My name is Franklin Bolgan. I am a social worker located in the state of South Carolina. I  maintain a private practice on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and  in the town of Port Royal, South Carolina.  Both  of these practices have been serving their communities since July 2001.   This is an eclectic practice which includes the treatment of children, sometimes as young as four years old, adolescents, and adults. This practice also includes the treatment of individuals, couples, families, and groups. The mission of this practice is to provide counseling and psychotherapy to those people whose lives, function, and well-being are compromised. Services are intended to alleviate the symptoms of mental and emotional disorders as well as addictions. You can also click here for more information about addictions. The cornerstone of this practice is to provide insight into the driving force of the compromise state. Once this is accomplished, pragmatic interventions and solutions are implemented to mitigate symptoms and return the  patient to a more functional state. It is the firm belief of this practice that the therapeutic steps are necessary before pharmacological interventions are decided upon.

 

I am a therapist who draws on a wealth of life experiences and embraces a holistic approach to help treat those I serve. It is my therapeutic believe that true life experiences can increase ability, understanding, compassion, and dedication to those I serve.   These  experiences combine to create a mindset which helps me to find common ground and begin working towards practical and reasonable solutions  specifically designed to help each situation.

 

Some of the professional and personal experiences I have had are uniquely individual and afford a greater overview of an assortment of people and their respective life experiences. I had the unique experience of working on Wall Street as a corporate trader of stock indexes as well as international currencies. This experience spanned from December 1981 until May 1992. During that time, I encountered and dealt with many high-powered, driven, and aggressive personalities. Because of my Wall Street experience, I also possess a unique perspective on the effects of drugs and alcohol. It is my firm belief that drugs and alcohol not only affect the individual using them, but also have adverse effects on the families and friends of substance abusers/addicts. This conviction has driven me to explore and advocate for effective addiction rehab treatment as a crucial component of addressing the broader impacts of substance abuse. You can click here to find more information about drug addiction and how to properly overcome these habits.

 

After leaving Wall Street, I entered into the world teaching where I trained to be a kindergarten through 12th grade English teacher in the state of New Jersey. I taught eighth-grade Language Arts (English) in the towns of Boonton, NJ as well as Dumont, NJ  from September, 1992 until December, 2000. During this time, I also worked with the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired  and was involved in the Commission for the Blind Summer Program. This program was specifically designed to help blind and visually impaired students make the adjustment from living in their homes to living and succeeding in a collegiate environment. This program took place from June until August every summer. The goal here was to assess students academically and socially and then help them fill in whatever blanks they needed to in order to enhance their chance for success as a college student. I then taught middle school Language Arts at the Hilton Head Island Middle School  from January, 2001 until December, 2002.  My teaching experience affords me a unique insight  into the world of adolescence. I maintain that one cannot fully understand an adolescent, but one is better equipped to bond and establish a rapport if they have seen adolescents over time and their own environments.  Witnessing children day after day in the classroom allowed a view of how they think, feel, and treat each other.  More importantly, this experience increased insight into how they see themselves in their environment.  I believe in treating children with unconditional positive regard coupled with instilling strong ethical and moral principles helps them make the transition from children to adults.  The fact that I have worked with blind and disabled students serves me in terms of my empathy,  but also helps me to see that no matter what the situation, the individual person is accountable for decisions they make and need to be encouraged to do whatever they can to  move themselves toward healthy goals.

 

In addition to this, I have had the honor and privilege of working with some of the top crisis management teams in the world. I served at the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks, and was awarded a letter of commendation as well as a gift of gratitude from Crisis Management International  for my work on-site with those affected at the 9/11  attacks. I have also worked during Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath where I served in the city of Baton Rouge helping displaced military personnel and also serving those citizens who were severely psychologically damaged by this catastrophic event. My training in the field of crisis management helps me to recognize that those who seek services are often times under a great deal of stress need to be helped to mitigate that stress and see hope.

 

I also draw on a wealth of personal experiences which I believe helps me relate to people in a therapeutic manner. Shortly after graduating from college, I took it upon myself to embark upon a bicycle in backpacking tour of Europe. During the six months I traveled throughout Europe, I became much more in touch with myself as an individual and realized how interconnected we all are as people. I believe this experience showed me that all of us are different in many ways although we share many similarities, hopes, and dreams. This trip truly changed the way I look at the world and all of us in it.

 

I have also dealt with my own issues involving drugs and alcohol. Look here, I have abstained from using any drugs or alcohol since 1996. I am well aware of the importance and place of self-help groups and encourage people to use these groups for their benefit. Because I have been through my own personal struggles with drugs and alcohol, I am deeply aware of and respectful of anyone who tries to affect positive change for themselves. I am also well aware that families, friends, coworkers, etc. are adversely affected by the negativity of drugs and alcohol whenever they are used in an unwise or unhealthy  manner. I enjoy working with these people and helping them to see it is possible to set healthy boundaries with those affected by their use, and that often times the setting of those boundaries is essential in helping the addicted person recover for themselves. I also am happy to serve those affected by addiction or abuse. I am able to join them with empathy and respect, but also restraint. I draw clear boundaries helping the person seeing they are responsible for their addiction and they are responsible for their choice they make about this. I am willing to work tenaciously with those affected to help them see there is a way out but they must be willing to walk that path. When it comes to addressing the financial aspects of rehabilitation, including Luxury Rehab Costs, I am here to provide guidance and support. To learn more about drug addiction, you may check out these wonderful resources to gain knowledge from it.

In addition to this, I have been married since 1986 and have raised three children. As anyone who has been married and raising children would agree upon it is not always fun and it is not always easy.  I fully understand that married couples and families are made up of individuals who do not always think, act, or believe what everyone else in the family does. Helping families and couples deal with issues of individual preference, perspective, and  perception is something that I believe the experience of navigating a marriage and successfully raising children from birth to when they leave the house is invaluable in. My work in marriage and family counseling is centered around helping each person recognize the other’s unique and individual perspective while maintaining healthy habits and choices and fostering mutual respect for each and every member of that family. My wife and I were very involved with raising children who attained high levels of achievement both athletically and academically. However, each family has its own individual problems and quirks that they must deal with. I have never met a family, including my own, that does not have issues that become divisive painful for all concerned. Because I have navigated these waters with my own family, I am able to deal in a matter of fact yet compassionate way open all in the family to see their role in creating the issue and thus their role in making it better. Empowerment, hope,  and commitment to help those families I deal with move to a new place where all have the opportunity to feel better about their family and their place in it.

 

I am also a huge advocate of pet therapy. I work on a daily basis with my rescue dog, Otis, and believe him to be an integral part of my work. I believe the majority of people simply feel better while in the presence of a common animal who exudes unconditional positive regard for all who enter my office. I have seen small children were shy and withdrawn, slowly opened up and develop a bond with another living thing. As they pet my dog and my dog returns their affections, a bond of trust and honesty unfolds. This step sets the stage for true communication in a safe and unfettered environment take place. I have also seen adults were jaded and bitter use this animal as a tool, a compass if you will, to find their way out of the dark woods they are in. I have dedicated a large portion of my professional life to promoting the use of therapy animals and encouraging those who are  dealing with isolation, loneliness, anxiety, depression, anger… to tap in to the healing power of man’s best friend.

 

As you may see, I do have an assortment of experiences which I believe make me well-qualified as a therapist. However, I do make the distinction that I do not know all things and am not always the expert in the room. I am deeply aware that everyone comes somewhere and everyone sees the world with their unique way.  I believe my job is to help those people who are having difficulties utilize the strengths of their unique way of looking at the world to help themselves and discard old ways of looking at the world that hold them back and keep them in darkness and fear.

I thank you for taking the time to read about me and invite you to continue to visit this website and understand it is a work in progress.