MSW, LCSWA (she/they)
My therapeutic approach is grounded in a deep belief in experiential and relational healing. I enjoy collaborating with my clients to discover what they want to have happen in their life and supporting them as they make that a reality. While I am knowledgeable and trained in a variety of models, my work is all grounded in the Satir Model. My style is sensitive, non-judgemental, relational, humorous, and direct. I value laughter and love as healing antidotes.
In line with Virginia Satir's beliefs, I firmly believes that 1. people are always doing the best they can with what they have (even when it doesn’t look particularly “good” from the outside) and 2. nobody learns when they feel badly about themselves.
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A little bit about me:
I earned my BA magna cum laude from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with triple majors in English, Psychology, and French and a minor in Fine Arts. I went on to get my MSW from UNC Chapel Hill. My goal is to help my clients and their families find ways to thrive. I look for the stars in my clients eyes. I believe in them, and I aim to be a soft place to land. In my free time, I build community, expand my creative outlets, and make mud pies with my toddler in our tiny house on wheels!
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My work with clients:
When working with teens/pre-teens and children, something that makes me unique as a therapist is that I prioritize working collaboratively within the client's system. I facilitate working with schools, PCPs, psychiatrists, nutritionists, ADHD coaches, and any other aspects of a minor's system. I incorporate individual psychotherapy sessions, family therapy sessions, and school interfacing when appropriate. I aim to help teens and children and their families feel mutually more connected and understood.
In my work with adults, I am a particularly great fit for adults that may identify with some of these phrases: highly sensitive person, spiritual path, 12-step recovery, complex trauma, BPD, blocked creative, codependence, inner child, grief, complex PTSD. I enjoy working with individuals seeking to lead an “alternative lifestyle", those going through life transitions, or people who are feeling “stuck” and wanting a different experience. I am available for couple and family therapy and enjoy working within systems to help people feel more connected, understood, and supported.
I am a private pay therapist. I offer eclectic hours, with limited evening options. My 2022-2023 fall rates are $125/45 min session and $165/hr. Many of my clients submit super bills I provide for out of network benefit reimbursement from their insurance companies.
I have a limited amount of sliding scale options available - email if you need support and think we would be a good fit but can't afford full rate. I have a small amount of evening hours I offer to clients.
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My office (artwork by local artist Brook Ramsey)
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My professional background:
I have over a decade of experience in a variety of mental health settings. I worked in wilderness therapy for years in mountains of Western North Carolina. In wilderness therapy, I lived in the woods with my groups for two weeks at a time, leading therapeutic groups and supporting my teens and pre-teens as they navigated peer relationships, family dynamics, and relationships with themselves. I aimed to help them build confidence in themselves as they navigated challenges inherently presented with living in the wilderness. The issues that brought students into the program were diverse: oppositional defiance, substance use, self harm/suicidality, relational conflict and violence, difficulty regulating emotions, autism spectrum disorders, exploration of gender identity, depression and anxiety, recurring absences from school resulting in failing, reactive attachment issues/adoption issues, disordered eating, body dysmorphia, sexual conduct concerns, and LOTS of healing from trauma. Most students had a mix of a few of these things happening for them. Before working in wilderness therapy, I spent a few years in research at Medical University of South Carolina and the VA working with veterans with PTSD, addiction, and homelessness. I have also worked in Hospice, in the school system, in the foster care system, with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA therapy), and I am trained as a peer support leader for individuals in recovery from BPD through the nonprofit Emotions Matter.
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My teachers: I am influenced by the clinical, spiritual, relational, and parenting teachings of: Virginia Satir, Gabor Maté, Marsha Linehan, Harville Hendrix, John Gottman, Esther Perel, Janet Lansbury, Andrea Gibson, Ram Dass, and Pema Chodron.
