About Me
You bring something I can never have: your experience of being you.
I bring my training, experience, and understanding of trauma.
Healing can happen when we bring those things together.
Keri M. Zwerner, MA, LCPC
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Providing Therapy for adults navigating
anxiety, depression, grief, relationships,
life transitions, and trauma healing –telehealth in Montana, Connecticut,
Florida, Idaho, New Mexico, and Vermont.
Hi, I’m Keri.
I’m originally from New York City, went to college in Washington, DC, and then made Los Angeles home for the next 17 years. It was there that I earned my master’s degree and began my career as a therapist, and later started my family.
My early years as a therapist were spent mostly working with children, teens, and families. While I was in graduate school, I also taught elementary school for a couple of years. Initially, I provided therapy to children and teens in several Los Angeles public schools. I loved that part of my career, especially the opportunity to get to know and work with people from so many different backgrounds.
Eventually, I went on to work with individuals, couples, and families in private practice. For several years, I was also a family advocate, working alongside parents to help them explore and understand their children’s needs and educational rights, and navigate SST, 504, and IEP meetings.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, I became a parent myself. And as life tends to do, it brought some unexpected twists and turns along the way. The phrase “not on my bingo card” might not have been around at the time, but it certainly would have fit! Eventually, my priorities shifted, and in 2014, I moved to Montana to raise my two young children in Big Sky Country.
I’ve been a therapist for more than 20 years,
and I still love what I do, perhaps now more than ever.
I suppose it doesn’t help that I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to learning. I love asking questions, making sense of things, and trying to understand how we got to be who and where we are today.
A little more about me
You know the saying, “You can take the girl out of New York, but you can’t take New York out of the girl”? Yeah, there’s probably some truth to that.
I tend to be pretty direct, and I’m also kind. Many things can be true at the same time, right?
Mostly, I’m real; I show up with my clients much the way I show up in the rest of my life: genuine and honest. I don’t blow smoke or make things up, and if I think there’s something worth talking about, I’m probably going to bring it into the conversation.
Over the years, I’ve developed a real passion for understanding complex and developmental trauma, but what continues to draw me to this work is the people themselves. I’m interested in the ways our experiences shape us, how we come to understand ourselves, and what can happen when someone begins to see new possibilities for their life.
I don’t think there’s a point where you know everything there is to know about being a therapist, or about being human, for that matter. There’s always more to learn, and I don’t expect that to change. And that’s one of the things I love about being a therapist!
Outside of work, I’m still raising those two children, although they’re not quite so young anymore! I also share my home with two awesome cats who have appointed themselves therapy cats. They make occasional guest appearances during telehealth sessions, usually without asking permission, but often offering valuable input at just the right time! (And please be sure to let me know if you have cat allergies!)
And like every other human, I’m perfectly imperfect!
Life is messy. Therapy can be messy, too. What matters is that we can talk about it and work toward repair.
I say some version of this to clients pretty regularly: I will make mistakes. I’ll misunderstand something, forget something, say something that doesn’t land the way I intended, or just plain screw up.
When I know I’ve gotten something wrong, I’ll own it, apologize when an apology is called for, and work with you to repair it.
Sometimes I’ll realize it myself, maybe even as it’s happening. Other times, I may not know unless you let me know. I can promise that I would never want to intentionally hurt anyone, but I also know that hurt can happen even when it’s unintended.
And while I know it isn’t always easy to tell someone when you’re feeling hurt, I want you to know that we can talk about it. Whether you tell me in the moment, after a session, or sometime later, I’m open to hearing it. Smoke signals and Bat-Signals are also welcome.
The Nitty-Gritty:
Education
- The George Washington University
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology - Phillips Graduate Institute
Master of Arts in Psychology,
Marriage & Family Therapy
Concentrations in Child Therapy and
Postmodern/Narrative Therapy
Professional Licensure
| State | License | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Montana | LCPC | BBH-LCPC-LIC-11745 |
| Connecticut | LPC | 8345 |
| Florida | TLMT-LMHC | TPMC5182 |
| Idaho | LCPC | 1571044 |
| New Mexico | LPCC | CTB-2025-0321 (Expires: 9/30/2028) |
| Vermont | LCMHC | 068.0136633 |
Specialized Training
- Somatic Experiencing (SE) —
Level III, Part 2 (In Progress) - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) —
EMDR Certified - Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy —
Selected training in complex trauma - Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy
(DDP) — Levels I and II - Grief Specialist Training
Professional Affiliations
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
- International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD)
- International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS)
- American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (AAETS)