We don't hear hard,

We hearHope!

(907) 903-7123

About Border Counseling Services LLC

Our Vision

Border Counseling Services LLC provides a safe healing space where both children and adults are able to express their feelings openly, learn about themselves, and most of all discover how unique and valued they are. We believe “the first step to healing is awareness” and we honor our clients for asking for help by establishing with them the greatest level of trust and acceptance.

Our focus of therapy is a Person Centered Approach that includes highly qualified trauma informed care and knowledgeable interventions blended with a premier level of compassion that is specific to each client’s individual case, needs and life circumstances.

We understand that if a person has not felt adequately loved through their life experiences and environments their response is to feel helpless and defenseless. To deal with the anxiety of these feelings a person takes the energy for self-development and put it towards protective behaviors. With the use of thorough assessment tools we assist client with understanding how protective behaviors can be transformed into skills and abilities. We specialize in the diagnosis of PTSD, anxiety and other mood related disorders and social skills development. For children a whole family approach is used and we assist primary care givers with parenting skills that focus on both caregivers and children feeling loved and respected.

Ultimately our final goal would be that our clients become responsible for the ownership of their healing and behaviors and continue on a life time process of self-healing, awareness and growth.

Psychiatrist

Dr. Michael Alcorn

Dr. Alcorn is a board-eligible psychiatrist who specializes in the treatment of adults, children, and adolescents. His medical degree is from the University of Southern California, he earned his Adult Psychiatry residency from UCSF Fresno, California, and completed his child fellowship at the University of Southern California.  He held multiple Honor Awards throughout his educational process dating back to 1995.  He holds both dual licensures in Alaska and California.  Dr. Alcorn worked in one of the busiest psychiatric emergency departments in the nation while training in Los Angeles County.  He served as a psychiatrist for the United States Air Force for 5 years after completing training.  He has spent the last 7 years working in a variety of inpatient settings in Anchorage including consultation work at AK Regional Hospital.  His unique military background allowed him to assist with the opening of the Chris Kyle Patriots Hospital where he has also served as the primary psychiatrist for the last 7 years.  Dr. Alcorn has served our community by providing psychiatric services for children and adolescents in both acute and residential settings in Anchorage and Palmer.  Dr. Alcorn is not only a doctor but also a dedicated and experienced educator.  He proudly assists the next generation of therapists and mental health providers as a teacher and a presenter.  He has and continues to supervise nurse practitioners, physician assistants, child psychiatry fellows, and medical students.   

Dr. Alcorn brings a high level of excellence to our practice with his experienced psychiatric care.  Dr. Alcorn uses a highly professional approach to the care of his patients while maintaining a sense of sincere compassion and caring that allows his patients to feel comfortable and heard.  His approach to treatment is to assist his patients with knowledge through education so they can develop a better understanding of themselves while being able to make their own self-informed decisions.  After a thorough assessment, if medication is necessary, he believes in educating patients on all treatment options.  Dr. Alcorn wants all his patients to feel that they are valued partners in their own care. 

Counselors

C. Elaine Border

I don’t hear hard,
I hear HOPE!

C. Elaine Border is a licensed professional counselor who earned both her bachelor’s and master’s Degrees at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. She was a highly qualified teacher for the Anchorage School District before pursuing a further career with helping children with their emotional needs. Elaine’s master’s degree internships were in both school counseling and community agency work, specializing in grief. She combined both these career goals when going to work for Anchorage Community Mental Health as a therapeutic counselor in a title I ASD school.

Elaine has worked with children with autism, severe emotional disturbance, anxiety, conduct disorders and social skills problems and has been able to successfully involve and integrate parents in the therapeutic care of their children. She later transferred to The Family Services Unit of Anchorage Community Mental Health where she worked with children and families who had experienced complex trauma. Some of her experienced involved working closely with OCS and foster families for clients who were in the foster care system.

Elaine is a highly trained trauma informed therapists who uses play therapy, integrated fila play which includes parents into therapy, Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment using motor sensory play to assist with body regulation. Elaine also works with adults who have experienced sexual abuse, rape, and high levels of disturbed family attachments in childhood. She has specified training with grief counseling and is a qualified certified EMDR therapist. Elaine strives to assists her clients with resources using ongoing training techniques and current psychoeducation. She has been an advocate for clients by attending IEP meetings and collaborating with other professional services to provide full case management and care for all her clients.

Elaine’s vision to help others goes past just her private practice as she volunteers her time to help the city of Anchorage by serving on the board of Akeela House and also supports the ongoing efforts of the Downtown Hope Center.

Lisa Hoover

Lisa Hoover is a Licensed Profession Counselor (LPC) for the State of Alaska. She has a Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, certifications as both a Rehabilitation Counselor and a CRC Associate Professional Clinical Counselor and is a DBT Certified therapist. Lisa’s experience spans working with the acute care clients of API, substance abuse clients and assisting women who were escaping domestic violence and sexual assault.   Lisa is stepping into the realm of private practice and fully integrating all her years of experience with both children and adults in the mental health field. 

Not only is Lisa experienced with adult clients, she also has a life time love of children and brings her 13 years of teaching experience as a Licensed Professional Elementary School teacher into her therapeutic skills.  Lisa has also been a Program Director, District coordinator and Adjunct Professor.  She has coordinated, implemented, and evaluated intervention programs for English Language Development, as well as designed, and implemented Supplemental Instructional classes for parents and adult learners improving their lives.  Due to her tremendous teaching experience Lisa will also be part of our facilitation team to assist parents through teaching Parenting with Love and Logic classes. She uses all her skills in her therapeutic approach by teaching children regulation, supporting parents with parenting skills, and assisting children across all levels of therapeutic care. 

Lisa’s therapeutic style is one of supporting and walking with clients in their own journey toward wholeness.   Lisa wants her clients to know that they are not alone and she creates a therapeutic space where clients feel safe enough to understand themselves and how they can interact with the world around them in the best possible way by knowing and valuing who they are.

About

Mental Health is as important as physical health, with that understanding we are here in Anchorage to help create a healthier Alaska.

Specializing in dealing with emotional trauma our methods bring about restoration, healing and growth.

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Parenting Classes

  • Avoid un-winnable power-struggles and arguments
  • Stay calm when your kids do incredibly upsetting things
  • Raise kids who are family members rather than dictators
  • Help your kids learn from mistakes so they don’t repeat them

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CONTACT

Border Counseling Services LLC 3150 C Street, Suite 270 Anchorage, AK 99503


Phone: (907) 903-7123
Fax: (855) 952-3836
Email: info@bordercounseling.com

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