Sonjia Serda
Sonjia Serda
Credentials: LPC
Practice: BreakThrough Counseling & Conflict Mediation, LLC
Phone: (307) 514-2781
E-mail: sonjiaserda@gmail.com
Location: 1616 East 19th Street, Suite 1 Cheyenne, WY 82001
Website: https://www.breakthroughccm.com/
Insurance Accepted: Aetna, BlueCross and BlueShield, Cigna, FEI EAP, LifeWorks EAP, Optum, TRICARE, TriWest, United Behavioral Health, United Healthcare (UMR), UnitedHealthcare, Vital WorkLife EAP
Fees: $110 - $150
Specializing In—
Relationship Issues, Anxiety, Parenting, Addiction
About
In the late 90s, I found myself at a cross-roads, go to law school or seminary to become a counselor? My undergraduate degree was an interdisciplinary of political science, justice administration and psychology. I’d completed an internship at the WY Supreme Court and written an opinion for the court. At the same time, I was exposed to critical comments about counseling and psychology in general. Nouthetic counseling (Greek: noutheteo, to admonish) is a form of Evangelical Protestant pastoral counseling based solely upon the Bible and focused on Christ. It repudiates mainstream psychology and psychiatry as humanistic, fundamentally opposed to Christianity, and radically secular. I’d always been interested in counseling, fascinated by the thought that someone could know “how” to help people considering the things people experience. I saw the value of nouthetic counseling but have never been one to accept a one-size fits all philosophy. I decided on counseling and have never looked back. I developed such an appreciation for its nuances, theories, practicality and benefits.
I’ve had the good fortune to work in a church counseling setting that offered both pastoral and clinical counseling (I chose clinical). I’ve worked at five non-profit businesses, a city-funded family counseling center, 2 residential adolescent facilities, a community mental health center and implemented a behavioral health program in a non-profit medical clinic. I’ve worked as an independent contractor for two local counseling practices, offering counseling services and evaluations.
I’ve worked the bulk of the last five years as a Military & Family Counselor for two companies that fulfill Department of Defense contracts for counselors at military installations. I worked strictly with service members and their families on issues related to military life. I’ve worked in CDC centers, school-age programs and youth programs as well as with just adults. I’ve traveled a great deal, most recently to The Netherlands, working at a NATO installation and an army base.
I completed my three-year training program at two seminaries, one in CO and one in MO. I strive to keep up to-date on new counseling practices and continue to take advanced workshops on specific practices I’m particularly interested in which is EMDR, addictions, attachment issues and marital therapy. I plan to start offering a theory-based child-parent attachment intervention program called Circle of Security. It is designed to “help children and families with a history of trauma and/or disrupted relationships in a cost-effective manner through research-validated assessments and intervention in the areas of attachment, child development, and neuroscience”. (COSN). It is an 8-10 week program. Over the course of my experience and the continued research on attachment and other life challenges and causes stemming from trauma-related events, EMDR continues to be the most widely used with permanent and substantial benefits. It is used for familiar psychological, emotional, and physical complaints related to mental health well-being. The list includes anxiety, phobias, addictions/habits, abuse, neglect, grief, decision-making, athletic performance, trauma and many others.