Choices
Counseling Inc.

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Troy

303 S. Main
Troy, IL 62294

Mt. Vernon

1315 Main St.
Mt. Vernon, IL 62864

Marion

208 Market, Unit 1
Marion, IL 62959

Meet the Team

Pamela Smith MA, LCPC, LSOTP, LSOE – Owner, Therapist

Ms. Pamela Smith is a native of Illinois. In 2010, she graduated Cum Laude from SIUE with a major in psychology and a minor in sociology. Ms. Smith was awarded for numerous research projects, presented and assisted on research projects that were later published, and was named as a member of Psi Chi National Honor Society. In 2012 she completed the Master of Arts degree and was awarded the Dr. Richard P. Walsh Departmental Award given each year to one “Outstanding Clinical Adult Student”.

Following completion of her master’s degree, Ms. Smith began her work with individuals who perpetrate sexual crimes on others. Ms. Smith is unique in the sense that she has worked with male and female perpetration groups, and both adults and juveniles. A majority of her work with offenders has been in conjunction with local law enforcement and probation offices, including county, state, and federal. Ms. Smith provides psychosexual evaluation following offender release from incarceration and sometimes to assist in court needs during the pre-trial period. She has often been called upon to provide court testimony regarding sexual offense issues.

Ms. Smith’s psychosexual evaluations include cognitive assessment, personality assessment, offense specific inventories, and risk screening using tools that take both fixed and fluctuating risk factors into consideration. Ms. Smith favors a “treatment team” approach with supervising officers, typically resulting in lower recidivism and more successful transition back into communities for parolees and probationers. Ms. Smith is experienced in utilizing clinical polygraph examinations and customized safety plans outlining restricted contact with minors to manage offenders in the community.

In addition, to work with sexual perpetrators, Ms. Smith provides services to numerous local and state non-profit agencies who provide services to children. Many children in the community are exposed to trauma, which is not typically assessed in a standard school assessment, and often go untreated, leading to future substance abuse, behavioral problems, etc. Ms. Smith provides counseling services through play therapy and appropriate assessment for diagnostic purposes. This allows for her to speak to perpetrators first-hand about the damage that sexual abuse, domestic violence, and drug use cause children. Helping adults to develop compassion for others, especially child victims, is a key part of keeping recidivism low.

Paula Lawrence MS, CRC, LCPC, LSOTP – Therapist

Ms. Paula Lawrence is a native of Southern Illinois. In, 2007 she graduated from USI with a major in Sociology and a minor in Psychology. She received her Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from SIUC in 2017.

Upon her graduation in 2007 Ms. Lawrence began working in outpatient behavioral health with a primary focus on substance abuse. Ms. Lawrence worked with clients at various levels of the justice system. She was also part of the 2^nd judicial circuits development and implementation of Drug Court. Ms. Lawrence used various assessment tools and treatment modalities to provide clients with the appropriate care to increase the likelihood of lasting success in not only the community but in their personal lives. She has extensive experience at assessing, diagnosing, and providing evidence based best practice tools when working with what many would view as “difficult populations.” She likes to integrate a team approach with all entities involved with the client’s treatment. Ms. Lawrence worked with clients from the intake to the discharge planning and aftercare services. While working in outpatient behavioral health, Ms. Lawrence was also part of a crisis team that involved assessing, deescalating, and treating individuals involved.

Ms. Lawrence joined the practice at Choices Counseling in November of 2018. Since joining the team she has continued to implement her skills by providing a strength based, future focused approach using evidence based best practice approaches when working with individuals with sexual behavior problems. Ms. Lawrence completes psychosexual evaluations encompassing, intelligence and personality testing, offense specific assessment tools, and psychosocial histories. She has recently became a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.

Ms. Lawrence works with clients who have sexual behavior problems, adult and juvenile. She believes that the past should not determine future success and that if her clients are given the appropriate tools and skills, their futures can be successful.

Marcy Ansley –
Office Manager

Marcy has spent fifteen years working in administrative support for social services. At Choices Counseling Inc. Marcy has been taking care of client billing and scheduling needs since 2016. She has the unique skill of anticipating client need to match with the most effective therapist. Marcy has completed HIPPA training and training specific to several insurance companies, including Blue Cross blue Shield of Illinois. She is also proficient in social service contract management.

Delaney Sutherd

Delaney Sutherd received her Bachelors of Arts in Forensic Psychology with a minor in Rehabilitation Services from Maryville University of St. Louis in 2021. She graduated with her Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2023. She completed her year-long graduate practicum experience at Choices Counseling before joining as a full-time therapist following her graduation.

Her clinical and research interests include assessment, trauma, substance use, addictive behaviors, and forensic populations. She conducted a graduate research thesis project titled “The Influence of Parenting Styles on Motivations for Drinking Alcohol in a College Student Population”. She has experience utilizing a variety of evidence-based clinical orientations, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and motivational interviewing (MI), as well as practicing from a trauma-informed and strengths-based framework. She enjoys working with individuals from adolescence to adulthood.

Counseling

Mediation

Evaluation

Specialties

Counseling is about putting you in charge of your life, by amplifying your strengths and working on your weaknesses. Whether you are struggling with feelings of anxiety or depression, going through big changes in your life, or making the choice to become a better you, Choices Counseling is here to help!