Counselors of Fortitude
Get to know us
Jessica Carson
Founder & CEO
Jessica Carson completed her master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at SUNY Oswego in 2015. She describes herself as a directive, humorous, challenging, and compassionate therapist. Her goal is to help people discover strengths, heal, and grow as individuals while recovering from life's hardships. She specializes in anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, OCD, relational problems, and stress management. Jessica strives to make mental health care accessible and stigma-free for the Syracuse and Central New York community.
(315) 591-8281
Lorie Boyd
Licensed Mental Health and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor
Lorie Boyd is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology before going on to receive her Master's in Rehabilitation Counseling.
With more than 24 years of counseling experience, she has worked with many diverse populations. She especially enjoys working with individuals addiction and chronic mental illnesses, as well as individuals with incarceration histories who are striving to re-enter society. In addition, Lorie is a Vocational Rehabilitation specialist skilled in assisting with career related issues and crises.
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Lorie provides specialized expertise in working with couples. She creates an inviting and supportive environment for couples to rebuild foundations and build stronger connections to promote the healing process.
Dr. Susan McInvale
Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist
Dr. Susan McInvale is a psychologist and Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist with 10 years of experience as a therapist. She specializes in CBT, DBT, Gestalt, Positive Psychology, couples counseling, and Existential therapy.
She is passionate about working with people who struggle with anxiety, depression, and mood disorders. She provides cognitive behavioral therapy which helps her clients understand that the way they think is not often the best view of themselves. Their thoughts can be distorted and affect how they process the world around them.
She has experience working with a variety of age groups from teens to older adults. She especially enjoys working with young adults who are searching for meaning in their lives and focusing on career development—which comes naturally to her after 25 years as an educator! Understanding and improving ourselves is what most people desire.
Her clients have all the ability within them to live without a panic attack, ruminating thoughts, sadness, and anxiety. When they work with her to learn how they can control negative thoughts and reduce depressive symptoms, they are on the right path to self-awareness and success.
Recovery / Sober Coaching
A recovery/sober coach is a person who is in long-term recovery and trained in promoting recovery by removing barriers and obstacles that typical avenues do not offer. They serve as personal guides and mentors for people who are recovering or looking for recovery. They understand recovery because they have lived it. Coaches offer suggestions to assist the individual and often family member/s to begin to address their recovery needs by creating a clear plan of action and using current strengths to reach goals. The coach serves as an accountability partner to help the person sustain their recovery while assisting individuals with access to treatment, mental health services, healthcare, benefits, and anything needed along the way.
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The goals of a Recovery/SoberCoach are:
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Help to initiate and sustain an individual/family in their recovery from substance use disorder
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Help to develop a recovery plan
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Promote recovery by removing barriers and obstacles
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Assist a client seeking (or new to) recovery find a wide variety of services and support including 12-step recovery, harm reduction, detox, treatment, family support and education, local or online support groups; or help a client create a change plan to assist them in recovering on their own.
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Help individuals find ways to stop using (abstinence) or reduce harm associated with addictive behaviors
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Are NON-clinical
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Do NOT diagnose (or offer primary treatment for) addiction
Recovery coaching is not covered by insurance. We understand financial barriers and work with individual budgets and offer free consultation for services.
Sessions are a standard 53 minutes.
Coaches meet individuals in an office and/or community setting.
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Recovery / Sober Coach
Ryan Bull
I am someone in long-term recovery. My educational background includes a BS from Syracuse University and credentialing as both a Certified Recovery Peer Advocate (CRPA) and New York Certified Peer Specialist (NYCPS). These certifications qualify me to work with individuals in relation to both their mental health and substance use related goals. I have a wide range of experience as a Peer Specialist and have worked with individuals ranging from long-term goals in an outpatient setting to short-term crisis needs in different community settings.
My journey to recovery started at a young age. Early on, I discovered that my substance use was becoming something I had less and less control over. This inability to manage substance use escalated very quickly and I experienced many consequences in rapid succession including blackouts, Emergency Room visits, the loss of personal pride, the loss of self-respect, and the deterioration of many relationships. I was eventually mandated to take a leave of absence from my studies and from this low-point I was motivated to change my approach to life. This comprised of me taking an honest look at my substance use and seeking out the help I needed both from professionals and from others who have faced these struggles themselves and now embody a newfound peace, ease, and contentment. I know that I could not have found recovery without community and support from others. I am passionate about encouraging the people I work with to find an approach to recovery that works for them. An approach they can commit to, take ownership of, and follow as their path to self-development and growth. I am a member of 12-step recovery and certified as a Mindfulness in Recovery (MIR) Facilitator. I have experience with teaching the skills and tools of mindfulness for those who wish to further develop their ability to pause and create the space to train their reactions for the challenging moments along the road to recovery.
Ryan also runs Mindfulness recovery groups which start with a brief mindfulness activity/meditation (roughly 10 minutes). This is followed by a reading which focuses on a "skill" of mindfulness (Equanimity, Compassion, Wisdom, Attention, Loving-Kindness, Action) to set the tone and atmosphere of the session. This is followed by group discussion where individuals are free to share about the reading or not, and can discuss personal recovery successes and challenges. The intention of MIR meetings is to have a space where individuals can learn and grow based on sharing their personal experiences and to connect with others to form a community of people in recovery with an emphasis on mindfulness/meditation. These meetings are open to everyone and include people who are already members of other recovery communities such as 12-step and many who aren't.