Doug Baird, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Licensed in Kentucky

Life is hard.

We’re constantly told by our parents, friends, and society that our goal is to be happy and to cultivate the “positive” emotions while fighting against or ignoring emotions we term as “negative”: anger, fear, grief, sadness, envy, shame, guilt. And, we experience these feelings associated with “negative” emotions, we shame ourselves for having them. In effect, we judge ourselves. A voice in our minds may be whispering to us “I don’t want to feel this way. I can’t seem to “snap out” of this funk I’m in, be more relaxed with those I love; less angry, less fearful, less stressed.”

“I need to escape these feelings. Be more in control.” But what if I told you, fighting “negative” emotions doesn’t work. You can’t fight your emotions anymore than you can use your right hand to hurt your left hand. All you end up doing is hurting yourself.

Emotions and feelings are neither negative nor positive. They just are. More importantly our emotions and feelings serve a very good purpose. They are intended to move us toward growth in the face of inevitable change in our lives; to let encourage us to let go of the defense mechanisms that served to protect us when we were younger and adapt, be flexible, be resilient.

My name Doug Baird and LCSW whose spent the last two years working as an addiction counselor. In my practice I’ve used cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectic therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy to help my clients. It’s been my honor to work with them and witness their courage to move from feeling broken to feeling whole, no longer fearing their emotions but, through curiosity, understanding and acceptance, making them their allies for change.

I specialize in adult individuals who are going through change: a divorce or relationship change, loss of a parent or loved one, loss or change in your employment, children moving away and starting their own lives. You might feel like these are all loses and be overcome with sadness and confusion. We can make room for your grief to be heard, for you to begin healing. More importantly I want help you learn new ways to accept and appreciate that endings lead to exciting new beginnings, that you do have all the qualities to make you the hero of your own story, that you can joyfully choose who you want to be and what you want to do in the future.

I want to work with you to understand yourself, to begin knitting all those rejected parts of yourself back into the tapestry that represents the best you, the person you always dreamed of being. I want you to have something money can never buy, but that you can give to yourself: to be able lay your head on the pillow at night and be at peace with yourself and accept life on life’s terms.

Let’s stop living life at war with yourself. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Let me help.