Family Therapy in Durham, NC

Our aim at Discover Therapy & Wellness, PLLC is to support you as you begin to explore and uncover your authentic self. It can be challenging enough to navigate through life with its various demands, from juggling family dynamics, achieving career goals, maintaining healthy friendships to keeping up with the latest social trends. Allow me to create a safe space for you to process the underlying issues that are at the origin of discontentment, regret and unhappiness. So, if you’re ready, let’s begin the process to discovering your better self!

Looking for a therapist takes a lot of courage. Whatever it is that has motivated you to take this step, I'm glad you are here. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in anxiety, relationships and trauma. As a therapist I aim to create a safe and non-judgmental space for you to explore areas of pain and move towards integrative healing. With clients I spend time unpacking things like anger, shame, people-pleasing and perfectionism, processing how early childhood experiences and family dynamics impact current relationships, and exploring how to safely connect with, care for and communicate emotions.

I strongly believe in treating the person as a unique person given their individual needs. I primarily practice cognitive-behavior therapy utilizing an eclectic style and often use anecdotes, paradoxes, and especially humor in order to enhance, educate, and assist in reaching each person's goals. I have a specialty in treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorders, and Anxiety. While I specialize in treating those suffering OCD, Panic, and Anxiety, I am equally proud of the successes I've had in helping those with Adjustment Disorders, Stress Management, Depression, Relationship Difficulties, and Family Concerns.

​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..

Welcome! I'm so excited that you're here! I am a queer cisgender counselor based in Durham, NC, offering individual and couples therapy both in-person and virtually. Couples and partnerships that want to deepen their intimate dynamics & explore alternative relationship styles are my ideal clients. I enjoy work focused on improving communication in partnerships to help couples deepen their connection and effectiveness in sharing. I work with individuals with a variety of concerns, including depression, anxiety, relationship challenges, and the effects of growing up in a dysfunctional family.

You deserve excellent therapy. My clients describe me as authentic, humorous, engaged, insightful, brave, creative, well resourced, experienced, non-judgmental and effective. People I work with have a desire to heal and create their lives as a reflection of their values and unique perspectives. With couples, I use PACT, EFT and Gottman approaches to support the couple on their goals, in a safe space, where honesty and authenticity lead the way.

My specialty is working with individuals within their family dynamic as they transition through life's phases. I appreciate providing therapeutic services to clients as young as nine years old along with young adults and retiree's. I enjoy helping parent's improve their relationship and exploring their child/parent relationship. If applicable, I can provide individual session to both the parent and child. At the correct time we will come together in family sessions to explore understanding of each other and figure out ways to rectify any underlying issues.

I work with adolescents and adults on issues that include depression, anxiety, chronic stress, traumatic stress, grief, and life transitions. I help people address concerns with family dynamics, interpersonal relationships, body image, self-esteem, and identity exploration. My approach to therapy integrates multiple perspectives including DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) solutions-focused, strengths-based, person-centered therapies, and mindfulness-based and body-centered (somatic) practices. I accept Loveland Foundation vouchers.

I am an In-Home Mental Health Therapist who has 20 years of experience in working with children, adolescents and adults within their homes. I travel to client's homes all over Durham County to work with their mental health needs. Therapies include individual and family. I truly attempt to meet my clients where they are. What my clients experience is significant and needs to be heard for growth and change to occur. In this way, clients are able to find greater trust and strength in their self-awareness and personal development.

With over 30 years of experience, I subscribe to a solution-focus philosophy, in which I strive to address the problem as quickly as possible, but with enough depth to avoid relapse. I set goals early in treatment with adults and couples, or with children/teenagers and their families, so we can find successful solutions and change behavior problems, emotional difficulties, academic difficulties, or family problems as soon as possible. I love people and people's stories, and am always truly and deeply interested in the story of every child, teen, and adult I meet. I also think laughter is therapeutic and therapy can be fun.

As a licensed clinical mental health counselor, I offer telehealth sessions for adolescents, families, and adults. For children under 13, I offer parenting support, consultation, and parent-child sessions. I assist clients with a variety of presenting issues, including anxiety, depression, neurodivergence (Giftedness/LD/ADHD/2e), relationship problems, and identity development. My extensive training includes a variety of therapeutic approaches, such as psychodynamic, attachment-based, Internal Family Systems, cognitive behavioral therapy, and solution-focused. I also provide ADHD and executive functioning skills coaching.

I believe in meeting my clients where they are and assisting them in moving towards their goals. I take a holistic treatment approach that considers the mind, body, and environment as well as emotional well being to achieve healthy functioning. Empathy, respect, and authenticity are at the foundation of my interactions with clients. I have effectively worked with adults, adolescents, and children in overcoming emotional and behavioral obstacles through the use of CBT, solution-focused strategies, play therapy, and skills training.

We enjoy working with clients who seek to engage their spiritual questions and challenges in the midst of the therapeutic journey. Our clients come from a variety of life histories and family backgrounds, but share in common a desire to discover a more hopeful perspective on life, while exercising specific skills and practices to make hope concrete on a daily basis. Our therapists are accustomed to mutual collaboration to serve the needs of children, adolescents, and their families in one setting.

Are you feeling overwhelmed, confused, down, or struggling in relationships with family, friends or significant others? Are you experiencing loss or dealing with chronic illness in you or a family member? We all face a variety of challenging situations, emotions relationships and events. I believe there are times people may want to clarify their thinking about a problem or take their management of a life challenge up a notch. I believe my job is to support people’s efforts to do that by listening and assisting people in leveraging their strengths.

As a group practice we are honored to provide Mental Health and Substance Abuse Recovery Services with a Christ centered worldview, because it takes Faith and Courage to believe your life can be transformed! The basis of our counseling perspective is a spiritual one and is first mentioned in Leviticus 19:18 of the Bible; it tells us to "love thy neighbor as thy self". This principle is the basis for our counseling perspective. With this frame-work, it is our desire to improve one's Biological, Psychological, Social and Spiritual functioning through partnership, as individuals navigate life's challenges.

Loneliness is the worst. Isolation shows up in many forms, including shame, stress, mistrust, and unproductive conflict. People grow and heal in the context of secure relationships, and I aim to help clients create and sustain them. It's my pleasure to work with couples, partnerships and individuals who are experiencing distress, coping with trauma, or struggling with identity development.

ACCEPTing new clients virtually/in-person. Life can be hard, extremely tough at times. Do you feel like life has become too overwhelming? We offer a welcoming and compassionate environment where you can feel safe to talk about any challenge that is getting in the way of improving the quality of your life. Together, we will discover how you can begin to enjoy life again! We have experience with children, adolescents, and young adults transitioning to adulthood, relationships, family and marriage.

Professionally and personally, I have a passion for social justice work and am driven to help all people successfully navigate an increasingly complex multicultural society. As technology shrinks the world, we are exposed to an ever more diverse set of people, communities, ideas, and perspectives. Whether we are a part of historically privileged or oppressed communities, all of us are working to find our place in this neo-diverse society. More and more, I see this challenge represented in my clients as they seek understanding of their issues, strengths, and identities.

Seeking support is a significant first step in listening to the need for growth or change. I create a space that is warm and accepting as we collaborate toward your therapy goals. The reasons for seeking therapy are varied and are always unique to your lived experience. I strive to hold the nuances and complexity of your individual experience as we work toward healing. Foundational to who I am as a clinician is building a affirming practice for clients from all faith backgrounds, gender expression/identity, sexual orientation, race, culture, class and ability status.