DIANE R MEAD, LCSW

My career as a therapist began when I worked with juvenile delinquent girls in Chicago at the House of Good Shepherd boarding school in 1969. This experience led me to pursue a BA degree in Criminal Justice completed in 1980. The journey continued with me working with battered women and their children in shelters in Chicago and Albuquerque. This intense work led me to go further with my education. I returned to Chicago and attended the Jane Addams College of Social work, Univ of Ill at Chicago, and earned a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work in 1987. I relocated to Albuquerque in 1988. I was licensed as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in New Mexico in 1990.

Since I have been in Albuquerque, I have worked at the Women’s Prison in Grants NM as a therapist; All Faiths Receiving Home as Director of their Parents Anonymous Program; facilitated groups for stroke and spinal cord injuries at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital; was a trainer/speaker for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe for all volunteers, parents, teachers working with children regarding signs and symptoms of sexual abuse and how to report. I maintained this position for 15 years. I began my private practice in 1990 and maintained it until I retired in March 2022. I am now an Independent Provider for Elevation Counseling.

I love my work! I am caring and deeply involved in the therapeutic process. I believe we all have the resources inside of us to heal, to learn, to grow, to change. I remain only the raft to help carry you, or the support for you to lean against, as you travel your journey in your best possible way.

Populations Served

Adults, Couples, pre-teens/teens (12-17); LGBTQ+/gender-affirming (teens, adults, couples); transgender-affirming; Seniors (55+)

Clinical Experience

PTSD; Childhood trauma: anxiety/panic; depression; women’s issues/battered women; LGBTQ+; sexual identity; adjustment issues (aging, disabilities, illness, unemployment, loss/grief; life changes); spiritual/religious issues; DID (dissociative identity disorder)

Therapy Approaches

Psychodynamic; Trauma-informed; Solution-focused therapy; Transgender affirming; Spiritually oriented psychotherapy (if interested); or non-religious therapy; Telehealth

Education

BA     Criminal Justice,  Northeastern Illinois University @ Chicago
MSW Master of Social Work,  Jane Addams College of SW, Univ of Illinois  @ Chicago