Grief counselors and therapists in Independence, OH

You may be functioning well on the outside while quietly feeling overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, or unable to slow down.

You may be the person others depend on while quietly feeling overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, or disconnected from yourself. At Milton’s Place Counseling, therapy offers a supportive space to slow down, process what you are carrying, and identify practical next steps. I work with clients navigating anxiety, depression, grief, stress, and major life transitions. You do not have to wait until you are in crisis to seek support.

If anxiety, depression, grief, or ongoing stress are making daily life feel harder, you don’t have to navigate it alone. I work with adolescents, adults, and families who feel overwhelmed, emotionally stuck, or unsure how to move forward. Many parents seek support when they notice changes in their teen’s mood, behavior, school functioning, or communication, while adults often come to therapy feeling exhausted, disconnected, or weighed down by life transitions and relationship stress.

Melyse Behavioral & Wellness is a small group practice that empowers, supports and helps clients thrive through their journey. We are a small practice designed to meet the support We have a long history working with kids in the foster care system. I work with clients from various walks of life ages 12 years and older a variety of different emotional difficulties find a way to improve the quality of your relationships with family and friends. You’re taking the first step, and I congratulate you for that because it’s not an easy thing to do.

Mark Wagner, LPCC-S

• Masters and extra graduate work in Counseling and Human Development and Counselor Education
• 15 years experience
• Past experience: Emergency Services, Domestic Violence, Couples and Family, Addictions

I'm a warm, inquisitive and open minded soul, with a lifetime of challenging personal experiences. You are not alone and I would be honored to support you in your journey to peace, healing, and resolution.

My ideal client is someone who is open to the life-changing, transformative solutions that modern psychiatry and mental health can offer. My practice is virtual by design, meeting clients on their terms, during non-traditional hours when they have time to focus on themselves and their needs.

I believe therapy is a space to find inner peace through courage, curiosity, and compassion. The journey toward peace begins with the willingness to be vulnerable—an act that can feel both brave and frightening. Opening up to another person and turning inward to meet ourselves can stir fear and uncertainty, but it becomes gentler in a space free of judgment and shame. My goal is to create that space, where you can explore at your own pace and begin to reconnect with the parts of yourself that need care and understanding.

With 12+ years of experience supporting those impacted by trauma and other challenges , I use a body-centered, relational approach. I help clients slow down, tune into their bodies, and notice how the past shapes their present. Through curiosity, mindfulness, and compassion, I guide healing and deeper connection with self and others.

What was your path to becoming a mental health provider?

I always had a desire to understand people and didn't realize there was a profession centered around my curiosity until college. I was also very intrigued with trying to understand my emotions growing up and because I struggled, I developed a desire to help others through their life challenges. I started providing support services to families and volunteers through a mentoring agency, which later led to interning at a psychiatric outpatient facility, to working with foster children providing therapy and to also growing my private practice here with Alma working with adults and children.

What should someone know about working with you?

I believe I am relatable and open to the sharing of myself with the understanding and expectation that you will be entrusting your vulnerabilities with me in session. I will challenge your thoughts, your patterns and your assumptions, and I give homework routinely as an extension of our time together to keep you active and engaged until we meet again.

How do you continue learning and building new skills?

I am committed to being a life-long learner. I take courses and trainings annually, listen to and learn from seasoned clinicians and try to stay afloat of new groundbreaking research related to treatments and techniques surrounding mental health.

"Success for me, is helping others create the wellness they desire."

Counseling for me is about companionship! Companions are with you through the good and the not-so-good. The most important thing in counseling is creating a relationship where people can feel and think how they want to about their experience within the relationship because whether we are stepping in the right or wrong direction we are ever growing and changing. Everyone perceives life through a different lens. Biological, physiological, and environmental variables influence those perspectives in different domains of people’s lives. All ages with: Anxiety, Depression, Addictions, Schizo and Mood Spectrum, Paraphallic, and Trauma.

I have been in practice for 25 years as a professional counselor. You are the reason why I continue in the work of a therapist. It is your continuing growth and improvement that is my goal in helping you. You are the expert on your particular situation and it is my job to help you in moving from where you are right now, to where you would like to be as quickly as possible.