Founder · Therapist · Meets at Robious Landing
Parke Sterling, LPC
Therapy that doesn’t feel like therapy.
Schedule a Free ConsultationMore like my clients than unlike them
I’m much more like my clients than unlike them. I think that’s why I enjoy working with them so much.
Most of the guys I work with are in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. They’ve got jobs, kids, mortgages, relationships and grass that needs cutting.
They have a lot competing for their attention. They’re functioning at a pretty high clip. And sometimes all of that starts costing them more than they want it to.
Almost all of them are suffering more than people realize.
My approach
I primarily use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). A lot of therapy focuses on trying to get rid of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. I’m more interested in helping you clarify what you actually want out of life, take steps toward it, and stop organizing your life around avoiding discomfort.
We’ll talk, but I think of therapy more as do therapy. Eventually, you’ll have to take the tools you learn and what we talk about then do something different in your day-to-day life.
I can’t make those changes for you, but I think of myself as a corner man helping you identify patterns and then build a game plan you can actually use in your life. By the end of our work together, I want you to find better ways to cope with the stuff you can’t control, do more about the stuff you can, and spend more of your life in ways you actually enjoy and are proud of.
Who I work best with
- Men in their 30s, 40s, and 50s with full lives and a lot competing for their attention
- Dads, husbands, professionals, and business owners trying to do a good job in several parts of life at once
- Guys dealing with anxiety, stress, burnout, or general dissatisfaction even though life looks pretty good from the outside
- Men with social anxiety who are tired of letting it dictate what they do and don’t do
- Guys who want therapy to lead somewhere and are willing to make changes outside the session
“Almost all of them are suffering more than people realize.”— Parke Sterling, LPC
The clinical part, and the rest
Before becoming a therapist, I spent about eight years in corporate America working in sales. Somewhere along the way, I realized I didn’t particularly enjoy selling people things they didn’t really need.
Around the same time, I was dealing with my own anxiety and work stress. I started reading about psychology and experimenting with meditation, exercise, breathing, and anything else that seemed like it might help.
I’m mildly grateful for both the anxiety and the years in corporate America now. They gave me a much better understanding of the guys I work with than graduate school alone ever could.
I studied Sociology at Randolph-Macon College and earned my master’s in Mental Health and Rehabilitation Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University. I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia.
Outside of therapy, I’m interested in Eastern philosophy, history, baseball, music, playing with my kids and being outside as much as possible. I’m a Baltimore Orioles fan and listen to a lot of John Prine, Van Morrison, and especially the good ol’ Grateful Dead.
I’m married with two kids, a boxer named Poppy, and a cat named Wilson who has had an ongoing disagreement with his veterinarian about what constitutes a healthy weight.
Let’s talk
Start with a free 15-minute consultation and we’ll figure out whether we’re a good fit.
Schedule a Free Consultation