Our Counselors

John Lodge, PsyD

Passion 

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Ever since I was young, I have had a strong desire to help or otherwise make other people happy, simply because it feels good and like the right thing to do. I have also had a lifelong passion for learning, whether it be by experiencing new things, engaging in deep conversations, or simply observing and striving to divine what drives people to think and act as they do. These twin passions motivated my study of psychology and led me towards my career as a clinical psychologist. As part of my profession, I enjoy meeting and working with people from a wide variety of personal backgrounds, multicultural identities, occupations, and clinical needs.

Experience and Strategies

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

I studied Biopsychology and Cognitive Science for a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree at The University of Michigan. I then went on to obtain my Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree from Wright State University's School of Professional Psychology and I am currently a Licensed Psychologist in the State of Ohio.

My education, clinical training, and professional experience have included work in private clinics, community mental health, college counseling centers, hospitals, senior rehabilitation units, and integrative healthcare teams. I am familiar with a variety of therapeutic approaches and techniques which I have used with adults, children, and adolescents in individual, family, and group-based psychotherapy. I also have experience conducting comprehensive psychological assessments for a wide range of behavioral and psychological issues.

My clinical interests include mood disorders, anxiety, PTSD/trauma, relationship difficulties, stress and anger management, health issues, behavioral pain management, cognitive concerns, life stage transitions, and performing psychological testing/assessment. In addition, I have a strong interest as well as years of experience working with active-duty members of the armed forces, veterans, first responders, and the families of those who serve.

"Do to others as you would have them do to you."

~ Luke 6:31 (NIV)

I strive to approach psychotherapy from a position of honesty, genuineness, unconditional acceptance, and mutual respect between myself and my client. To me, therapy is a collaborative effort where each participant brings their own level of personal experience and expertise to the conversation - my clients have expertise on their personal life context, background, and openness to change, while I have expertise stemming from my education, clinical training, and experience working with a wide variety of people from a multitude of backgrounds. Using an integrative therapeutic model, I seek to help my clients discover their own, hidden inner strengths, thus empowering them to develop the personal skills and tools needed to better manage and cope with the struggles that originally led them to seek therapeutic services.

Wendy Kendall, LISW

** ONLINE Appointments available **

I am a licensed independent social worker with more than 20 years of experience in social work.

Passion 

“It is worth remembering that the time of greatest gain in terms of wisdom and inner strength is often that of greatest difficulty.” -Dalai Lama

Since as far back as I can remember, I’ve always been an acute observer of the human condition. I’m passionate about human interaction, human behavior and learning about what drives others. I believe our experiences, both positive and negative help mold us into who we are and who we choose to become. Often, our biggest growth comes from our toughest challenges. My goal is to help my clients successfully navigate through their adversities in a way that feels supportive, empowering and nurturing. I understand the value of building a strong therapeutic rapport and about how important it is to create a safe, non- judgmental space for my clients to be able to express their thoughts and feelings. My approach is strengths-based. I feel people are resilient and with compassionate guidance, have it within them to move through what is standing in their way. Each person has their own timetable and there is no formulary strategy in terms of how this is accomplished. Every person is an individual.

Strategies and approaches

I have post-graduate training in Solution Focused Brief Therapy and am in the midst of EMDR training. I also use CBT where appropriate. I believe CBT and Solution Focused Brief Therapy are great tools for working with mood disorders like depression and anxiety. EMDR is very effective tool for trauma.

I specialize in working with adults (aged 18 and up) in the following areas:

• Anxiety,
• Depression,
• Substance abuse,
• Trauma,
• Self-esteem,
• Grief and loss,
• Anger issues,
• Mindfulness,
• Life Coaching

I believe that every person deserves the chance to have the peace and happiness they truly desire. Life is meant to be enjoyed and there are times when we need help getting back on the path toward what having peace and happiness means to us.

Hannah Ernst, LPCC

** ONLINE Appointments available **

Hannah is a Licensed Professional Counselor

An Ohio native, she graduated from Miami University with a  B.A in Psychology and from  John Carroll University with her Master’s  in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

Passion

“Connection is energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment, and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship”- Bréne Brown

Hannah is passionate about working with individuals with eating disorders, trauma, relationship issues, and counseling individuals struggling with self-esteem issues depression, and anxiety.

In her personal life, she loves being outside, traveling, and hiking. She loves playing her ukulele and has never met a dog she didn’t like!

Experience and Strategies

Hannah has experience working in residential eating disorder treatment, community mental health, college counseling, and working with accessibility accommodations and coaching in a college setting.

Life is not what it's supposed to be. It's what it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference. – Virginia Satir

Hannah uses a person-centered approach to meet her clients where they are. She combines this with cognitive-behavioral interventions, as well as dialectical behavioral therapy to help promote mindfulness, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. In her work with eating disorders, she promotes intuitive eating, anti-diet culture, as well as body neutrality, body acceptance, and body positivity.

She likes to use humor in her counseling style and is direct with her feedback and interpretations. She values honesty and immediacy in the counseling relationship. She believes in collaborative treatment planning and always appreciates feedback on interventions to make sure she and her client are on the same page working towards goals!

Hannah specializes in the following areas:

• Eating Disorders
• Depression
• Anxiety
• PTSD
• Personality Disorder
• Bipolar Disorders
• Self-harm issues

Although Hannah primarily works with adults, she also works with some adolescents.

Jarhal Duncan, PhD, LISW

** ONLINE Appointments available **

Jarhal is a Licensed Independent Social Worker

Passion

Dr. Duncan is passionate about art, culture, and spirituality. His goal is to blend the worlds of mental health, urban arts, and urban communities to impact individuals and the communities in which they live.

Experience and Strategies

Jarhal has an undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Dayton and a master’s degree from Indiana University. He is currently in the Doctoral program at Walden University. He has a background in a variety of therapeutic approaches, which allows him to create a therapy approach customized to each client.

The smallest change in perspectives can change a life – Minds Unltd Podcast

Jarhal wants to help those struggling with stress, behavioral health issues, emotional health issues, and life fulfillment issues reach their full potential. He has been providing a multitude of mental health services to the community for over 10 years.

As a black male, Jarhal can approach the world in a unique manner that could benefit clients who never thought they could benefit from professional therapy services. He has been trained in numerous therapy techniques and uses his diversification to help create a perfect treatment plan for his clients. Most of his approaches lean towards solution-focused and client-centered to align individuals to their goals.

He uses the following strategies:

• Engagement
• Principles of Perspectives
• Motivational Behavior Change

Jarhal typically works with a variety of ages from middle school-aged youth up to adults aged 18- 40 years old.

David Bowers, Ph.D, IMFT

** ONLINE Appointments available **

As owner of this Thriveworks practice I am excited to work with this team of clinicians and hope that you’ll reach out to me with any questions or concerns you might have. As a Marriage and Family therapist, I am attuned to clients’ interconnected webs of relationships even when working one-on-one. My experience and training with families and couples enables me to walk with clients through (re)discovering their connectedness with those they love.

I’m most passionate about exploring clients’ stories, and listening for places where personal narratives might differ from others’. This often provides spaces for clients to explore new or neglected understandings of themselves and their relationships leading to preferred, more fulfilling future stories.

My academic affiliations include having taught courses in family stress, parenting and developmental psychology at OSU and Ohio Dominican University, in addition to research work with both OSU and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

I enjoy working with clients across cultural, sexual and gender identity spectrums, including, but not limited to, folks who identify as heterosexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian or queer as well as clients who hold trans- or cis-gender among their identities. I work with clients in monogamous, polyamorous and various forms of negotiated open romantic relationships.​

I work with clients who face a variety of challenges including recovery from substance use disorders, anxiety and depression, as well as relational challenges facing parents and adolescents.

My 20 years of work experience before becoming a therapist equips me with lived understanding of today’s hectic business and corporate life challenges, whether those involve meeting budgets and timelines or working through the sacrifices that happen when dealing with work/life demands.

I realize that sometimes just making a first appointment is a bold step and all of us at Thriveworks Columbus Polaris office are dedicated to holding a space that honors each step clients take in their journeys with us.