SERVICES AND SPECIALTIES

I’m Derrick Forsythe.

I am both a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach.

HOLISTIC MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING

I specialize in helping people overcome the impact of adversities and trauma, anxiety, ADHD, chronic stress, depression and attachment disorders. I work with parents and children to build stronger bonds and family connections. I also help bridge communication gaps in broken relationships and help parents to better understand children’s communication styles and needs expressed through their behaviors.

I believe in taking an integrative approach, exploring the root cause instead of just addressing the symptoms, to restore hope and provide better long-term outcomes.

I also address mental health from a holistic approach, meaning we view the person as a whole — not just a series of parts and functions. We look at all “functional” aspect of a person’s life (physical, emotional, social, environmental, spiritual, intellectual, vocational) as being both a source of the problem and a potential avenue for treatment. That means we look at ways to optimize a person’s health through identifying deficiencies, toxic environments and relationships, areas of dissatisfaction and other components that could be out of balance. We also consider areas like nutrition, sleep, movement, spirituality and social connection as means of healing.

performance psychology

In addition to the general mental health services offered that focus on “functioning well”, Forsythe Wellness also features a performance psychology division called PerformWell. It’s geared toward achieving physical, career or leadership goals through a healthy mental approach.

PerformWell combines my background in working with student-athletes as a mentor with my knowledge and application of the mental health approaches I’ve used in private practice. In particular, it takes the powerful effects of EMDR and Internal Family Systems and applies them to the athletic field or performance space. Among the applications is learning about conditional beliefs related to self worth that are conditional based upon performance (i.e: I’m only acceptable/good enough/worthy if I achieve…) PerformWell also looks at the performance blocking behaviors we have that are often rooted in a fear of failure and many other underlying fears, vulnerabilities or beliefs about ourselves and our abilities.

LIFESTYLE BEHAVIOR HEALTH COACHING

I specialize in helping people make sustainable lifestyle changes and develop healthier habits. 

I focus on four core areas of relationship with food, movement patterns, sleep quality and stress management.

I believe self-awareness is the foundation of change — understanding the motives behind our behaviors, developing an intuitive relationship with our bodies, identifying barriers to change and respecting ourselves enough to exercise self-control toward making the choices that yield the best long-term outcomes.

My goal is to educate and empower you, so you will feel more in control of your health outcomes.

This can be achieved through a combination of education and self-exploration, while using your strengths to drive change. You will learn how to be a more empowered grocery shopper and intuitive eater. You will learn to find organic ways to move in your day-to-day life so fitness and activity becomes anticipated and integrated, not dreaded. You will learn simple ways to improve your quality of sleep so you feel more vibrant and energetic throughout your day. You will also learn creative stress management techniques to manage a busy lifestyle.

BACKGROUND AND EDUCATION

I officially began my counseling career in June of 2015, working as a Family Assistant for Compass Health Network. I completed my Masters in Counseling through Missouri Baptist University in August of 2017, promoting to Integrated Health Specialist. Much of my work centered around helping male clients ages 4 to 19 and working with families to improve relationships and behaviors within the home.

In August of 2019 I moved my practice to Churchill Family Counseling in Warrenton, Mo.

At the beginning of 2021, I opened the newest location at 1001 Boardwalk Springs Place, located in the Winghaven subdivision of O’Fallon, Mo.

I am available by appointment to see counseling clients at the O’Fallon location only at this time. There is an option to meet in person, virtually or do phone consultation. As both a counselor and health coach, I work closely with other health professionals to ensure quality care and holistic approach. I encourage you to do the same in consulting your doctor or physician.