Meet Our Therapists
Powers Ferry Psychological Associates is a private
practice with 19 independent psychologists in Buckhead, Marietta,
and Canton Georgia, specializing in
anxiety disorders, eating disorders, depression,
ADD/ADHD, child and adolescent
psychology, and couples and family counseling.
Dr. Berel works with adults and adolescents and provides individual,
couples, and family counseling. She specializes in
women’s issues and eating disorders and has extensive training treating individuals struggling with anorexia, bulimia, compulsive eating, and body image concerns. While almost half of her clinical practice is comprised of adults and adolescents struggling with these issues, the majority of her clients are men, women, and couples facing other difficulties including
anxiety, depression, and relationship problems. Dr. Berel sees both heterosexual as well as same-sex couples. She also enjoys working with
adolescents with anxiety and mood issues.
Dr. Berel’s approach in working with clients is one that tends to de-emphasize psychological problems as illnesses. She views eating problems, for example, as generated in part, from our culture’s emphasis on appearance, and has published articles based on this perspective. Although recognizing that certain psychological problems have a biological basis, she assumes that people develop various ways of being in the world based on the context in which they live. Several schools of thought influence her approach to psychotherapy. Where appropriate, Dr. Berel focuses on family and interpersonal influences. With other clients, she emphasizes the development of life skills and solutions to problems. She often uses a combination of these approaches and/or adjusts her therapeutic approach with clients depending on their needs.
Dr. Berel received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Washington State University and completed a predoctoral clinical internship at the University of Chicago Medical Center. She completed a postdoctoral position at Northside Hospital (through the Women's Center) as well as at the Atlanta VA. She sees clients at the Buckhead office.
Dr. Binder has been practicing individual psychotherapy and couples
therapy for thirty-five years. Over this period of time, he has
worked with adolescents and adults of all ages. He has experience in
private practice, medical school outpatient and inpatient settings,
community mental health centers, and private psychiatric hospitals.
Currently, he works with adults in all stages of the life cycle. He
has treated a wide variety of symptoms (such as anxiety, tension,
and depression) behavioral problems, and relationship issues.
However, Dr. Binder always attempts to understand how each person’s
difficulties are influenced by and, in turn, influence his or her
most important interpersonal relationships. He believes that for a
person to feel truly happy and fulfilled, that person must have
satisfying human relationships, in which he or she feels accepted.
Dr. Binder’s approach to treatment involves establishing a
productive working relationship by identifying one or more central
issues that the individual agrees should be the focus of therapeutic
work. Then, through a detailed collaborative examination of the
circumstances that contributed to the development and perpetuation
of the problems, strategies for modifying or resolving them are
developed. These strategies involve new ways of understanding,
reacting to, and managing the previously confusing and distressing
circumstances (whether involving symptoms, behaviors, relationships,
or life realities).
Dr. Binder is an internationally recognized expert in time-limited
psychotherapy, having trained psychotherapists at four universities
and conducted research for a decade in psychotherapy process,
outcome, and training. He has coauthored a classic text on brief
psychotherapy, as well as authored an acclaimed new book on brief
psychotherapy. He has published and presented extensively on the
subjects of time-limited psychotherapy and psychotherapy training.
Currently, Dr. Binder is Professor of Psychology at the Georgia
School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University/Atlanta. He
received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of
Michigan. He is boarded in clinical psychology as well as a Fellow
of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology.
Dr. Cecilia
Phillips-Binder works with adults in individual and couples therapy.
She addresses problems commonly faced in today’s hectic and
stress-ridden modern world, including relationship issues,
self-image and body image concerns, women’s issues, life
transitions, and personal growth. She also works with the common
conditions of depression, anxiety, grief and loss, trauma, and
stress management. Dr. Phillips-Binder has a special interest in
helping women as they develop a career and manage romantic, marital,
and parenting aspirations.
Dr. Phillips-Binder has extensive experience working with people who
have chronic and serious physical illnesses, such as cancer,
cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary disease. She has a special
interest in helping people manage the psychological difficulties of
terminal illness.
Dr. Phillips-Binder believes that mood, thinking, and behavior are
all affected by a sense of belonging and closeness in important
relationships. “Very early in our lives we develop patterns in the
ways we relate to people close to us. These patterns persist into
adulthood and affect the quality of our relationships. We also
construct a self-image based on interactions in our important early
relationships, which affects how we feel, think, and behave in
relationship to our self…how we take care of ourselves.” Coming from
this perspective, Dr. Phillips Binder emphasizes that the primary
goals of psychotherapy include identifying and changing problematic
relationship patterns and improving self-image. “My experience
suggests that as clients develop greater awareness of themselves and
how they relate to others and greater acceptance of themselves,
their symptoms tends to diminish and they tend to experience
decreased stress and increased capacity for creativity, joy, and
fulfillment in their lives.”
Dr. Phillips-Binder’s believes that psychotherapy is a collaborative
process. Further, providing safety, acceptance, and honesty is an
important part of the therapy since, “Clients can only explore the
difficult and very personal issues that are important to their lives
within a safe, collaborative environment.”
Dr. Phillips-Binder was inspired to become a psychotherapist while
working as a research assistant on one of the major psychotherapy
research projects conducted during the 1980’s. As a single mother of
two teenagers, she received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from
Vanderbilt University in 1995. Dr. Phillips-Binder recently moved to
Atlanta from Nashville, Tennessee, where she was in clinical
practice for twelve years. For the past ten years, in her private
practice she specialized in working with professionals in business,
health care, entertainment, and academics, as well as their family
members. She joined PFPA in the Spring, 2007 and has immediate
openings for people seeking individual or couples therapy in the
Buckhead and Marietta offices.
Dr. Drose has
been in practice in Atlanta since 1989. He started PFPA with his
wife, Dr. Dina Zeckhausen. His favorite part of clinical practice is
watching people learn to live more complete lives in their family
and at work. He works with adolescents and adults helping them with
relationship problems. He has done research and published
articles in professional journals on sexual therapy and has
extensive training and experience in couples therapy. He uses
experiential methods, including hypnosisand gestalttechniques, to help clients reduce anxiety and stress.
Dr. Drose is also
interested in creative expression at work and in personal
relationships. “One of the worst things about psychological
problems,” he says, “is that they rob us of our creativity and
ability to provide love to the most important people in our lives.
Good psychotherapy, whether focused on reducing depression, anxiety,
or other symptoms, unlocks natural creativity, allowing clients to
let go of the heaviness of life and begin to truly enjoy
experiences.”
Dr. Drose received his doctoral training
at the University of South Carolina in Clinical Psychology. He
sees clients at the Marietta and Buckhead offices.
Dr. Lorenz specializes in the treatment of
Trauma/PTSD, Addiction,
Children, Couples, and Chronic Illnesses. While treating these
disorders, Dr. Lorenz also addresses co-existing concerns including
depression, anxiety, grief, divorce, ADD/ADHD, and interpersonal
conflicts. Based on these experiences, Dr. Lorenz provides
individual, couples, and
family counseling for
adults, adolescents, and children.
Treatment Methods
Drawing upon diverse and effective treatment
methods, Dr. Lorenz utilizes
psychodynamic and systems perspectives to increase
self-understanding and then cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to strengthen personal skills. Her goal as a therapist is to
help her clients gain insight
and knowledge about themselves. With this knowledge, her clients
strengthen their coping
skills in dealing with their problems. “Therapy
is a journey through difficult emotions and thoughts. I offer
support and guidance in how to navigate through life’s challenging
times.” At the discretion of her patients, Dr. Lorenz also
supports a spiritual/religious understanding of their problems into
the therapy process.
Education and Training
Amanda R. Lorenz, Ph.D. received her doctorate
in Clinical Psychology from the University of Wisconsin
at Madison.
Her graduate research focused on the
influence of emotion on a
person’s thoughts and behavior. She has published several
articles and book chapters examining this topic in psychopathic and
borderline forensic populations.
Based on years of clinical and research experiences,
Dr. Amanda R. Lorenz has a
generalist training in the treatment of psychological disorders.
She has conducted therapy with adults, children,
and adolescents at in-patient psychiatric children /adolescent
hospitals, veteran’s hospitals, private practices, schools, jails
and prisons both in Wisconsin and Georgia.
Dr Lorenz completed her residency at the VAMC-Atlanta
and her post-doctoral training at private practices in the Atlanta area before joining Powers Ferry
Psychological Associates. Dr. Lorenz sees clients in the Buckhead
area of Atlanta.
Dr. Redd works with children, adolescents,
and adults and provides individual, couples, and family therapy.
While her training focused extensively on child development
and family systems therapy, Dr. Redd’s
approach to psychotherapy is varied, including family
systems, cognitive-behavioral,
and psychodynamic
theoretical models. Her work with clients is highly
collaborative, practical, and insight-oriented. It is
growth-oriented as well, a resilience-based approach which goes
beyond coping, adaptation, or competence in managing difficulties.
This approach recognizes that seeking help is a sign of emotional
health and seizes opportunities for transformation and growth that
can emerge from crises.
Dr.
Redd works with clients who are struggling
with depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, stress
management, attention deficit, and behavior problems. She
conducts psychological evaluations for ADD/ADHD and
learning disabilities, as well as mood and anxiety
disorders. Dr. Redd received a masters degree in
religious education and developmental psychology from
Princeton University and enjoys helping clients understand their
psychological life in the context of their religious/spiritual
beliefs.
Originally from Alabama, Dr. Redd
graduated from Samford University (Birmingham, AL) with a Bachelor
of Arts in psychology. She completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at the
Georgia School of Professional Psychology (Atlanta, GA).
She is available to see clients at the Canton and
Buckhead offices.
Dr. Swales is a Licensed Psychologist who specializes in providing
therapy and assessment services with
children, adolescents and adults. Common reasons for seeking an assessment include problems with
attention and concentration, learning difficulties and academic concerns,
delays in attaining developmental milestones, emotional and behavioral problems, and relationship difficulties. Dr. Swales provides comprehensive evaluations specifically tailored to address an individual’s concerns and utilizes information from collateral sources, such as teachers, parents, and significant others. She provides the client with an assessment report that includes specific recommendations for improvement, and these reports are appropriate for application in
academic, medical, and forensic settings.
In her therapy practice, Dr. Swales provides both individual and group services, as well as
family-based interventions. Common reasons for seeking therapy include
difficulty adjusting to life changes and transitions, coping with traumatic life experiences, and difficulty managing feelings, such as
depression, stress, anxiety and anger. Other common issues include
dissatisfaction in significant relationships, parenting challenges, and issues related to body image and unhealthy eating patterns. Dr. Swales focuses on increasing a client’s self-awareness and assists them in establishing new ways to cope with their difficulties that are consistent with the client’s personal values and beliefs. Dr. Swales also leads
social skills and parenting groups, as well as
workshops for individuals (children and adults) who have been diagnosed with attention problems.
Dr. Swales received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Auburn University. She has been in private practice in Texas since 2004, and recently relocated to the Atlanta area. Dr. Swales is in the process of becoming a preferred provider for several insurance companies. In the interim, she is willing to provide services on a
sliding-fee schedule, such that psychological services are more accessible and affordable for those seeking assistance. Dr. Swales is available to see clients in the
Marietta, Buckhead, and Canton offices.
Monique Terrell, PhD
770-953-4744
Dr. Terrell works with children, adolescents, and adults. She describes her approach to her clients as “person-centered and culturally informed.” Whether working with individuals, couples or families she taps into their own resources of strength, believing that “long-lasting and effective change comes from within.” Respectful of individual responses to psychotherapy, Dr. Terrell consistently evaluates ongoing treatment in order to provide the most efficient and effective therapy of her clients
Dr. Terrell has conducted research in the area of cultural /racial identity and the experiences of biracial persons. A native New Yorker, her ongoing passion for exacting change has led her to the Atlanta area. In addition to her work at PFPA, she continues to be involved in community projects which seek to empower at- risk and underserved persons. She currently acts as an Executive Director at a well- respected non- profit in one of the most impoverished areas in Atlanta.
Dr. Terrell received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University in New York. She is available to see clients in the Buckhead and Marietta offices. She does not take insurance but does offer a sliding fee scale.
Dr. Zeckhausen
began practicing in Atlanta and co-founded PFPA in 1990. She also founded the Eating Disorder
Information Network (EDIN) in 1996. She is currently EDIN’s
Co-Director leading that organization in providing the greater Atlanta
community with prevention and treatment services for Anorexia,
Bulimia, and Obesity. Dina began writing and presenting
treatment information on Eating Disorders when she was in graduate
school and has helped raise awareness of eating disorders throughout
the country. She has also written creatively to raise awareness of
eating disorders including a play, What’s Eating Katie?,
which has been performed by and for teens throughout Atlanta, and a
children’s book, Full Mouse, Empty Mouse,
which also has a curriculum that serves as part of a prevention
package for grade school children.
Dr. Zeckhausen
works with Adolescents and Adults, and specializes in Women’s
issues, Eating Disorders, Anxiety, Depression, and couples therapy.
“I enjoy helping clients to explore the issues from their early
family life that may be contributing to their current struggles,”
states Dr. Zeckhausen. “However, my goal is to help clients re-write
the very limited and limiting stories that they tell themselves
about themselves. I am passionate about helping people discover
their strengths and use those strengths to work through the internal
blocks which prevent them from living life to their full potential.
Through my work with EDIN, I am able to address the wider cultural
issues which contribute to eating disorders. It is tremendously
satisfying to empower people to resist pressures to be other than
their authentic selves!”
Dr. Zeckhausen
received her PhD in
Clinical Psychology from the University of South Carolina in 1990.
She sees clients in Marietta and Buckhead offices.