Megan Florestano LPC

My name is Megan Florestano and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with 4 years of experience in the mental health field. I have also worked in Christian ministry and with college students since entering the workforce. I enjoy working with people with anxiety, panic attacks, OCD, grief, anger, poor boundaries, sexual assault and domestic violence recovery, abuse, PTSD, and issues of faith, religion, and identity.

I grew up moving all over the country and have lived in South Dakota for about 8 years. I am married and have two young children. I enjoy dancing, arts and crafts, camping, going for walks, and classical high fantasy fiction.

I always knew I wanted to go into a helping profession. I realized I wanted to be a counselor while working with college students and I would escort them to the counseling center on campus for various mental health concerns. I decided I wanted to be the person on the other end of that walk instead of the one pointing them in that direction. I worked with survivors of sexual and domestic violence at the Compass Center in Sioux Falls, SD during my counseling internship and I worked with college students again at the SDSU Student Health Clinic and Counseling Center.

My approach to counseling involves building a warm, supportive, non-judgmental and collaborative relationship where you feel heard and understood. I want to help you feel empowered to manage and reduce your distress through an individualized treatment plan focusing on your whole self, not just behaviors. I often incorporate humor and metaphor into my sessions. I focus on self-regulation, mind-body connection, coping skills, and trauma informed care along with other appropriate evidence based interventions to work with you to achieve your goals. When appropriate, I also utilize solution-focused therapy, brief therapy, Gestalt interventions, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I believe you are the expert in your life experiences and as your counselor I get to come alongside you for a time to assist you on your mental health journey.