John BerginJohn received his bachelors degree in Social Work in 1998 and his masters degree in Social Work in 2000, both from UNO. He is licensed as an independent mental health practitioner and a clinical social worker.

John has worked with children and teenagers for many years. He started his career working with teenagers almost 30 years ago working with Family Service and Juvenile Parole helping teenagers who were exiting the juvenile justice system; and also has experience working with the Juvenile Court system completing in-home evaluations for Douglas, Sarpy, and Washington County. John retired from Westside Community Schools in 2018 where he worked for 20 years as a prevention counselor and school social worker, helping both elementary and middle school students and their families.

John has experience using several different therapeutic approaches; cognitive behavior therapy, trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy, solution focused therapy and person centered therapy. His belief is that the best therapeutic approach is to build and maintain relationships that focus on the strengths of his clients. He does this by demonstrating empathy and having a positive regard for his clients. Which helps increase their confidence and helps them make better life choices. His clients find him trustworthy and sense how he genuinely cares for them because of his authentic approach.

John enjoys working with youth of all ages and specializes in the areas of at-risk behaviors, crisis intervention, behavior disorders and family counseling. His experience in the mental health field, the juvenile justice system and the school environment allows him to assess and navigate many of the roadblocks that young people and their families face today.