We all need someone to talk to, someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to check in with. It's that exact moment when Christine Droney enters the picture.

Droney is a mental health practitioner, specifically a licensed clinical social worker. There are many reasons that Droney does what she does, and one of them is a belief that mental health is important.

"There have been a lot of advances made in the field of mental health," said Droney. "The advances we've seen have come from people talking about mental health and people writing articles about mental health. We've seen a lot of improvement, but we still have a way to go."

A resident of Lititz, Droney operates Lancaster County Counseling Services, a small, solo counseling/therapy office at 6 S. Broad St., Lititz. Droney works with individuals, couples and families.

"I see people who genuinely want to feel better," said Droney. "They come to you because they need some assistance with what's going in their lives. People want to process. They want to have better coping skills. My goal is that you don't stay with me forever. If I feel I'm not the best person to help you, I'll refer you to someone who is."

"A large part of therapy is listening," continued Droney. "You need to listen. You're trying to understand what the person is there for. You want to see what goals people have for therapy."

Counselors, therapists, clinical social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, even pastors. The world of mental health practitioners can be complex and confusing. But collectively those in these roles are all a response to a wide variety of struggles. And each individual is unique.

"I'm not a medical doctor," said Droney. "Different therapists have different skills, different training. Look at us as a team. We want to work as teams. ... We all collaborate together. We want to make sure we approach things in a holistic manner."

"Some people go to a therapist on a regular basis," she added. "People don't always look at therapy as if they have a problem. They look at therapy as a way to process life. You see everything. You see all different types of folks."

Droney has been thoroughly immersed in the mental health field since 2015.

"We're trying to normalize mental health," Droney said. "If we do that, we'll progress as a society. The message is, 'Take care of yourself and make sure your mental health is important.' Is mental health care more accessible than it once was? Yes. Is it accessible to everyone? No."

"For me personally, it's work I feel blessed to do," Droney added. "When you walk into my office, it's sacred space. It's an area of expertise; it's always evolving, and we should always be learning."