Therapists in Otto, NC

Currently Accepting Clients ( Telehealth Only)-My name is Vanessa Guerero and I am a clinical therapist with Winter to Spring Wellness. Prior to being in Asheville for almost a decade, I originally hail from Miami, Fl. I am a proud daughter of Cuban immigrants and a first-generation college student. As a teen I had my own battles with physical and mental wellness, difficulties with acculturation as well as struggled with cultural stigma in regard to mental health care. Through my own work, I have been able to find healing and am now honored to support others who struggle with their own mental wellness and similar issues.

My specialties are trauma, anxiety, depression. 21 yrs experience counseling adolescents, adults, couples and families. I do supportive listening, accepting, understanding and compassionate counseling to help problem solve together and cope to focus on healing. Kinds of therapy I do: CBT, DBT, REBT, Art therapy, Play therapy and Christian counseling. Experience: worked with World Trade Center 9/11 survivors, survivors of torture, in a psychiatric hospital, an outpatient clinic, as a clinical supervisor, as a school based therapist, counseled military, their spouses & children at bases in USA, Europe and Japan and private practice.

Do you need someone to bear witness to your daily struggles, and pain? Do you need someone to listen to your story about the difficulties you are having in life that leave you feeling stuck and unable to move forward? Do you feel shut down, worried, anxious, tired, sad, or angry? Are you struggling with school, work, or financial issues? Are you struggling to make it through the day because you are having problems adjusting to changes in your life? Do you feel unappreciated or misunderstood by friends, family or your partner? Are you feeling unsteady or afraid because you've been abused.

I believe that most people have the answers within themselves to work through their own problems - my role is to guide you. I have experience helping people who are struggling with anxiety and depression, or who are numbing out through substance use. My clients are often working through life transitions and other challenging situations, such as relationship issues, grief, or chronic pain. Perhaps you have not been handling your emotions very well. You may even feel hopeless, or unsure how to articulate what you are feeling. Therapy is a collaborative journey to a more healthy state of mind.

There are good days, bad days, and days that are completely overwhelming. You have never thought so much about your body in your life, and now you struggle with it every day. You remember when you trusted your body. There were times when you felt ill, but you recovered before. Now, your medical team is telling you that there is no going back to how things used to be. You are angry, you are frightened, you are hurting, and your loved ones are, too. Nobody seems to know exactly what to say, or what you need. It feels like a bomb has gone off in your life, and you are sifting through the rubble.

Life can present challenges, some we live with every day, and others seem to come out of nowhere. Maybe life doesn't follow along a path we've spent years creating and working toward. The business of living can begin to feel like a grind, and simple tasks may create exhaustion, fear, and uncertainty. Unresolved and painful childhood memories seem to revisit out of nowhere, and even though you've worked and wished, or prayed about the pain, the pain lingers. We often resign ourselves to perceiving life as a chore instead of a joyful experience, which can lead to a lack of fulfillment and even chronic illness.

I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counseling Associate who strives to create a space of trust and safety in which clients can heal, progress, and develop self-compassion. I have experience helping clients with a broad range of presenting concerns, with an educational focus on trauma. I cater my therapeutic techniques to each individual client's needs, drawing most heavily from Person-Centered (approaching clients as equal collaborators, with empathy and non-judgement), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (focusing on thought patterns), and Gestalt Therapy (focusing on emotional and somatic experiences).

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice in Asheville, North Carolina. A history teacher turned therapist, my theoretical influences stem from Contemplative and Buddhist Psychology, a deep interest and regard for Native American and indigenous cultures, village-mindedness, Gestalt Therapy, as well as my roles as a husband, father, and friend.

For all of us, there are times when we seek a new direction, a way forward, a fresh possibility for living. Are you feeling stuck or wanting to improve some aspect of your life or yourself? Are you using substances to cope with mental health issues such mood disorders, anxiety, trauma, or chronic pain, stress and life transitions? If you’re here, you know things aren’t okay and life feels unmanageable. Substance use and/or mental health disorders can hijack your life. I can help you get back into the driver’s seat. I can help you feel more empowered to access your innate inner strengths, and reach your fullest recovery potential.

Sometimes life seems to pour stress and anxiety onto us from a bucket. My specialty is helping you get back in the drivers seat. Creating the life you want by aligning values with time. Helping you show up in the world in a way you can feel proud of. Having a full balanced life is an option.

I believe that we live in challenging times. Many people find it difficult to feel confident and self assured, have peaceful, fulfilling relationships, navigate the demands of finances, family, work and home, and also focus on nourishing self care. These challenges are interconnected. They are related to how we have developed our sense of self in the context of family expectations and experiences, societal demands, cultural assumptions, and media influence. It is necessary for all of us to learn how to live our best lives in these particular circumstances. You are not alone.

​I've always wanted to incorporate animals into therapeutic activities. My family has all rescues and I’ve volunteered with APS of Durham for over 10 years. Animal assisted therapy is generally done with the therapist's personal animal. My pre-Covid sessions were typically in home with you and your pet, developing more connection and emotional support. I moved my small practice to primarily tele-health but try to be available and flexible to meet when you need. It’s also important that the therapy is a fit for what you need and you can be yourself. I’m building a therapy space in Hendersonville Fall 2024 onsite sessions..

I connect easily with clients to feel lighter and clearer in their minds, body, and Spirit. I work with people with stressful careers in medicine, law, finance, and small businesses. Knowing the necessity of keeping a clear head and calm body, yet have been struggling with heartbreak, anxiety, fears, loss and grief that has created overwhelming stress and expectations that limits functioning. It is a challenging balancing act with career, family, relationships, along with finding some quiet time to relax. I help you master these challenges with a very confidential, (no insurance or electronic records) safe, and caring environment.

Adolescence, young adulthood, middle age, all stages of life present unique challenges that are sometimes best navigated with support. Just the right help, in an empathetic therapy setting, often makes all the difference. Whether you are a parent, a teen, or a young adult experiencing challenging symptoms related to your mental health, we will work together to find your truth, bring to light goals, focus on strengths, and instill a sense of resiliency and self-worth that are critical to one's ability to evolve and thrive.

Even the most self-aware humans can experience periods of confusion, stuckness, and destabilization, and oftentimes suffering has unconscious roots. I've dedicated my training and education as a helping professional to learn how to unlock messages from the unconscious to promote healing and well-being. I also strive to arm my clients with concrete tools to use independently, long after our work together is completed. I have many years of experience helping people heal, blending a variety of nontraditional and expressive therapeutic approaches with evidence-based interventions to meet the individual needs of the people I serve.

I am a trauma-informed, integrative, EMDR therapist. I use ego states and parts work in conjunction with somatic work to help bring ‘online’ the left and right hemispheres of your brain. I am focused on treating the whole person and would like to have an open, honest conversation about what you are looking for and your treatment wants and needs.

Above all, you are welcome here. If you are struggling with early recovery, substance abuse/addiction, relationships, unresolved trauma, anxiety, depression, or all of the above, you've come to the right place. I don't believe in "fixing" you, because I do not see you as inherently wrong or broken. I see wounds that need care and mending, hearts that deserve hope and joy, and people that long for meaningful connection and love. Together, we can explore the roots of your problems so you may be free of their shackles.

Out of network provider for all insurances You're tired. You have to carry BIG emotions all the damn time with no outlet to let them out. You cry when you’re alone, but put on a smile so the world can’t see you're hurting on the inside. There is no time to slow down because slowing down makes the inner critic grow louder about how awful you are. Perhaps you get some release through disordered eating, but ultimately, that voice comes right back again. The inner critic makes it hard for you to accept yourself and love your flaws. It makes it hard for you to live your life intentionally, with confidence in yourself to use your voice.

Way to go about taking the first step to start therapy! Life is crazy right now. It's tough to feel any balance. Stressors weigh on you and may even add to your anxiety and depression symptoms. Perhaps you or your child may be struggling and at a loss for what to do. I can support you to find the best strategies to tackle these stressors and get back to balance despite the things we can't change in the world now. I've spent many years working with individuals to navigate their symptoms to work together to make daily life feel back in balance. I have extensive training and experience to treat the whole person with a mindful approach.