Learn about the precautions we are taking to protect our patients during COVID-19. Click Here.
Dr. Beth Firestein: Licensed Psychologist, Loveland, Colorado
Background and Experience
Education
Dr. Beth Firestein earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987. She completed an APA-approved doctoral internship at Colorado State University Counseling Center in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Philosophy of Counseling and Psychotherapy
My approach to counseling and therapy is informed by the variety of training and the many theoretical orientations I have been exposed to and learned about over my career. My treatment philosophy and approach include elements of psychodynamic, humanistic, client-centered, and family systems approaches. I also integrate an understanding of socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, age, gender, and sexual identity as important factors influencing a person’s identity, relationships, and opportunities (or lack of opportunities) in this culture and society.
I view people from a strength-based perspective, focusing on the person’s abilities and character strengths to assist them in creating a personal foundation for constructive change and problem-solving. I provide a safe, confidential, and accepting environment for honest exploration of areas of personal difficulty and potential solutions to personal and relationship problems.
While I do not pathologize people or work for a “disease model” of mental health or depression treatment, I do have the background, training, and clinical skill to help clients identify biologically-based mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety disorders, and bipolar illness, and to make appropriate referrals for medical evaluation if needed. My approach involves working as a team with medical and other health practitioners (massage therapists, physical therapists, etc.) to provide a collaborative and holistic approach to helping each person resolve the issues that bring them to therapy.
Professional Experience
Dr. Firestein has been in full-time private practice in Loveland, Colorado, as a licensed psychologist since 1996. She obtained her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and completed her APA-approved internship at Colorado State University in 1986. Dr. Firestein has over 36 years of experience in providing counseling to a wide variety of individuals, couples, and families from diverse racial, religious, and sexual orientation backgrounds.
Prior to moving back to Colorado, Dr. Firestein worked for ten years as a Staff Psychologist at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, and served as the director of the Office of Women’s Services at SIU-C. She was selected as a University Woman of Distinction in 1996 for her service to the University and has won a number of other awards over the span of her career.
Dr. Firestein is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA). (Fellows are Members who are honored for making substantial original contributions to the profession of psychology). She has authored numerous published articles and book chapters on women’s issues, LGBT issues, and other topics and has also edited two volumes on counseling bisexual clients for training mental health professionals to work with this population from an affirmative counseling perspective.
Since moving to Loveland, Dr. Firestein authored a “Dear Abby” column called “Uncommon Sense” for the Reporter Herald’s Healthline magazine for seven years and has offered presentations and support groups to the community, including a Gender Support Group and the Wise Women Support and Discussion Group. She specializes in working with couples, adults, adults over 65 years of age, and the LGBTQ population, including her work as a gender specialist for a wide range of adults with Gender Identity concerns.
Recent Posts
FOOD FOR THOUGHT Our Personal Style of Living As I talk to many different women, I notice that different women have different styles of living. These styles define us both during the working/parenting years and after we have retired and…
Read MoreFOOD FOR THOUGHT An almost universal concern for the women that come to see me is the challenge involved in relating across generational boundaries within the family. These challenges include relating to young children, adult children, grandchildren, older or elderly…
Read MoreFOOD FOR THOUGHT We think a great deal about our relationships. We consider and analyze our relationships with family, friends, coworkers, even our casual acquaintances, but we seem to overlook our most important relationship—our relationship with ourselves. We are constantly…
Read MoreFOOD FOR THOUGHT Many people create New Year’s resolutions, and these can pertain to many different life areas. Most common are resolutions having to do with fitness, losing weight, completing unfinished projects, or just being a better human being. We…
Read MoreFood for Thought Home is a word rich with depth, meaning, and nuance. At its most basic level, we tend to think of “home” as the house in which we grew up, usually having the connotation of permanence or longevity.…
Read MoreFOOD FOR THOUGHT Life is not simple but it need not be as complicated as we usually make it. Often, life is simultaneously both simple and complex. For example, the needs of the newborn infant are simple—to be held, loved,…
Read MoreFood for Thought Most women view purpose as synonymous with giving, taking care of others, teaching, or mentoring. If, as women, we are not giving to others, we have no sense of purpose. This reflects a very narrow definition of…
Read MoreFOOD FOR THOUGHT One of the most common topics that arise in our group discussions and in my one-on-one counseling with older women is the question of life purpose. Some women have experienced a life-long struggle to define their sense…
Read MoreFood for Thought Clothes. As women, most of us learn in our early teen years that what we choose to wear is a form of communication, though this learning is often unconscious. For some, the message we get as girls…
Read MoreFood for Thought Wisdom comes in multiple forms and can be hard to recognize, even when it is knocking at our door or has already become a guest in our home. With every year that passes, we gain wisdom. We…
Read MoreFOOD FOR THOUGHT Fall is an amazing, strikingly colorful time of year. It is one of the most spectacular and obvious examples of nature’s dramatic propensity to change. We move from the greens, tans, and deep blue skies of summer…
Read MoreFOOD FOR THOUGHT Courageous Acts What is courage? There are many ways to define courage. Some definitions I have come across include “strength in the face of pain or grief” and “the ability to do something that you know is…
Read MoreFOOD FOR THOUGHT One of the most common topics that arise in our group discussions and in my one-on-one counseling with older women is the question of life purpose. Some women have experienced a life-long struggle to define their sense…
Read MoreFOOD FOR THOUGHT The idea of the bucket list was popularized in the 2007 film of the same name. The “bucket list” refers to things we want to do before we “kick the bucket”–positive, life-enhancing things. The film features Morgan…
Read MoreFOOD FOR THOUGHT The quality of our lives is shaped by many forces. Some of these experiences were harsh, painful, or traumatic, but others have been inspiring, uplifting, and joyful. We tend to reflect upon the tragedies and disappointments and…
Read MoreFOOD FOR THOUGHT One of the most frequent topics that come up for my clients is the issue of caregiving. This is a role that may fall to any member of the family but usually seems to fall into our…
Read MoreFOOD FOR THOUGHT Health challenges are an ongoing part of the experience of getting older for the majority of women and men. A few people with happy genetic legacies and the good fortune not to have been in any bad…
Read MoreFOOD FOR THOUGHT Pride and humility are two of the strongest and most misunderstood feelings and attitudes we experience in the course of our human existence. Pride is usually discussed in one of two completely opposite contexts. On the positive…
Read More