Erica Schleif
RANDOLPH, Vt.—Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) Erica S. Golden Schleif has joined the Behavioral Health team at Gifford Medical Center.
Schleif brings to her role more than 10 years of experience as a mental health counselor, both in private practice and as a community-based therapist. She provides clinical support for a range of conditions, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and postpartum depression. She has extensive experience working with children, adolescents, families, and new mothers.
Schleif describes her counseling style as compassionate and responsive.
“I don’t just sit and listen,” said Schleif, who decided on her career path as an adolescent who recognized the importance of feeling heard. “I provide feedback—not advice—to express encouragement and support.”
In addition to several years in private practice, Schleif previously worked as a therapist with Arlington Youth Counseling Service in Arlington, Mass.; with Arbour HRI: The Commonwealth Center in Brookline, Mass.; and with Arbour Counseling Services, CBHI, in Allston, Mass. She also held counseling and advocacy positions with Transitional Services in Buffalo, N.Y., and with Second Chance Home in Buffalo, N.Y. She holds LMHC certifications in Vermont and Massachusetts, and is certified in Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS). Her professional development includes, among other programs, MATCH-ADTC (Modular Approach to Therapy for Children with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma or Conduct Problems) clinical training through Harvard University. She is a member of the American Counseling Association and Chi Sigma Iota, a professional and academic honor society promoting excellence in counseling. She earned a master’s degree in community mental health counseling from Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia in Fredonia, N.Y.
From the Boston area, Schleif was drawn to Gifford following a family move back to the area—her husband was born in Tunbridge—and looks forward to “really being part of a community,” she said, “and getting some chickens.” When not at work, she enjoys spending time with family, which includes son Whelan, 1, and family dog Siggy, as well as hiking, biking, skiing, and cooking.
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Gifford is a community hospital in Randolph, Vt., with family health centers in Berlin, Bethel, Chelsea, Randolph, Rochester and White River Junction, and specialty services throughout central Vermont. A Federally Qualified Health Center and a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the country, Gifford is a full-service hospital with a 24-hour emergency department and inpatient unit; many surgical services; a day care; two adult day programs; and the 30-bed Menig Nursing Home, which was named by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best 39 nursing homes in the country in 2012. The Birthing Center, established in 1977, was the first in Vermont to offer an alternative to traditional hospital-based deliveries, and continues to be a leader in midwifery and family-centered care. The hospital’s mission is to improve individuals’ and community health by providing and assuring access to affordable, high-quality health care in Gifford’s service area.
