“What is most personal is most universal.”
― Carl Rogers
marY & Lily
We are a unique partnership. We are mother and daughter, close friends, and at one time, uncompromising adversaries. Now we are partners in Conscious Living Psychotherapy, inspired to work together as a way of honoring our most personal experiences of transformation and using our lessons and expertise to help you on your own healing journey.
mary bernuth, ma, LPC
I have been practicing as a licensed professional counselor for 17 years. I went back to graduate school at 47 years old and founded the Counseling Center of Cherry Creek in late 2005. In the first few years of my practice, I began to develop the Conscious Living Psychotherapy modality. I specialize in working with couples, especially those who are struggling with parenting issues or seeking to reconnect after growing apart. I also enjoy helping people explore their spirituality as a way of finding their soul’s calling.
Over the course of the last 17 years, I have studied various modalities that have greatly influenced how I approach psychotherapy. Prior to becoming a full-time psychotherapist, I was in Jungian analysis for 14 years, and a Jungian dream group for 10 years. My post graduate work includes Applied Existential Psychotherapy with Betty Cannon of the Boulder Psychotherapy Institute and advanced training in Pat Ogden’s Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. Both these disciplines have enabled me to develop a well rounded trauma informed practice.
I have been able bring my previous professional background in leadership development and management consulting to a Psychodynamic Executive Development model for my clients. Several of my clients are senior executives who appreciate some guidance through the challenges of leadership and how their own family background impacts their approach to the growth and management of their professional lives.
I had the wonderful privilege and pleasure of being happily married for 30 years until my husband passed away from cancer in August of 2020. His passing created a deeper closeness with our daughter, Lily. We spent much time together learning from our grief and growing into a bond that has now resulted in a partnership as Psychotherapists. I am very grateful and excited to welcome my clients into this new practice.
Lily bernuth, MA, LPCC
What is it they say about the children of therapists? … I don’t know if I am more or less “well adjusted,” but I do know that I am grateful for my unusually touchy-feely, introspective upbringing. That said, I did not always want to be a therapist myself. It took several years of personal and professional unknown to find my path as a therapist. Craving a culture shock, I traveled from Denver to New Orleans for college where I initially studied Neuroscience. But I realized my interests in the human experience expanded beyond the brain, so a mentor connected me with the Autism Clinic at New Orleans Children’s Hospital where I completed my undergraduate internship. I worked with teenagers processing their sense of disconnection from the world and taught parents how to interact with their children in ways that they would respond to. I also developed my interest in research by studying the psychological impacts of Hurricane Katrina on teenagers from heavily impacted areas, seven years after the disaster. I finished my undergraduate degree in psychology and child development, after which I felt the need to slow down, have adventures, and explore who I was as an adult. I worked odd jobs, traveled, and had only a couple of existential “crises.”
But I knew when it was time to reconnect with my career. I began working at the Tennyson Center in Denver, a residential treatment center for children with trauma and mental health needs. This experience inspired me to go back to graduate school for counseling in 2017, sure that I had found my purpose. During graduate school I worked with families living well-below the poverty line, supporting parents as they did everything they could to survive with extremely limited resources. I began to understand how a parent could find themselves in a situation where they feel unable to care for their children. It was a harsh realization, especially after my years working with children who had been so wounded by their caregivers, but one that anchored my empathy for anyone who is struggling to do right by themselves and their loved ones. I completed my graduate internships at TESSA Colorado Springs providing therapy for survivors of domestic violence, and Maria Droste Counseling Center, working with clients with a variety of therapeutic needs.
My educational journey has deepened my love for this work in more ways than I could have imagined. I also experienced the loss of my beloved father during my graduate work, which has broadened my perspective on all things human, including tragedy. I consider it the honor of my life to be with people in their hardest moments and truest forms. And if possible, to witness transformation that can change their lives. I remain committed to supporting teenagers and young adults in developing their sense of Self, especially in the wake of traumatic experiences. I also work with adults of any age who are seeking to process a myriad of challenging experiences throughout their lifetime. I have specialized training and experience in working with trauma, grief, substance abuse, medical traumas, sexual problems, survivors of domestic violence, and couples & families. I am also trained in EMDR Therapy and have seen incredible relief through this approach to trauma, especially for those who are still feeling stuck despite attempts at processing through talk therapy.
For more information about the specific kinds of therapy I practice, please feel free to read about them by clicking below. I hope to meet you soon.
EMDR Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Existential Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Somatic Therapy, Art Therapy.