Cheryl Gwaltney, LPCMH
Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health, Certified Trauma Practitioner
C-PTSD
Mood Disorders
Trauma & Loss
Client Focus: Teens, Adults, Individuals and Families Working Through Trauma, Grief, and Mood Disorders
Specialties: C-PTSD, mood disorders, grief, trauma and loss, ADHD, self-concept, autism, anxiety, depression, family conflict, educational challenges, career and educational planning, self-injurious behaviors, relationship building
Treatment Methods: EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Trauma-Focused Therapy, Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy, Eco-Therapy and Nature-Based Modalities, Animal-Assisted Therapy, Family Systems Therapy, Holistic and Integrative Approaches, Empathetic, Person-Centered Counseling
Cheryl Gwaltney is a Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health and certified trauma practitioner who brings a holistic, deeply relational approach to her work with teens and adults.
With specialized expertise in complex trauma, mood disorders, and grief and loss, she creates an empathetic, non-judgmental space where clients and their families can heal at their own pace. Cheryl is particularly passionate about partnering with individuals navigating C-PTSD, ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, self-concept work, and family conflict, as well as those facing educational challenges, career and educational planning, self-injurious behaviors, and the work of building meaningful relationships.
Her therapeutic approach draws on a wide range of evidence-based and non-traditional modalities for trauma healing, including EMDR, brain mapping, neurofeedback, and equine and other enviro-therapies. Cheryl believes that true change emerges from individual work in conjunction with the family, and that healing is most powerful when therapy meets each person as their own unique self. With a focus on empathetic listening, compassion, and non-judgmental presence, she partners with each client and their family on the journey toward their best selves.
Cheryl holds a Master of Education in Counseling and Guidance from Wilmington University and a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, along with her Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) credential in Virginia. She is currently working toward her Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) designation in Delaware and Pennsylvania. Working in education since 1997 and counseling since 2006, Cheryl has supported individuals across the lifespan in for-profit and not-for-profit settings, including residential, outpatient, and in-home environments. Throughout her career, a focus on family systems and trauma therapies has continued to deepen.
Outside the therapy room, Cheryl cultivates her own well-being the same way she encourages her clients to: by spending time in nature. She enjoys hiking, fishing, and being around animals of all sizes, from horses and cattle to her family dogs. Balancing her work with her own family responsibilities and the everyday challenges of life, she looks forward to sharing those reenergizing, nature-based practices with clients through equine and animal-assisted therapies at Buddy's Place Therapeutic Farm.
Cheryl's certification as a trauma practitioner, combined with her training in EMDR, brain mapping, neurofeedback, and nature-based modalities, gives her a uniquely layered toolkit for helping clients heal from complex trauma in the way that fits them best.
Her belief that meaningful change happens when individual work and family work move together shapes every aspect of her practice, with a particular emphasis on partnering with the people closest to each client.
Cheryl's holistic, relationship-first approach helps clients feel truly seen and met, creating the safety needed to take the next steps on their healing journey.
"True healing happens when we honor each person as their own unique self, and when the people closest to them walk that path alongside them. My role is to listen with compassion, hold space without judgment, and partner with each client and their family on the journey toward their best selves."
- Cheryl Gwaltney, LPCMH