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Meet Ellen
Ellen Scharffenberg is a California Board of Behavioral Sciences certified Licensed Clinical Social Worker. To qualify as an LCSW, she has a bachelor and a master degree, completed advanced training, gathered extensive clinical work experience, and passed the California state board-certified licensing examination. She has been practicing as a psychotherapist for over ten years.
Background
Ellen Scharffenberg and her husband and have been married over 55 years, have four married sons and ten grandchildren. Her life philosophy is based on who God is, how He loves and how we are learning to receive His love. Ellen has learned that life’s journeys are always filled with both challenges and blessings. She and her husband discovered early on that it is not possible to have a relationship without peaks and valleys. However, it is possible to grow in love together no matter what you face – especially if you have faith.
The path to the career of a psychotherapist initially developed from being a military and corporate wife and mother of four very “busy” little boys. After eleven moves in about sixteen years, Ellen and her family moved to northern California. It wasn’t long before her children began to bring their friends to her and ask her to help them. Quite soon it became clear to her that she loved what she was doing and wanted to become educated secularly and spiritually in order to really help people safely.
Shortly after completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies and Social Sciences in 1990, Ellen began working in public service. She then graduated with a Master in Social Work in 2000 Suma Cum Laude. After completing her MSW, Ellen served in Children and Protective Services and Adoptions. She considers it an honor to work with children and families. Training with vulnerable populations allowed her to gain expertise in areas such as addictions, abuse, domestic violence, adoptions, grief and loss, post-traumatic stress disorder, adolescents, and the mentally, emotionally and physically challenged. Ellen is dedicated to children, marriages and the family unit. Her passion is to see families develop and maintain the skills needed to continue and improve their family legacy. She is also personally committed to a life of balance that includes rest and restoration.