A Place To Talk is currently staffed by Ethel Wagner, a psychotherapist in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

A Message from Your Therapist

I want to help you find your own unique path that will add joy to your everyday life.

I’m Ethel Wagner and I am a psychotherapist.

I work with women who want to make changes in their daily lives—changes that will help them connect (or reconnect) with activities that truly make them feel fulfilled and content.

A few years ago I felt something was missing from my days. When I started exploring the situation, I realized that the collection of art supplies surrounding me might be a clue. I always knew I liked art supplies. I’d been collecting them for a long time, even though I didn’t often do anything with them. I’d buy pretty sheets of paper; pens, paints, and markers; craft magazine after craft magazine; and all sorts of art books. I’d look at them, and think about what I might do with them, but I just didn’t take that step. Then one day I finally decided to give it a try. (I think I told myself it wasn’t a big deal, just in case. Just in case…I wasn’t any good. Just in case…I didn’t like it. Just in case…no one else liked what I created.)

And to my surprise, from that very first time spent working with the stock of supplies that surrounded me, I discovered a sense of absolute joy. All levels of stress disappeared while I was working with the paints, brushes, paper, inks, pens—it didn’t seem to matter the method or materials, I found myself smiling and feeling so happy and at ease.

I also realized that my just in case concerns didn’t matter—it was my turn to do something for me. And that was okay—and there were no grades or reviews involved (from myself or anyone else). It was the act of doing something for myself—and committing to myself that I would continue to do so—that empowered me to make other positive changes in my life.

Because I know how it feels to be searching for it and I also know how it feels to discover it, I’m motivated to help others in their quest for their own definition of absolute joy. I look forward to helping you find the inspiration to live your own possible dream.

 

Ethel holds her MS in Counseling Psychology from Chestnut Hill College. She has maintained a private practice for the past 15 years, including an online presence. Over the years she has counseled women experiencing various life situations, and has run classes for those dating the next time around. She is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA).