January

Counselor of the Month

Daniel Saroni, LPC

Daniel counselor of month

5 Fun Facts About Me:

  1. I am not an Eagle Scout, but was in Scouts growing up and I try to go camping/backpacking at least 6 times per year (it was the only way I could justify spending hundreds of dollars a year at REI to my wife). Being in nature is always a grounding and mindful experience for me. I never fail to come back from a trip physically exhausted but mental and spiritually invigorated. One of my bucket list items is to do a multi-week through hike on one of the longest continuous trails in North America, the Pacific Coast Trail.

  2. In addition to the outdoors, musicals and theatre are two other serious passions of mine. I performed in multiple musicals throughout high school and college and to this day love nothing more than singing along to a fun new soundtrack. My top three favorite shows that I never tire of listening to or watching are Les Miserable, Phantom of the Opera, and Man of La Mancha. Most recently this passion has taken the form of getting all my friends into the musical Hamilton, although it took effort to curb my natural tendency to sing along so they could enjoy the professionals.

  3. I love (cannot overstate it) LOVE the water. I swam competitively in high school and was a swim instructor for almost 10 years through college and grad school. I find that learning to swim is often about more than just perfecting skill. There is something scary and overwhelming about doing something so counterintuitive and dangerous and submerging yourself in water.. Therefore, much of learning to swim is about teaching ourselves to do something new and uncomfortable but ultimately beneficial: not at all dissimilar to therapy. While I will swim in basically any body of water deep enough to wade into, the hierarchy of preference is 1) lake, 2) river, and 3) ocean.

  4. Communication is a topic of interest that spans both my personal and professional lives. I remember watching romantic comedies growing up and thinking how 90% of the film plots could have been avoided if the individuals involved communicated more constructively. Interpersonal effectiveness is a favorite tool of mine because of the focus on strategies of how to get personal and relational needs met in the most effective way possible.

  5. I am a new father! My son was born just before Thanksgiving and he is our first. There was plenty of excitement in his coming and now I find adjusting to fatherhood to be as exciting and engaging a challenge as any I have faced in the past. While the lack of sleep is a con, it is definitely worth being able to welcome the new addition into our family.