Dissociative Disorders (DID) Therapists in Belle Meade, Nashville, TN

Welcome to Integrate counseling services, the private counseling practice of Sara Darby Smith, MS, LPC MHSP, NCC, SomEx, RYT-200 where the mind and body are brought to balance to fulfill a healthy and happy life. It is my mission to work with clients to help them use their mind and body to learn to cope with all psychological disorders and symptoms of emotional distress. Empowering, teaching, and coaching clients, couples, and families to be equipped to handle all of life’s challenges is what inspires me to love what I do.

Seeking help is one of the most courageous things a human being can do. For this reason, I'm fully committed to the healing of those who entrust me with their most sensitive difficulties and problems.

Restoration Counseling Center was founded by three Christian Counselors in Franklin, Tennessee, who share a vision for providing healing, grace and professionalism to those experiencing brokenness in relationship to self, others and God. Our counselors have all been trained through nationally accredited counseling programs with an emphasis on Christian integration. Therapists at Restoration Counseling Center have a passion for helping others attain their goals and consider it a privilege to walk alongside others in healing.

As a licensed psychologist, I provide evidence-based treatment to meet the individualized needs of each person. My approach to therapy starts with providing immediate tools for improvement while working to establish an authentic connection. Through this therapeutic connection, we can work together to examine what is contributing to your concerns in a manner that promotes healing and recovery.

My private practice is different than most therapy practices. First, my personal practice is small. My role as President of The Briggs Institute, Inc. allows me to limit my caseload size. This assures that my clients receive the attention they deserve. Second, my experience in academia places me at the forefront of the field of marriage and family therapy. This means that my practice is informed by scientific research that most private practice therapists can't easily access.

Welcome to a new style of psychotherapy. Instead of diagnosing you and treating you like a medical patient with a disease, I'm going to work WITH you to help you to do three things: (1) understand what happened in your past that led you to the habits and realities you now face that are causing you pain, (2) help you develop the compassion you need in order to have real self-respect, and (3) work with you in a loving way until you have a genuine, solid love for yourself. At that point, you won't need me anymore.

Too often we live life in the fog of good health and favorable circumstances. But then, inevitably, something happens. Something difficult and hard to understand that pushes to the forefront the need for wisdom. Is there hope? On whom can I depend? What am I living for? What matters? Will I live? How will I live? Author and poet Wendell Berry said: "It may be that when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings."

I believe that all of us have suffered from feeling that we are not in control of our lives. When that experience persists then our instinct to protect ourselves can push us into patterns of behaviors that range from bad habits to behavior that damages relationships and threatens our physical and mental health. I help people by focusing on their strengths rather than their weaknesses, to build supportive relationships with themselves and others, and to help them see themselves as unique and worthwhile persons. We do this together through a therapeutic relationship.

Are you interested in discovering what cognitive/behavioral/relational patterns serve you well? I see 18 years+ and my treatment areas include exploration of Shame, Self-Esteem, Self-Compassion, Trauma, PTSD, Depressive Disorders, Anxiety Issues, Shyness, Phobias, Grief and Loss, Boundaries, and Interpersonal Issues. I work well with men and women who want to find more joy in life while increasing mood stability, self-curiosity, and healthy relationships. My philosophy incorporates an egalitarian, collaborative approach steeped in Relational-Cultural Theory; with the core belief that clients are the experts on themselves.

If you feel you are standing in the way of your own progress in life, or find you are repeating patterns that are not effective, despite your efforts to change, I may be able to help. I offer a setting in which to discover your unique set of concerns and I try to help you to discover a plan that works best for you.

It is natural to experience a range of emotions; some flooding us thoroughly, and others frozen at our core. Sometimes we all feel challenged by life itself—anxious about change, lonely with ourselves, feeling captive by our past, and running from our fears. This is why it can be helpful to seek out a therapist. Our counseling practice is focused on helping adults and teens who struggle with trauma, depression, anxiety, and chronic stress. As clinical therapists and trauma specialists, we can help you to better recognize and resolve challenges, so you can feel better oriented to your present and prepared to create a balanced future.

If you find yourself struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, or relational difficulties, I may be able to help you work through this distress. At some point in life, many people find themselves striving to understand and integrate difficult events or areas of their lives. Having a clinician to talk with can help you heal, adapt, and grow.

My overall objective is to provide a safe, supportive environment for clients where they can gain insight and when needed create change to move towards living a more authentic life. I work with clients on a wide range of issues including but not limited to mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, grief and loss and life transitions. I have experience working with adolescents and their families, individuals managing a diagnosis of a mood disorder or anxiety disorder, domestic violence survivors, seniors and their adult children and postpartum women.

I am a licensed professional counselor in Nashville, TN. I am passionate about helping others and I work with children, adolescents, and adults with a wide variety of presenting issues. Life is messy, full of hurts, disappointments, stressors, and grief – past and present. I want to help you get “unstuck” so you can live your best life, whatever that is for you. I have been where you are which makes me uniquely qualified to sit with you and to walk alongside you on your journey of healing. I cannot give you the answers, but I promise you will not have to find them alone.

My clients are trans, non-binary, and queer people who have experienced trauma, survived gender-based harm, or not felt accepted in a vital relationship, often with a caregiver or partner. Sometimes they are healing from a relationship that was clearly traumatic: an abusive partner or violent parent. Other times, childhood just felt confusing, lonely, or hard. Some clients have started to wonder if the relationship they're in is a little bit toxic. And some simply hold an identity that others feel entitled to invalidate, deny, or oppress. But almost always, the relationship that hurt is also one that promised love and security.

“The hardest part about the gym, is getting there.” And you have done that! I am excited that you have taken the first step to overcome your emotional challenges and life stressors. Making the choice to begin therapy is not always an easy one. My goal is to help you feel more comfortable about that decision. Sometimes you just need someone to assist you with life changes, challenges, and handling the stress of it all.

I specialize in Somatic Attachment-Focused EMDR therapy, a body-mind approach to help you heal from current and past pain and discomfort. Additionally, I incorporate the Safe and Sound Protocol in my practice. My expertise lies in supporting young adults aged 16 and above, as well as adults who have experienced recent traumatic events or have Complex PTSD as a result of unhealed childhood trauma, abuse, neglect, and other areas of focus, including anxiety, bipolar disorder, depressive disorder, and performance enhancement.

If something inside is holding you back from experiencing your full potential to love, work, and play -- I might be the person to help you to the next level (whether by getting you out of the hole or helping you to new heights). I focus on the whole, unique person, not merely the problems or wounds a person brings in, so my approach is not limited to specific circumstances or diagnoses.