Parker Eyster, MSW (Located in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts)

Hello there! My name is Parker (he/him) and I am a recent Master of Social Work graduate from West Chester University’s Philadelphia Campus. I have also received my Bachelors of Social Work as well as certificate in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies from Temple University.

Most of my experience and where my specialties lie is in working with people a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, from a wide variety of ages. This experience comes from diverse settings such as an LGBTQ+ youth center, HIV case management site, and even the City of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs. I identify as a member of the community myself and it is my goal to use my experience to work collaboratively with other members of the community and its allies. I have a collaborative therapeutic approach and work to treat every individual with a holistic lens, understanding that we all all have various identities that make up our whole person, and each of those identities are important to keep in mind when treating the whole. My goal in creating therapeutic relationships is to foster a supportive environment to grow and learn in. I value empathy, transparency, communication, and compassion and hold them all in close regard in my practice.  

My ideal client would be someone who is dealing with issues related to their LGBTQIA+ identity, including but not limited to issues surrounding transitioning, shame around identity, dealing with coming out, and more. Their needs might include looking for a safe and supportive environment to explore their identity in, seeking someone to be a listening ear to talk things through with, or someone who is aware of available resources. Some goals might include gaining a better understanding of self, coming to terms with feeling comfortable about their identity, becoming more ingrained in the community, among many other things. My ideal client would seek a supportive and nonjudgmental ear to talk through their problems with that they might not otherwise have in their life.

How I can help depends on the individual, but generally, I pride myself on my active listening skills and allowing the person to feel heard. I am great at allowing the individual to talk things through in a way they feel may be discombobulated, and unraveling it in a way that is understandable and manageable. I value my ability to break things down into more easy to digest pieces as a way for the client to more easily reach their SMART goals. I'm also a big believer in having many practical tools in your tool box when it comes to mindfulness, emotional regulation, connection between mind and body, and general self care. So another one of my specialties would be having those tools for the client to choose from. Lastly if the client is LGBTQIA+ and from Pennsylvania or Massachusetts , I am aware of a range of different available resources for them depending on where they are located.

Expertise

Depression

Stress and Anxiety

LGBTQ related issues

Coping with life changes

Coping with grief and loss

Additional Focus Areas/Expertise

Life transitions, dissociation

Populations

Adults

Teenagers (13-17)

Clinical Approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Client-Centered Therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Motivational Interviewing

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Narrative Therapy

Trauma-Focused Therapy