Owners Lourdine Jean-Francois, Licensed Certified Professional Counselor (LCPC), and Sara Brown, Licensed Certified Social Worker -Clinical (LCSW-C), have over 20 years of combined experience in providing quality counseling services to individuals, families, couples and groups.
Ms. Brown and Ms. Jean-Francois started Better Days Counseling LLC in 2013 due to their love for counseling and their desire to empower, support, and uplift others toward their goals. Their philosophy is that better days are possible for everyone, and they are eager to support you on your journey!
Lourdine and Sara both began their careers working with youth and adolescents in the foster care and child welfare systems. Both saw positive effects of having caring, supportive, consistent clinicians to build therapeutic relationships that would help change the lives of those they serve.
Lourdine Jean-Francois is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and an approved clinical supervisor in the state of Maryland. Ms. Jean-Francois is a first generation, Haitian-American and is originally from Jersey City, New Jersey. Ms. Jean-Francois has called Maryland home for the past 24 years.
Ms. Jean-Francois received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Morgan State University in 2005 and a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Frostburg State University in 2008. Ms. Jean-Francois has 13+ years experience providing quality services to individuals, families, couples and groups.
Ms Jean-Francois specializes primarily in treating anxiety and depression, but has supported clients with addressing several other concerns including ADHD, PTSD, Bi-polar disorder and addiction.
Ms. Jean-Francois views counseling as both a personal and spiritual growth experience. Although Ms. Jean-Francois is formally trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), her overall therapeutic approach is eclectic and flexible. In addition to CBT, Ms. Jean-Francois infuses several treatment modalities rooted in both behavioral and spiritual principles as part of her person-centered practice.
Ms. Jean-Francois enjoys reading, meditating, traveling, and investing time into personal and spiritual growth and development.
For the past 10 years Leah has supported people of various ages, those with developmental disabilities and youth with behavioral issues. She has also worked with deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing individuals with mental health challenges.
Leah obtained her Master of Social Work degree from Gallaudet University with a focus in school social work.
Regarding therapy approaches, Leah utilizes cognitive behavior therapy and solutions focused therapy, while always maintaining a person-centered perspective.
Leah’s interests include painting, listening to music, bike riding and other outdoor activities.
It is normal to feel overwhelmed by strong emotions or stressful life events. Is there something you’re looking to change or improve in your life? Perhaps you want to reduce conflict in your family or work life. Maybe you feel like you are not living up to your full potential or something is getting in the way of living your life with integrity. Just by taking this courageous first step of searching for help, you are already on the path toward a better future.
Penney offers clients a warm, affirming, and non-judgmental environment to help process their experiences, find their strengths, and support their personal journeys. She utilizes evidence-based therapy modalities such as motivational interviewing (MI), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, social-skills training, and trauma-informed care to create an individualized therapy plan tailored to every client.
Her therapeutic philosophy is to support the ‘whole you’ by using an integrative approach combining evidence-based therapies with movement and art. Her practice is informed by having lived in many different geographic areas of the United States, Africa and the Caribbean, and through personal experience living with family members with physical and emotional disabilities. Her background is in art education and information technology, and she also brings those life experiences into her work.
She has experience supporting families and individuals with a variety of issues such as ASD, ADHD, anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, anxiety disorders, gender dysphoria, and recovery from serious mental illness.
Please reach out for a consultation to see if she can help you on your life journey. She looks forward to meeting you!