Meet Sharon Burtzlaff of Renewed You Counseling Services, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharon Burtzlaff.

Hi Sharon, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
When I was around 7 or 8 years old my family would watch the show The Bob Newhart Show on tv. In the show, Bob played a psychotherapist with his own private practice. I used to love watching that show and remember asking my dad if the job Bob Newhart had on the show was a real job and he told me that it was. From that day forward I knew that is what I wanted to be when I grew up! Fast forward many years later and that is what I pursued in college and I became a psychotherapist. I worked in the field for a while and in 2018 I started my own private practice, Renewed You Counseling, in Marietta and teletherapy throughout the states of Georgia and Florida. I am so grateful to be able to say I have my dream job and absolutely love what I get to do for a living and I think it shows!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being a therapist has always been what I wanted to do so figuring out the path was not a challenge. However, becoming a psychotherapist is a lengthy process and it was difficult to find an internship that would give the required hours of face to face with clients in order to graduate and most internships in this field, including mine, are not paid so that was challenging. Thankfully, I found an internship and managed too somehow still eat while making no money and paying for classes. I would tell people “I know this must be the field for me because I’m willing to pay for all of this training and work in an internship for a year for free and it still feels like a calling and what I was meant to do.”

I also experienced a challenge when Covid struck. I was mostly an in-person therapist but had to pivot to providing only teletherapy over zoom. What is interesting was I found out I loved doing therapy this way and so did my clients. It was much more convenient for them and I noticed they were able to go deeper quicker while being in their own home or space they were most comfortable. Plus after a deep, emotional session they didn’t have to get in their car anymore and brave Atlanta traffic. Instead they were able to make themselves a cup of tea and relax in their own space. Plus, I discovered that I was able to help so many more people who needed it since now I could see anyone throughout Georgia and Florida where I hold my professional counseling license.

We’ve been impressed with Renewed You Counseling Services, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Renewed You Counseling provides in person adult, child, and couples counseling in Marietta, GA and teltherapy counseling services throughout the states of Georgia and Florida. We love not just helping people go through their challenges but actually grow through them. We specialize in helping people heal from trauma, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, grief, life transitions and couples miscommunication issues.

What sets us apart from other counselors is that we are trauma informed and extensively trained in techniques such as EMDR and other somatic therapies, which have been proven to help actually rewire the brain so people can experience actual healing and renewal instead of just a band aid. We also are able to integrate Christian beliefs into the therapy upon request.

At Renewed You, we love helping people who are ready to stop feeling stuck, start healing, and create a life where they feel emotionally regulated and in control of themselves. We like to playfully call this goal to their renewed existence as the “okie doke life.” The “okie doke life” is characterized by a state of reduced stress, enhanced mental health, improved relationships, greater resilience, increased productivity, enhanced self-esteem, emotional regulation, improved physical health, greater life satisfaction, personal growth, spiritual connection, and ultimately the renewed, “okie doke life” is associated with a sense of happiness and contentment that comes from within, rather than relying on external people or circumstances. I am very proud that we have this goal for all of our clients and that we have the tools to get them there.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Even though being a psychotherapist has always been my passion, there was a brief time in 2000 when I moved to Georgia from Ohio for my husband’s at the time job promotion and I had a hard time finding a good job in my field and I was not ready to start my own practice yet. I recognized that the internet was really starting to take off and there were a lot of jobs available in web design so I took a certification course at Oglethorpe University in web design and landed a job at UPS working on their global website. I enjoyed it but mostly enjoyed going to lunch with my coworkers every day and listening to their problems and helping them with solutions. I knew even more then that being a psychotherapist was my true calling and after taking a detour after that job for a few years to have two children and be a stay at home mom for 10 years, I decided it was time to go back and start my private practice and fulfill my passion and purpose for helping people and that is when Renewed You Counseling was born.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.renewedyoucounseling.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Renewedyoucounseling
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-burtzlaff-ma-lpc-63472242
• Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/439110