About Authentic Self Counseling and Testing

The mission of the Authentic Self Counseling Group is to help you to discover your true self and take the risk to be you.

What is the True Self?

The Authentic Self Counseling Group views the true self as the essence of who you are. From birth, we individually possess talents, abilities, desires, and needs that are unique to us all. When we are able to know our true self and develop the person that we are meant to be, we are able to obtain happiness and satisfaction from our lives. For each person, this true self is different; but, for every person, fully living one’s authentic life is essential to a happy life.

Discovering the True Self

The discovery of one’s true self is a transformative process. As one obtains a deeper understanding of who they are what they want out of life, the life one lives will slowly, but harmoniously, change and align with the authenticity of a true self. For each person, this path towards self-discovery will be unique in the time it takes and the true self that will become known. Through diligent effort and vulnerability, rest assured that one’s true self can and will be discovered.

How do I know if I’m living my true self?

For many people, it can be unclear if they are living out their true self or an inauthentic aspect of self. So many times throughout life we are told we should be something or feel something that may not necessarily be in alignment with who are truly are at the depth of our self. For some people, the knowledge of not living one’s true self exists at the conscious level; these people either know or feel a sense of inauthenticity but may feel stuck or unable to find a new way of being. For others, however, the experience of not living one’s true self can express itself indirectly or unconsciously. At the Authentic Self Counseling Group, symptoms of mental health distress are viewed as signals that a person is not in alignment with their true self. Such symptoms could include:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Psychosomatic ailments/ Unexplained medical conditions
  • Reoccurring dreams
  • Self-Sabotaging or self-destructive behaviors
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Relationship distress

At the Authentic Self Counseling Group, we move beyond mental health labels, disorders, and pathology. Once an individual is able to take the risk to be themselves and live a life of authenticity, these symptoms will dissipate. You are not depressed, you are not anxious, you are not disordered. What you feel, though deeply distressing, is only a signal that you are not living a life you want and you are not yet known. You are so much more than a diagnosis. You are a myriad of possibilities which are not yet known and lived.

Dr. Daniel Sheridan is a licensed psychologist and graduate of the APA-accredited Counseling Psychology doctoral program from the University of Miami. Throughout his education and training, Dr. Dan has excelled in both therapeutic work and clinical research and has been the recipient of several awards and honors including ‘Outstanding Doctoral Student in Counseling Psychology’ and first-place winner of a university-wide dissertation competition titled, ‘Three-Minute Thesis’. As a clinician, Dr. Dan has trained in community mental health clinics and university counseling centers treating a wide arrange of presenting concerns including depression, anxiety, relationship concerns, LGBTQ+ issues, trauma, and substance use. As a researcher, Dr. Dan has examined the impact of discrimination, internalized heterosexism, and the coming-out process on the health and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and he has presented at several national conferences. In addition to his work as a private practice clinician, he sits on the board of directors for the Southeast Florida Association for Psychoanalytic Psychology.

Education

  • Ph.D., Counseling Psychology, University of Miami
  • M.S.Ed., Counseling & Research, University of Miami
  • B.A., Psychology & Spanish, University of Miami, summa cum laude

Awards, Honors, and Fellowships

  • Outstanding Doctoral Student in Counseling Psychology, 2017, University of Miami
  • First-Place, Three-Minute Thesis, 2017, University of Miami
  • Academic Excellence and Leadership Award, 2015, University of Miami
  • John C. Mitchell Research Fellowship in Psychological Trauma, 2015, University of Miami
  • Graduate School Fellowship, 2012-2014, University of Miami
  • Member, Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, 2009

Publications

Huynh, K., Sheridan, D.J., & Lee, D.L. (2018). Assessing the internalized homophobia scale for gender invariance. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development.

Sheridan, D.J., Zolobczuk, J., Huynh, K., & Lee, D.L. (2017). Workplace harassment and attitudes toward LGBT people: Differences across human service occupations in South Florida. Florida Public Health Review, 14, 1-12.

Lee, D.L., Harkless, L. E., Sheridan, D.J., Winakur, E., & Fowers, B.J. (2013). Sex differences in interpersonal problems: Does sexual orientation moderate? The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 147,75-87.

Lee, D.L., Sheridan, D.J., Rosen, A. D., & Jones, I. (2012). Psychotherapy trainees’ multicultural case conceptualization content: Thematic differences across three cases. Psychotherapy. Advance online publication.