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Stress
Martha Meadows, LCSW

Martha Meadows, LCSW

Martha Meadows is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). She earned her undergraduate degree from Virginia State, University, where she majored in Social Work, and earned her masters degree at Virginia Commonwealth University in Social Work. For 30 years, she served a fulfilling time with Henrico Mental Health Services as a clinical case manager and clinician. Martha worked diligently to problem solve and seek the most appropriate solutions for a wide range and age of clients (ages 14-80).
She expresses that her goal is to utilize the sum of her positive experiences in order to be a flickering candle that illuminates the pathway for clients. Martha believes that human warmth, understanding, and compassion work to foster clients security, wellbeing, and personal prosperity. Personal counseling has been her life’s work and the legacy she wishes to leave to her fellow man and brothers and sisters in Christ. As she looks back on her career, she feels a resounding sense of personal satisfaction.
Martha was born and raised in Forest, VA, and enjoyed Sunday school and choir growing up in the church. She was named after and strongly influenced by her aunt, who was a minister and pastor, and inspired to have deep love and reverence for God. In her free time, she has also been able to pay it forward as a Youth Advisor.

Matthew Scott, LMFT

Matthew Scott, LMFT

Matthew has had over 18 years experience collectively working in Clinical Settings, Residential Treatment Facilities, Home Visiting Programs, Outpatient Hospital Mental Health Facilities and Christian Based Counseling Services.

As a Mental Health professional, he has had over 10 years experience specifically in clinical settings working in both Outpatient and Chrisitan based counseling services. Matthew co-lead a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Program for Adolescents and Adults working for an Outpatient Mental Health Facility in NY State for 2 years. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a modified type of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Its main goals are to teach people how to live in the moment, develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate their emotions, and improve their relationships with others. He also has experience practicing in a Chrisitan Based Counseling Center based out of a Baptist Church in Upstate NY where his Father was the Senior Pastor for 24 years. He was able to see first hand as a Pastor’s son the impact healthy relationships can have on others’ overall functioning through radical genuineness, acceptance, validation and being non-judgemental with those you work with.

Matthew is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and works with Individuals, Families , Adolescents, Children and Couples. Matthew works closely with clients to address issues related to depression, anxiety, marital issues or conflict, relationship issues, parent child relationships, parenting issues, stress, trauma/abuse, addictions, mood dysregulation, post traumatic stress disorder, codependency, anger and maladaptive thinking. As an MFT, he works systemically which means he considers his clients’ lives and the problems they present in therapy through a biopsychosocial lens. This means taking into account their mind, their body, and their relationships, and how all of these things affect each other. MFT’S believe we are shaped by where we come from and that informs so much of what we do in other relationships. Matthew utilizes various methods such as CBT, DBT, Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, Insight Oriented, Psychodynamics and Family Systems approaches to help clients reach and achieve their best self and work towards their life worth living goals.

Licenses & Certifications

● Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (Virginia)

● Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (New York)

● Intensively Trained DBT Therapist

Natasha Ginter, LMHC

Natasha Ginter, LMHC

As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I have had the opportunity to work with many different populations such as children, teens, adults, and families. My experience has enhanced my therapeutic approaches in Trauma Resolution, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Motivational Interviewing. Through an eclectic approach, therapy will include multiple modalities that are tailored for the client’s distinct needs. The therapeutic relationship is best achieved through client driven, nonjudgmental, and strength-based approaches. Therapeutic services will build from the strengths you already possess while developing additional skill-sets and incorporating Faith based principles to help manage life more effectively.

Jonathan Durst, LMHC, LPC

Jonathan Durst, LMHC, LPC

Jonathan Durst has more than 20 years of experience as a people helper focusing on serving individuals, families, and organizations. He received his formal education from St. John’s University in Psychology and from Ashland Theological Seminary in Clinical Pastoral Counseling. He is currently licensed in New York as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (L.M.H.C.) and in Virginia as a Licensed Professional Counselor (L.P.C.). Jonathan has served his local church as a youth and an associate pastor prior to his profession in counseling. Early in his career, he had experiences working in several capacities of community mental healthcare in a wide variety of settings. He developed his outpatient counseling experience working at EMERGE Ministries in Akron, Ohio. Jonathan has since worked as a supervisor, clinical director, developed satellite counseling centers, partnered and consulted with churches and organizations, helped train future Christian counselors as an adjunct instructor, provided leadership and mental health training internationally, and has served on a few national mental healthcare committees. Most recently, before coming to Light Counseling, Jonathan was the founder and CEO of Bedrock Counseling Ministries, a Christian outpatient counseling clinic located in Syracuse, New York. It was out of his faith and obedience to God that Jonathan and his family relocated to Virginia for this next chapter of serving others.

Jonathan’s number one ministry is to his family. He strives to love God with all of his heart and is continually broken by both God’s goodness and His direction. He is blessed and honored to be married to Carmen and they have 3 children; Alicia, Matthew, and Gabriela.

Justin  Cook, LMHP-R

Justin Cook, LMHP-R

Justin is a Licensed Resident in Counseling with over 10 years of experience working in various roles in the mental health field. He completed a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Liberty University. He has experience in working with children and adults with Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, and Bipolar Disorders. He has also spent a great deal of his career working as a crisis counselor.
Justin is a proponent of a holistic approach to well-being. He engages in person-centered therapy and utilizes cognitive behavioral techniques to help his clients. He has a passion for helping people make positive decisions and helping them find their purpose in their life journey.
In his free time, you’ll find Justin outside training for Spartan Obstacle Course races, hiking, fishing, and cooking.

Laura Holmes, LPC

Laura Holmes, LPC

Laura is a Licensed Professional Counselor who received her Bachelors’ degree in Psychology and her Master’s degree in Professional Counseling from Liberty University. She has certifications in Life Coaching, Biblical Counseling and Stress & Trauma Care. She has experience as a Parent Coach teaching Attachment Theory to parents to aide in healthy child development. She also has a specialization in Trauma (which includes Crisis, Grief, PTSD, Sexual Trauma and Domestic Violence).

Laura is also certified to administer the PREPARE (pre – Marriage Counseling) and ENRICH (Marriage Counseling) inventories, which include assessment and skill building.
Laura understands that people need to respond to unexpected changes and challenges in life and seek counseling as a safe empathetic place for healing and restoration. She realizes that every client is unique and different tools and methods are imperative for each individual. She greatly enjoys facilitating self-exploration and personal growth in her clients. She believes that a strong therapeutic alliance is an integral part of the path towards hope and restoration.

She has experience working with marital issues, pre-marital couples, depression, anxiety, co-dependency, grief, life transitions, stress management, unresolved childhood issues and spiritual conflict. She also has experience as a Grief Share facilitator.

While she lives based on the principles of Christian faith, she is equipped to work with clients from various spiritual backgrounds and incorporate spirituality as requested by the client.
Laura has been married to the love of her life for 34 years. They are empty nesters who greatly enjoy the beach, bike riding, hiking and exploring the great outdoors.

Lynnette Shadoan, LMFT, LPC

Lynnette Shadoan, LMFT, LPC

Lynnette has worked at Light Counseling since March 1999 where she served as the Executive Director until she and her husband moved to Lexington Kentucky. She continues to work full-time for Light Counseling by providing Telehealth, services and considers this “the best of both worlds” since she can live near family and still work for the counseling practice that she loves!

Her clinical areas of practice include adults, adolescents, and college-age individuals. Her main focus is on women’s issues, codependency issues, marriage counseling, and family conflict resolution. She treats a wide variety of clinical problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, adjustment disorders, grief, and phase of life issues. Her therapeutic approach is insight-oriented, cognitive-behavioral, along with family systems, with a biblical perspective. In 2017, 2018, and 2019 Lynnette was voted number one Counselor in Lynchburg in Our Health magazine’s “Best Bedside Manner” edition, which she counts among the greatest honors of her career.

As a former basketball player at the University of Kentucky, she and her husband are now season ticket holders and enjoy attending the games at her beloved alma mater. She also has one cat and one dog and is a big animal lover!

Marie St. Louis, LMHC

Marie St. Louis, LMHC

Hello, my name is Marie St. Louis. I have spent most of my life helping people be the best versions of themselves, in one capacity or another. As a trauma-informed counselor, I have three years of professional experience helping adults successfully navigate a variety of mental health challenges (e.g., anxiety, depression, substance abuse, addiction, loss, relationships, and other life-controlling issues). I collaborate with clients to develop treatment goals, and explore practical and effective coping strategies to help achieve these goals; thereby, leading to happier lives that reflect the client’s core values.

I am a national certified counselor with a passion to help clients heal and begin living victorious lives. My therapeutic approach centers on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a framework in helping clients better understand their inner world and use that understanding to overcome challenging situations; however, treatment is always client specific.

Life offers many unexpected twists and turns that oftentimes leave us overwhelmed with distressing emotions and undesirable behaviors that produce brokenness within. If you can relate, I welcome you into a judgment-free therapeutic relationship to safely discover, explore, learn, and grow into the man or woman you were created to be – an overcomer!

Evan Tyler, LMHP-R

Evan Tyler, LMHP-R

When I am outside of counselor and professional environments, I love spending time with my parents, my sister, my niece and nephew, and my friends (all of which I consider my family). I also love taking care of my cat (Yoshi), although she can be a pain. I have been fortunate enough to be blessed with hard ship in my life that has led me down the road of becoming a mental health professional and am extremely passionate about connecting with others that may have gone through similar health struggles as mine in order to help them live their best and healthiest lives. I am a strong believer in supporting those that society may not focus on or who feel left behind and alone due to their life circumstances. I love the process of getting to know and understand the person hood of my clients before understanding their struggles. I see the counseling relationship as a cooperative exploration of what is truly important to the client and love every second of that adventure.

Outside of counseling, I am an avid enjoy-er of all things “nerdy” (video games, superhero movies, sci-fi, fantasy) but also love playing sports and being active when I can.

Amy Feigel, LPC

Amy Feigel, LPC

Amy Feigel is a Virginia Licensed Professional Counselor and former California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Amy received her pre and post-graduate education from Liberty University and has nearly 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and families.

She has served as a Social Worker for Child Protective Services, a Group Facilitator working with sexual abuse survivors through Parents United International, a Mental Health Clinician providing outpatient counseling for at-risk youth, the Director of Member Care for the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), the Director of the Extraordinary Women organization and as a private practice therapist. Amy is currently employed full-time as a therapist at Light Counseling, part-time as an Adjunct Faculty Professor with Liberty University Online, and is also a Special Assistant to the President of the AACC.

As a past recipient of the Servant Leadership Award from the IBPPC, Amy has experience in conducting numerous workshops that provide local communities with mental health education, in-service psycho-education to teaching professionals, and continuing education training for members of the AACC on a variety of topics such as: eating disorders, teen suicide/cutting/self-injury/physical and sexual abuse/depression, anxiety/stress, women’s issues, social networking, and the online generation.

Arpenik Stepanyan, LMHP-R

Arpenik Stepanyan, LMHP-R

Hello! My name is Arpenik Stepanyan and I am a Resident in Counseling at Light Counseling. I received my masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Liberty University and my Bachelors in Psychology from Texas A&M University.

I am originally from Yerevan, Armenia and grew up moving around several times before my family settled down in Pearland, TX. Growing up moving around one of the few constants in my life was the church, and it was where my love for people and ministry began. During my time at Texas A&M, I continued to develop a passion for service and ministry. I was involved in helping freshmen get plugged into the local church, serving at camps, mentoring middle school girls, and teaching English classes to international students. Towards the end of my degree when I was deciding my next steps, I took a course on counseling, which changed the trajectory of my life; I ended up moving to Lynchburg, VA to pursue my master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Liberty University.
Looking back, I can see the Lord’s hand in my life and how he guided me during every season and transition.

I am passionate about this work and grateful to have the ability to witness firsthand how God is at work in each of my client’s lives. I have experience working with children, couples and individual adults who are struggling with a variety of issues such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, grief/loss, anger, codependency, ADHD, OCD, and relationship issues.

Alyssa Penrod, LMHP-R

Alyssa Penrod, LMHP-R

Alyssa is a Licensed Resident in Counseling who received her masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She has experience working with children, youth, adults and families. Alyssa has a background in both Emotion Focused Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy theoretical orientations. Her passion lies in creating a space for the client to feel seen and heard in order to create the safety needed to initiate change and growth.

When not counseling, Alyssa can be found tending to her copious amount of house plants, walking one of Lynchburg’s many trails or planning her next road trip.