Robert A. Grier
LPC, Owner

I chose to become a counselor primarily for men and teenage boys because I believe they are a mishandled population with regards to society’s expectations and the reality of mental health services offered today. Today, an overwhelming majority of therapists are female and they’re well-equipped to help other women with their unique problems. However, I truly believe that the best counselors are the ones who understand where you’re coming from, especially in relation to our perception of roles and expectations in society. Someone who has never been and can never be in your shoes cannot fully understand or appreciate your circumstances.

I founded Cogito Mental Health Services after working many years in mental health delivery systems. These systems are heavily influenced by cultural values that, in my professional opinion, are creating many of the problems rather than being “progress” as they purport to be. To put it simply, society and the American culture is not making lives better for most people, but rather making things worse. Also, there is still much misunderstanding and stigma about people seeking counseling. Lastly, I established Cogito Mental Health Services to specifically address misunderstood and underserviced populations. I want to change counseling methods, especially for men in Dothan and the Wiregrass area so that counseling is not a punishment or as hard as they think it is. Most people really dread it at first, then after a couple of sessions, they don’t fear it at all and even enjoy the process. They begin to see that I’m there to help them discover where they want to go in life and the best way to get there. As a counselor, I help them read the roadmap for the first few miles and be the tour guide, after a while they’re ready to continue their journey on their own.