“It is my goal that each client feels safe and supported to explore the concerns which brought them in, while also embracing the challenge of trying something new.” ~Kerry Schantz-Held
“It is my goal that each client feels safe and supported to explore the concerns which brought them in, while also embracing the challenge of trying something new.” ~Kerry Schantz-Held
Lara and Kerry are licensed by the state of Ohio as clinical social workers, and continue their education in clinical, supervision and ethical practices in accordance with Ohio law.
Lara Palay received her bachelor's in English Literature before completing her Master of Social Work degree from the Ohio State University in 1998, with an emphasis in clinical practice and research. She has worked in community mental health, partial hospitalization and other settings since 1988 and has maintained her private practice, specializing in grief, loss and trauma for over twenty years.
For more than a decade Lara was adjunct faculty of the Ohio State University College of Social Work. She taught graduate courses in clinical social work, diagnosis, trauma, grief and loss, and integrating Eastern and Western clinical approaches.
Lara also served as liaison between the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addictive Services (OMHAS) and the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD). In 2015, Lara co-founded Aldridge Palay Group, a consulting firm specializing in mission driven organizations in the human services sector. She speaks around the country and internationally on trauma, grief and loss and developmental disabilities. Some of her writings on these and related topics can be viewed on Aldridge Palay Consulting website.
Lara’s book, The Way Through: Trauma Responsive Care for Intellectual and Developmental Disability Professionals, published by NADD Press, was released in 2022.
After completing her undergraduate degree in Anthropology in 2004 at the University of Iowa, Kerry Schantz-Held pursued her Master's of Social Work degree from the Ohio State University, completing her studies in 2019.A former graduate student of Lara's, Kerry recently joined Crescent Counseling and practices under Lara's supervision as she works toward her independent license.
Before starting her private practice, Kerry held a Clinical Fellowship at the Ohio State University Counseling and Consultation Services. Kerry's areas of specialization include women's issues, life transitions, grief and loss, and anxiety.
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Crescent Counseling Services is a division of Aldridge Palay Group