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. Eassa has been
a practicing psychologist for over twenty years. She worked in private practice in Texas until
moving to Atlanta in 1998 to be closer to her extended family.
Dr. Eassa works
with older children, adolescents, and adults helping them resolve
symptoms of Depression and Anxiety. She helps clients improve
their relationship through individual, couples and family therapy.
She has a particular interest in working with women’s issues
especially as they relate to the transitions in a woman’s life. She
also works with individuals and couples experiencing issues related
to infertility.
Dr. Eassa describes
her approach to therapy as being “influenced by many theoretical
orientations therapy,” while centered on developing “a safe,
supportive environment to allow my clients to begin to better
understand their patterns of thinking and feeling.” She strives to
help her clients “find new ways of perceiving and relating in
important situations and ultimately become more psychologically and
physically healthy.”
Dr. Eassa
completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of
Southern Mississippi in 1983. She sees
clients at the
Marietta and Canton offices.
Keith has worked in multiple mental health systems for over 20 years including: public & therapeutic schools, wilderness therapy programs, group homes, in-patient psychiatry, partial hospitalization, adventure-teams courses, out-patient community mental health, and residential treatment facilities, which have given him keen insight to the treatment and services most appropriate for each individual. Keith has been a practicing social worker for 8 years. Keith has success in working with individuals and families that have struggled to connect in traditional therapy settings and who may have had challenging or problematic experiences with therapy in the past. Keith has a, “How can we do it different this time?” approach. He believes it is important to support clients in driving their own treatment through self-determination.
Keith works well with troubled, at-risk, substance abusing and delinquent youth and successfully helping youth struggling with ADD/ADHD, oppositional defiant, conduct, disruptive behavior, intermittent explosive, and reactive attachmentdisorders, including youth with borderline intellectual functioning. Keith has also helped Jr. High youth work through issues with separation anxiety, school refusal, anger management, asset building, and self-esteem.
Keith does therapy with Jr. High aged children, adolescents, adults & families. He has a strong background working with family conflict, divorce and the family, sibling relational problems, active father issues,co-parenting, depression, anxiety, risk assessments,self-injurious behaviors “cutting”, creative substance abuse recovery, substance abuse in the family of origin, eating disorders, grief & loss and PTSD related to physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
Keith often uses cognitive behavioral (CBT), solution focused, reality, and experiential approaches to therapy. He looks at each person from a “strengths perspective.” Keith believes that, “People are not resistant to change, but that they often need help becoming ready to change or learn a better understanding of why change would benefit them.” Looking at how an individual relates to the environment around and how they interact within their family system are also important areas of focus.
Keith graduated from Loyola University of Chicago in 2003 with a MS in Social Work. He graduated from Beloit College in 1989 with a BA in English Composition & Elementary Education. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Georgia.
Dr. Fleet moved to Georgia and has
been practicing here since 1986. He conducts Individual Psychotherapy
for Anxiety Disorders, including Panic Disorder, Phobias,
PTSD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Dr. Fleet has worked for
several years with “Power Over Panic,” assisting group members
achieve freedom from debilitating Anxiety. He helps his clients
learn to manage stress more effectively. He uses
Cognitive-Behavioral therapy to help clients struggling with Anxiety
and Depression find relief from self-defeating thoughts and
behaviors.
“My primary goal
with clients” Dr. Fleet says, “is to provide a safe, collaborative
relationship within which they can learn to develop and achieve
obtainable therapy goals. I help clients learn the skills to help
athem cope more effectively with the difficulties of life and to
build a sense of Self that is strong, resilient and ultimately more
effective in the world.”
Dr. Fleet has been
an athlete throughout his life and has developed a specialty in
Sports and Performance Psychology. He has been a tennis pro and
works with athletes in many sports to use psychological principles
to improve their performance.
Dr. Fleet
received his Doctoral training in Clinical Psychology from Florida
State University. He sees
clients at the Marietta and Canton 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.
Dr. Smith is a licensed clinical psychologist who provides individual, family, and couplestherapyservices to children, adolescents, and adults and assessment/testingservices to children and adolescents. He enjoys working with children and teens around the issues of depression, stress and anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), self-esteem issues, assertiveness, anger management, adjustment to parental divorce, social skills, and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Dr. Smith also provides family therapy to address and improve parent relationship skills, communication and conflict reduction skills, and co-parenting after divorce. He also takes pleasure in working with college-age clients and adults to help with depression, stress/anxiety, OCD, relationship issues, family of origin issues, adjustment issues, assertiveness, and self-esteem issues. He also offers psychological evaluations, psycho-educational evaluations, and developmental evaluations to children and adolescents to assess a variety of presenting problems including Autism, Asperger’s Disorder, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, processing problems, communication problems, developmental delays, as well as social delays, depression, and anxiety.
Specialties
Dr. Smith has a passion for helping and supporting clients in the early stages of becoming a strong and supportive couple (i.e., dating, pre-marital/engaged, and married) and later making the transition to becoming successful parents of emotionally healthy and highly adaptable children. As such, he specializes in several areas: Working with couples young in their relationship to develop an understanding of their strengths and areas of growth and ways to strengthen their relationship through improved communication, problem solving, and conflict reduction skills (often through utilization of the Prepare-Enrich model);working with parents of children ages 4-12 to develop parenting skills to reduce oppositional/disruptive behavior and other behavior difficulties; and helping children and adolescents cope with and address trauma such as physical and sexual child abuse, rape or assault, exposure to domestic or community violence, serious accidents, natural or human disasters, violent crime, or deaths of loved ones through Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).
Approach to therapy
Dr. Smith views psychotherapy not only as intervention, but also as prevention of future problems, as clients are better equipped to cope with the problems that come up in daily life. He believes that the interpersonal nature of therapy creates a great opportunity for clients to gain insight into themselves as individuals who are shaped in the context of relationships and to develop the ability to live life to the fullest outside of therapy. He finds great fulfillment in connecting with clients, walking alongside them, and aiding them in reaching their goals in therapy. Dr. Smith feels that it is a tremendous privilege to be allowed into the inner sanctum of clients’ lives and in turn, honors that trust with humility, respect, and a readiness to meet clients where they are as they begin therapy. He earnestly believes that psychotherapy can benefit everyone during different seasons of their lives, whether clients feel they are in the midst of great difficulty or merely want to improve upon certain areas of their lives. Clients often report that they find it easy to feel comfortable around Dr. Smith and enjoy his warm, thoughtful and caring nature, as well as his sense of humor.
Dr. Smith received his doctoral training from Fuller Theological Seminary, Graduate School of Psychology (APA-approved) in Pasadena, California. He considers himself to be influenced by family systems, cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, interpersonal, and attachment theorists. He sees clients at the Marietta and Canton offices, and currently has evening and Saturday availability. He is in the process of becoming a preferred provider with several insurance companies. Until then, Dr. Smith is also offering services as an out-of-network provider and at a reduced fee.
