Spartina Counseling
Ralph Cahoon   LICSW, LADC I, DAAETS, MAC

I've had the honor of serving people in two different careers.
 
My first career was as a police officer. I retired as a Master Patrol Officer after serving 26 years in my hometown. During my career, I was assigned to various duties including patrol division, police boats, school officer, peer support team, and accreditation manager. I was elected as president of my union seven times and served for 16 years in union leadership roles. I also volunteered (and still volunteer) on the regional CISM team that provides critical incident support to public safety agencies around the Cape and Islands. 

My work helping peers deal with job and life stresses led me to become a therapist. I graduated from Boston University with a Master of Social Work degree. 

After school,  I worked as a therapist at a regional community health center for seven years doing mental health and substance use counseling. I eventually opened a private practice so I could focus on the type of counseling I find most meaningful: working with those who endanger themselves to protect others. 

I'm always attending new trainings and seeking new ideas for therapy. I have specialized training in areas like trauma therapy, solution focused therapy, couples counseling, behavioral addictions, and substance use counseling.

In my free time, I've been active in the community in various roles. Some of these have included: Chairman of the Barnstable School Committee, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Cape Cod Community College, member of the Board of Directors for the MA Association of School Committees, president of my local civic association, board member for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks baseball team, and baseball coach.

I'm an avid history buff and love to travel to historical locations near and far. On weekends, you'll usually find me out in my boat taking photos of our beautiful environment.