Dr. Penny Brower, LCPC

Dr. Penny Brower invites people to imagine life as a carnival of experiences, where some days feel like an exhilarating roller coaster and others resemble a slow-moving carousel. She frames the emotional landscape with vivid metaphors - the dizzying tilt-a-whirl of feeling off-balance, the disorienting house of horrors where exits are hard to find, or the sunlit riverbanks where it seems like everyone else stays dry while you get drenched. In this exploration she helps clients examine the decisions, relationships, and life events that brought them to their current place, and she works collaboratively to build skills and identify resources that support steadier, more adaptive ways forward.

Dr. Brower emphasizes client feedback and a strong therapeutic fit, adapting methods when something is not helpful so progress can be maintained. She prefers to avoid labeling people as "normal" or reducing them to diagnostic categories; instead she seeks to understand the conditions that influence when difficult feelings intensify and when they ease. That stance guides a respectful, individualized approach to care that honors each person s unique story.

She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and holds a doctoral degree from the University of Iowa. With 34 years of professional experience, Dr. Brower has supported both individuals and couples to become more intentional and response-able in their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Her early work included in-home therapy with complex, multi-problem families, and she has practiced in community mental health centers and private practice settings. For eight years she partnered with the Air National Guard to develop programs aimed at reducing suicide risk, increasing resilience, and reducing stigma around using mental health services.

Dr. Brower draws on a range of clinical approaches to match each person s needs, including acceptance and commitment strategies, cognitive behavioral techniques, attachment-based and client-centered methods, trauma-focused work, and systemic and family-informed perspectives. She offers experience addressing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy challenges, trauma and abuse, grief, addiction concerns, ADHD, self-esteem issues, and many related areas. Her practice centers on collaboration, practical skill-building, and helping people create more fulfilling, manageable lives.