Gregory (Greg) Southard, LPCC-S

Gregory (Greg) Southard (pronouns: he/him) is dually licensed as an Independent Marriage and Family Therapist with supervision designation (IMFT-S) and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with supervision designation (LPCC-S). Greg is an experienced clinician who specializes in couples and family work, along with counseling children who are between the ages of 5-17. He utilizes a systemic approach within his work while integrating a trauma focused lens. Greg’s specialty interests include: relational discord within intimate partners, parent-child conflict, LGBTQ+ issues, and anxiety.

Greg completed his master’s degree in marriage and family counseling/therapy at The University of Akron. Additionally, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in human development & family studies (HDFS) from Bowling Green State University. Post graduation, Greg has taken numerous hours of additional training in couples and family counseling, play therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) continuing education courses to further his practical skills and knowledge.

Greg has been working in the mental health field since 2017, working in both private practice and community mental health settings.

From holding teen DBT skills groups, working in team-based care with interdisciplinary treatment teams, and teaching continuing education for counselors, marriage and family therapists, and social workers on various topics such as play therapy, couples counseling, family counseling, and safety assessment and planning, to direct client care with numerous presenting concerns, each of these opportunities has further increased Greg’s passion to work and support clients and his clinical approach.

Beyond his clinical work, Greg is a seasoned educator. Greg has been teaching at The University of Akron since 2018 as a Senior Lecturer. He currently splits his time teaching in the undergraduate Child and Family Development Department and the School of Counseling where he teaches various graduate level marriage and family therapy or clinical mental health counseling courses.

Greg’s approach to counseling roots from a systemic lens to really see all the unique dynamics that may impact someone’s life. He values meeting clients where they are and really finds value in developing a therapeutic rapport with everyone to make sure they feel heard and safe. He derives from an emotion-focused, Bowenian, experiential, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) approaches. Greg is known for numerous metaphors, much humor, and a psychologically safe environment to feel comfortable being challenged.

His strengths include: really taking the time to meet people where they are at and being human together, with kindness, compassion, and humor along the way.