About Beth

Hi! I’m Beth Dowell Pascoe.

By the numbers:

• 62 years on the planet
• 36 years married
• 30, 28, 26 age of my 3 sons
• 37 years working with people who want their lives to be happier, more satisfying & deeply connected in their relationships.
• 15 years in my psychotherapy private practice
• 4 brothers
• 1 Golden Retriever
• 0 sisters
• 5 amazing sister-in- laws
• 1 terrific daughter-in-law
• 0 the number of days I wake up and say to myself, “This would be a great day to go skydiving!”
• 1 the number of times I went swimming with dolphins
• 1 glorious grandchild

My passion is to help you move past the painful experiences of the past so that you can live a life of healthy relationships, living fully in the moment,  and to experience more happiness and peace in your life. Change requires a journey, sometimes through uncharted territory that can feel like a wilderness or a trek up the Himalayas. An experienced guide is a huge asset on a journey like that. A guide who knows the terrain can save you time you might have wasted going down a path that leads nowhere. A wise and experienced guide can help you reach your goal in less time and with less energy. A guide is also company on the way and a compassionate and encouraging presence when you feel hopeless or alone.

Like you, I’ve walked my own journey of healing and recovery. I struggled with an anxiety disorder as a child and young adult and faced the heartbreak of betrayal in my marriage. These experiences of being broken have helped me be a better guide for others in their time of crisis, anxiety, addiction, shame and guilt.

Take the next step….If you are interested in working with me, click here.

Beth’s Professional Bio

B.S. in Family and Child Development—Virginia Tech
MSW (Masters in Social Work)– Florida State University

Beth cut her teeth professionally beginning at the ripe age of 23 working with abused and neglected children in Fairfax County Virginia.  It was during this time that she discovered she had an ability to advocate for the children she had on her caseload helping many of them out of abusive homes and into a safer life.  Beth became an expert witness on child abuse and child custody issues.  Working as an advocate for children has remained an issue that is near to Beth’s heart today.

Beth took some time away from her professional life after giving birth to  3 sons in 4 years.  However,  Beth continued to work in her community as a volunteer starting women’s groups, teaching in her faith community, and hosting community building gatherings in her home.  In 2003 Beth got her master’s degree and began a psychotherapy practice while also working as a mental health professional at Baptist Medical Center, the Clay County Jail, a veteran’s medical center and a local community mental health center.

Although her master’s degree was a great foundation, Beth found that additional skills not typically taught in grad school were necessary to be the best therapist possible.  So Beth began to acquire trainings and certifications including:

• EMDR (a trauma processing therapy-see link)
• EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy-see link)
• CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy-the “gold standard” for helping people with anxiety disorders and/or depression
• Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (a “tweak” on CBT that focuses on skills of learning to be in the present moment which has neurobiological effects that decrease anxiety/depression
• CSAT (Certified Sex Addiction Therapist) from the International Institute of Trauma and Addiction Professionals under the direction of Patrick Carnes, a pioneer in the field of sexual addiction recovery.

Beth continues to study with experts in the field, continually training and working on her skills and psychotherapeutic approach.

About Sam

My name is Sam Pascoe.  I was born in 1951 and grew up in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.  My dad was a doctor, my mom was a nurse–then a stay-at-home mom–then a nurse again after my dad died when I was in high school.  I have two younger brothers.  I married Beth in 1982 while I was in grad school.  We have three grown sons and a wonderful Golden Retriever named Barnabas (Barney–“The Love Hound”– for short).

We moved to Jacksonville in 1985 so I could take a job as the assistant pastor in a church.  I went on to pastor that church for over 20 years.

My B.A. is in Philosophy.  I have Master’s Degrees in Education and Divinity along with a Doctorate Degree in Ministry.

I am an ordained minister in the Church of England (Anglican) and I have served as a pastor for most of my life.  I recently retired from full-time ministry and now work part-time in a small rural church and teach a few classes at a seminary here in Jacksonville.

Of course, I also work with Beth, primarily in the areas of sex-addiction and affair recovery.  Unfortunately, I have some personal experience in both of those two areas.  For most of my life, I struggled with what we now know is an addiction.  While outwardly I was a successful pastor, husband, and father, I was secretly struggling with an addiction to pornography.  Eventually, in 2007, I had an affair.

All infidelity is tragic, and mine was no exception.  My actions were very costly for my family, for the church I served, and for the person with whom I had the affair.  Because I was a prominent clergyman in Jacksonville, my failure was splashed across the evening news and the front page of the newspaper. I resigned my position and left the ministry.  After a season of unemployment, I found a job at a painting company and a Lowe’s Hardware in another city.  We lost our home and we were ostracized from our church family.  If it were not for my strong, wise, and faithful wife and my loving and forgiving children, it would have cost me my marriage and family as well.

My wife and I entered a long period (years) of counseling and hard work.  With the support of family and good friends the years of good counsel the hard work paid off.  Now, our marriage and our family are stronger than ever.

My life’s experiences as both a pastor and as a man have shown me that there are no easy answers and no quick fixes.  But, I have also learned that God is good, that there can be healing and forgiveness, and that a wise and compassionate guide can make all the difference.

If you need such a companion on your journey, I am always ready to go for a walk.