Dwight Tolliver, Ph.D.
Dwight earned his master's degree in counseling from the University of Tennessee in May of 2001 and his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee in August of 2008. In the meantime, he worked in a variety of settings and with a variety of populations. Specifically, he has worked in community mental health centers, university counseling centers, and with a crisis organization for children and adolescents. Dwight completed his pre-doctoral internship at The Ohio State University's Counseling and Consultation Service. Dwight has been a licensed psychologist in the state of Ohio since 2009.
Mending, Growth, and Empowerment . . .
Dwight's orientation toward clients has a fervently humanistic slant to it. In essence, this symbolizes a desire to build, create, and foster a relationship with clients that matters for the clients. To achieve this type of relationship, Dwight attempts to understand and connect to the whole person, suggesting that acceptance is as important as change. Dwight views the therapeutic journey as a process of mending, growth, and empowerment, which can be accomplished by attending to the processes of daily living such as making decisions of problem-solving AND processes of existential living such as motivation or purpose. He has a deep respect for clients, hoping they feel his care and concern as well as his belief in their ability to become more congruent. In this light, he views his role as one where he helps clients feel empowered to interact with others, the world, or themselves differently and to develop the confidence, resiliency, and belief to live a natural, sustainable life.
Dwight has been trained as a generalist and embraces his ability to work effectively with most populations and most presenting concerns (e.g. trauma, ADHD, depression, anxiety, substance use). He is also proud to be an owner of Affirmations Psychological Services ... where diversity, social advocacy, and the belief in the human spirit are appreciated, valued, and nurtured.
““Lonely people have enthusiasms which cannot always be explained. When something strikes them as funny, the intensity and length of their laughter mirrors the depth of their loneliness, and they are capable of laughing like hyenas. When something touches their emotions, it runs through them like Paul Revere, awakening feelings that gather into great armies.””
““It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.””
Gentle Mending embodies the human spirit. The sisters were the inspiration and always will be. They inspired Dwight to write and share because they continue to pursue beauty and unity in the depths of trauma. The book was designed so that the reader feels the tension and discomfort of the sisters' traumas while not taking the reader into the depths of their unimaginable abuse history. It displays their necessary and creative way of coping and surviving. The book is a gift to the sisters; a way of recounting an experience rivaling that of her childhood. It can't, we all know that, but can understanding and love defeat trauma and fear? We're still working in therapy and writing Book Two with that aim . . .