For more than 25 years, I've had a connection to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community through my work as an interpreter. But my interest in counseling started long before I opened Virtuous Living Counseling.
When I was in my interpreting program, I already had an idea that I wanted to become a counselor and provide mental-health services to Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people.
Then life happened.
I graduated, started working, raised a family, and followed the path life put in front of me. That original dream didn't disappear—it simply went on the back burner.
Years later, I returned to school to study psychology. Somewhere along the way, I remembered that original goal and realized something important:
I still wanted to do it.
So I kept going. I continued my education, entered the counseling field, completed my clinical training, and eventually created Virtuous Living Counseling, PLLC.
Today, I'm able to provide counseling through telehealth, including counseling directly in ASL for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing clients.
Why Does That Matter?
Mental-health counseling is deeply personal. It involves talking about thoughts, emotions, relationships, experiences, and sometimes things that are difficult to put into words.
Communication access isn't simply about getting the words across. It's about being able to express yourself comfortably and naturally and to feel understood.
For some DHH clients, counseling through an interpreter may be appropriate. For others, being able to communicate directly with a counselor in ASL may make a meaningful difference.
My goal isn't to "fix" Deaf people.
Deafness isn't the problem.
DHH people experience the same kinds of challenges that hearing people do—relationship difficulties, stress, grief, emotional struggles, substance use and recovery, major life transitions, and feeling stuck.
What I want to provide is a counseling environment where communication doesn't have to be another barrier.
You should be able to focus on you.
That's the practice I set out to create, and after all these years, I'm grateful that I'm finally doing it.
Corallyn Berger, LPC-Associate, LCDC-I
Virtuous Living Counseling, PLLC