselors in 2015.

I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with a passion for helping women become healthy individuals and actively live the peaceful life they desire. I have 16 years in the Howard County Public School System and have significant training working with victims of trauma and intimate partner violence. My ultimate goal as a therapist is to provide a foundation to grow, achieve your goal, and find your focus.

Pam Blackwell retired from the Howard County Public School System as the Director for Student Services in 2012. In her career of 39 years with both the Prince Georges and Howard County Public School Systems, she worked as a classroom teacher, counselor, International Student Specialist, Supervisor of School Counseling and Director for Student Services, where she worked closely with school counselors, psychologists, nurses, health assistants and pupil personnel workers. Pam is currently working with the National Family Resiliency Center (NFRC) and has been on staff there for 9 years as a Parent Facilitator and Co-Coordinator for Student and Parent Educational Programs. She is the Coordinator for Sunday School at her church and enjoys playing team tennis in the area. Pam is married and has two grown children and three grandchildren whom she adores.

Pam graduated from the American University in Washington, DC, with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education (Cum Laude) and completed her Master of Education Degree in Guidance and Counseling at Bowie State University, with additional certification in Administration and Supervision, Yale University Leadership Development and Crisis Response Training. Pam is a Licensed Certified Professional Counselor (LCPC).

Ellen Levin, LCSW-C, LICSW, is a clinical therapist licensed in both Maryland and the District of Columbia. Prior to obtaining her graduate degree, she worked for 20 years as an early childhood educator. She has experience assessing and treating children of all ages, for numerous concerns such as transition and divorce, depression, anxiety, bullying, school related issues, attachment, and grief. Ellen utilizes multiple clinical approaches including play therapy, family therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, mindfulness, and parent education and coaching. Her goals include fostering healthy relationships in all families regardless of their composition.

Julie is a full-time school counselor for 7th and 8th graders at Cradlerock Middle School in Columbia. In her after school hours, Julie is a licensed therapist working for NFRC who works with individual clients and co-facilitates youth therapy groups. In addition, Julie facilitates Co-Parenting Seminars at NFRC. Years ago, Julie was a volunteer peer counselor at NFRC and we are thrilled that Julie has returned to us as an experienced counselor.

Tricia Adkinson is an elementary school counselor in Howard County. She strives to provide an environment that allows students to be their best, most authentic selves! She works with children to (1) identify and build upon natural strengths, (2) acknowledge and develop areas of improvement, and (3) harness the power within their circle of influence through self-advocacy. Tricia also works hand-in-hand with families, community members, and school staff to provide collaborative services and supports that best serve each child's mind, body, and soul!

Tricia joined the NFRC team in 2014. She provides support for parents through the Co-Parenting Seminars and co-facilitates the KidsConnex psychoeducational programs. Tricia not only brings her professional knowledge and experience to her work, but also a genuine understanding as a current co-parent and past child of a two-home structure.

In her free time, Tricia is typically making fun, and usually messy, memories with her two children (7 & 9) and pup, "Nina SiBONE" (Any 1960s musical enthusiasts out there to catch that reference?). Together, they enjoy music, puns, books, good food, fun friends, laughing, new experiences, and art. You can even find Tricia's artistic influence within KidsConnex, as she is responsible for designing our recently updated program materials!

I have a passion for working with young people as evidenced by 20 years as a school counselor with the Howard County Public School System and 9 years of concurrent work with children and families privately. I strive to engage and empower those involved in the therapeutic process for such things as family transition, depression, anxiety and AD/HD. Ultimately, I see my role as a therapist to reach one's goals whether that's reducing stress, making better decisions/choices and/or experiencing personal growth.