I have over 46 years experience in mental health and substance abuse counseling. I am certified in distance counseling and TN law now requires insurance coverage. I work with anxiety disorders, including panic attacks, PTSD, and phobias; depression and bipolar disorders; all kinds of substance abuse disorders; parenting problems; marital problems and couples counseling, including LGBT issues. I am retired from the U.S. Army, and am familiar with the problems of being in both military and law enforcement professions.

Are you wondering if therapy is right for you? If you are seeking to understand old patterns of behavior, make a major life decision or transition, improve your relationships or recover from broken ones, and create the life that you really want, then working with me can provide the supportive environment necessary for change and growth.

Good therapy helps promote clarity and progress toward change. I believe that therapy can provide the safety needed for self-exploration and for support in times of stress. And I believe that this safety is created through a trusting therapeutic alliance, which I rely heavily on in my practice. As a clinical social worker, I provide psychotherapy to children, adolescents, and adults who have a broad range of reasons for seeking therapy - these may include anxiety, depression, family conflict, low self-esteem, relationship struggles, parenting concerns, trauma, and loss.

Why Play Therapy? This is a frequently asked question. I believe that through play, children express themselves in their own developmentally appropriate way. Through play and other expressive therapies, children can resolve problems, cope with difficult emotions,improve cognitive development and help resolve inner conflicts. Although I work mainly with children, my education and training also allow me the opportunity to work with adults on certain issues.

Over the past 15 years, I have loved working with every angle of the family. If you looked at my schedule on any given day, you'd probably see a few married couples, some exhausted and burnt-out parents, a college student, a 4th-12th grader, someone having an affair, someone who has been crushed by a loss or a person who is wrestling through their attraction to the same gender. I often find that a person's willingness to come in and simply talk about things creates at least 50% of the change they are looking for.

Through the therapeutic relationship, I provide a safe and inviting place to be vulnerable, to process life adjustments, and to begin learning healthy coping skills. I have over 5 years of experience engaging in counseling relationships with children, adolescents, and adults in the Chattanooga area. I believe that change begins in the context of an authentic relationship and that every unique story deserves to be heard. Drawing from family systems, interpersonal, and cognitive-behavioral approaches, I provide evidence-based therapy for both individuals and families.

Approved Clinical Supervisor for LPC

I believe everyone is living their unique life story with its highs and lows. In moments of distress, confusion, and loss, I am honored to come alongside you and help you write a better story for your future. Whether you're struggling with relationships, emotional upheaval, or traumatic loss, I desire to provide the support and skills that will enable you to find hope and healing.

If you are experiencing overwhelming circumstances, a flood of emotions, depression, anxiety, or conflict within a relationship, exploring empowering options can have a large, and lasting, life impact. Couples/partners can also work together in therapy to find more harmony in a joint solution. You may struggle with an eating disorder, or have become discouraged with multiple, and extreme efforts to manage food. I bring 20 years of experience, working in partnership with individuals and couples who are seeking relief. It is important to me to utilize evidence-based treatment methods, individualized to each person's specific needs.

I provide a safe and nurturing space whether you wish to explore deep family of origin issues or just want practical tools for coping with today. During your hour session we will discuss real solutions for you to either heal relationships or discover ways to break old habits of negative thinking and self-defeating behaviors. I offer an opportunity to achieve real solutions to life's challenges. Seeking to improve your self-esteem and the quality of all of your relationships, generating much more joy in your daily life! Thank you and I look forward to working with you.

Stressed? Tired? Can’t seem to get ahead? Don't like yourself? Finding that sense of security and strength in the midst of changes, challenges, and relationships is difficult, and some feel that taking time to stop and reflect is impossible; yet often it is one of the most important steps in moving forward or getting unstuck. Stopping and working with a trained therapist can help facilitate change in meaningful and impactful ways. It can also help avoid a complete life derailment. I believe that the work I do with my clients is sacred, which is why I employee some of the most up to date and clinically validated treatment techniques.

When you can't look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark. I'm Katie and I look forward to talking with you. Life can be difficult. Sometimes we need the help of others who have walked through difficult things themselves and have walked this journey with others. Counselors can fill this role, and this is exactly my goal in my chosen profession. I am an expert in how to Live Well through all seasons of life.

For women seeking emotional healing and health - I would be honored to walk with you as a therapeutic companion. In seasons of pain or "stuckness," it is incredibly important to find the support you need. As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I work with women who are seeking to grow self-awareness, heal from emotional pain, find relief from depression or anxiety or experience growth in their relationships. I have training in utilizing The Enneagram as a tool for self-awareness and growth and enjoy integrating it into sessions, if desired by the client.

Sydney is passionate about working with individual adults and teenagers dealing with anxiety, anger, life transitions, grief, and depression. She considers it an honor to walk alongside clients through pain, healing, and personal growth. Her gift of empathy paired with her nonjudgmental presence provide a safe and supportive space for others to process life experiences as they journey toward wholeness.

You have found the courage to begin, and you want someone to walk with you. Maybe you are tired of feeling the crushing weight of anxiety or depression. Maybe you are the parent of a child with special needs, and you don't know what to do next, but you know you need to do something. Maybe you are finally admitting to yourself the truth about your sexuality, spirituality, or situation, and you are ready to grow into the person you are meant to be. I would be honored to join you on your journey.

Another New Year begins, but you're home alone again. You're yearning to be in a relationship, but no matter how hard you try they just don't last. Honestly, the pain's excruciating and it's hard to come to terms with. While your career is thriving, your personal life is nowhere close to where you want it. "Why does everyone else seem to find a happy relationship, but I can't?" The last one left as quickly as it came in your life. It seems like every single good guy is taken and you're doomed to attract the wrong ones; those unwilling to commit. The worst feeling in the world is knowing you did your best and it still wasn't enough!

We as human beings desire to be known, to love and to be loved. Often times, our attempts to give and receive the love we long for becomes tangled in a web of our past mistakes or the mistakes of others, leaving us feeling alone, arguing with our spouse, overwhelmed with anxiety, extreme sadness and hopelessness, and facing life circumstances we feel powerless to overcome. Counseling is a great opportunity to begin the process of handling these paralyzing issues in a safe environment. Seeking out help requires courage and pursuing counseling can be a scary process, so congratulations on taking the first step towards change.

I provide skilled and empathic therapy to individuals and couples, serving an ethnically and racially diverse client population of young and old. As an AAMFT Approved Supervisor and Mentor, I supervise clinicians who are working toward licensure and seasoned therapists who are training to become AAMFT Approved Supervisors. Also, I offer consultation to experienced mental health clinicians and other health care providers.

I enjoy working with children, adolescents, adults, and families on a wide array of issues, including trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD, oppositional behavior, relational issues, academic problems, spirituality, sexual addiction, sexual identity, grief and loss. I tend to practice from a relational perspective, believing that true healing comes from genuine relationship and accountability with one another. I particularly enjoy working with adolescents who have difficulty relating to their families/peers and are typically viewed as the outcasts or troublemakers. I also lead male sex addiction groups and intensives.