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  • HOME
  • PHILOSOPHY
  • Marcia Ward, PhD.
  • RESOURCES
  • CONTACT
  • PATIENT DOCS
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 Marcia Ward, Ph.D.  Clinical Psychologist

Essentially, psychotherapy involves talking and listening (for both the patient and the psychologist). You have      many options when it comes to choosing a psychologist and not everyone feels a “connection” with the first psychologist they meet. It’s okay to interview potential psychologists, and this website is one way that you can gauge whether I will be a good fit for you and your needs. Another way is to schedule a session and meet with me in person.

It takes courage and no small measure of hope to engage in the psychotherapy process. I believe that therapy can have healing effects on peoples’ lives and that emotional health significantly contributes to physical health and well-being. Facing stress, pain and trauma can be scary and upsetting. And with a skilled, experienced helper, addressing these issues through psychotherapy can be not only growth-filled and tension-relieving; it can be transformational.

My therapy approach combines aspects of many psychological theories; I choose the skill-set and a variety of “tools” that I believe will be most helpful in session for the person I am working with at any given time. I remain informed on new and emerging best practices so I can incorporate these skills into my established, tried and true methods, to best help my patients.

I am committed to being open to hearing what my patients tell me they need. I operate from a strengths and abilities perspective and have the skills to find these when a patient sees only darkness and loss. I am open, accepting and nonjudgmental. My job involves creating a calming space within which to work on difficult life problems, and I deeply respect the importance of privacy and confidentiality. Within this framework I have been able to help people I’ve worked with find the ability to resolve past issues, grow from pain and experience sustainable change in their lives.

I work solely with adults older than 30 years. I work with couples experiencing relationship issues. I have a sub-specialty in geropsychology which means I am knowledgeable about the unique problems that can come with aging such as dementia, loss and finding meaning and purpose in later years.  I earned my Ph.D. at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and completed my Doctoral Internship at the Detroit VA Hospital. I have professional licenses in Ohio, Michigan and Florida. I’ve been a full time practicing Clinical Psychologist for 23 years. This means that I have earned my living working in my office with patients, face-to-face and via teletherapy day in and day out. I have the knowledge and experience to address most issues that a patient brings to a session. And when I don’t have the knowledge to work with a particular problem, I am quick to acknowledge this and turn my focus to assisting the patient in finding someone who can be helpful to them.

In my life as a regular person, I, like so many others living in northern Michigan, find calm in the woods and along the shorelines. While scouring the ground for interesting stones, mosses and wildflowers, I try to remind myself to occasionally look up at the horizon in order to gain perspective. I think having hands in dirt and growing things helps one think more clearly. I think there’s nothing better than a book; for learning, for sharing, for healing. I believe music is necessary in daily life and that it grounds us. I am married and we have two children, a son and daughter, both out of school and finding their ways on their own paths; they are my treasures and delights. I have learned the joy of having a dog, whose main jobs are to make me laugh and keep me moving.


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