Avery Slechta, M.A., has always been fascinated with why people behave the way they do. And now, as a practicing psychotherapist, Slechta uses her life-long interest to help people improve their lives.

“I do this type of work because it’s rewarding to make a difference in people’s lives,” Slechta says. “I get so much joy knowing that I’m helping an individual or a family work through a difficult time.”

Like one client – an 86-year-old woman – who told Slechta that she talks to her about things she’s never talked about in her entire life… and who is very grateful for finally being able to get feelings and issues out into the open.

Clients and employers describe Slechta as insightful, empathetic, smart, kind-hearted, and a good listener.

“People tell me that what’s most helpful to them is they feel that I understand them and what they’re going through,” Slechta says. “Seeing the change in people – seeing the life changes they choose to make after we’ve been working together – is so gratifying. I know that’s something they can use for the rest of their lives.”

Slechta feels that one of the most important parts of her job is to give people a space to express themselves – often in a way that they’ve never experienced.

“The people we see tend to not have the ability or the habit of talking about how they feel – they store it, swallow it, and run out of storage space – then getting sick or depressed,” Slechta says. “What I do is help people them essentially clean out their storage space and actually train them to speak about what they feel. That can alleviate their current problems and avoid psychological and physical problems in the future.”

Slechta is married; in her spare time, she creates wall art with her mother, artist Joanne Neal-Berndt.