Existential Therapists in Decatur, GA

Anxious, stuck, depressed, afraid. These words may be a few you use to describe your life, keeping you from living the way you want to live. I’m here to help you make sense of your struggles, build your strengths, and find peace in the midst of it all. My counseling practice is approachable and comfortable for people who have never seen a counselor before and those seeking a different therapy experience. Knowing where and how to begin might feel difficult for you, which is why we'll use the well-researched and evidence driven approach of ACT to guide us every step of the way.

Are you in need of someone to listen to? A place where you can speak out loud your pain without feeling judged, belittled or alone? Do you find yourself at times asking why me or what is wrong with me? Do you find yourself feeling confused, angry, sad, anxious, stuck. Do you get triggered and react in a manner in where you wished you didn't? Do you find yourself alone again with nobody to share your life with? Do you isolate yourself when things don't go right? Do you have past traumas and haven't yet learned how it affects you today? Can't sleep at night? Do you feel you are going out of your mind because your mind does not shut up

Do you feel like you've lost touch with yourself or are struggling to cope with life's challenges? Perhaps you know that things need to change but you don’t even know where to start. If you're feeling lost and confused, I'm here to help. Together, we can create a safe and supportive space where you can explore yourself and work towards living a more fulfilling life. I want to help you build your confidence and find your north star, so that you can live more authentically. Whether you're dealing with burnout, anxiety, LGBTQ+ issues, or finding your sense of purpose, I'm here to support you every step of the way.

I am an ABPP certified psychologist providing evidence-based psychotherapy to people ages 17+. Having practiced in Georgia since 2007 when I completed my postdoctoral fellowship in Clinical Psychology at Emory University, I've worked in private practice and hospital settings for 15+ years treating depression, anxiety (including OCD, panic, phobias, and chronic worry/GAD), PTSD and other trauma or grief related issues, bipolar disorder, insomnia, and issues related to meaning/purpose and existential distress. I work with individuals from late adolescence through older adulthood across the continua of gender, ethnicity, and faith.

I specialize in working with adults who have trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, stress, and relationship issues. Often when we experience difficult life events, we hold our upsetting memories vividly in our thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and even in our bodies. We revisit the painful past again and again, stuck in negativity and unable to simply talk our way out of the distress. I help my clients to access and process, at a deeper level, these experiences, using effective, evidence-based modalities that work. We clear out the painful past to make room for the joyful, fulfilled, self-actualized life they yearn for and deserve.

I am a trained mental health therapist currently pursuing a PhD in Counseling Psychology. I had experiences working with children, youth, young and older adults as well as working with couples and groups. Many of my clients have experienced loneliness, live in-between cultures, or hold marginalized identities. My areas of interests include multicultural identity development, cross-cultural adaptation & transition, interracial/interethnic relationships, family & relationships issues, trauma, perfectionism, stress management, suicide & crisis, anxiety & depression. I am also bilingual in Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese Hokkien.

Do you love video games? Comic books? Dungeons and Dragons? Do feel nervous or afraid all the time? Or sad, disconnected? Have you ever felt like an outcast, misfit, or weirdo? Have you ever asked yourself "Is any of this even real?" or "Am I an NPC?" If so, you may have just found your therapist. I work with geeks, nerds, dorks, and dweebs, LGBTQIA folx, the Kink and Polyamory/ENM communities and people of all cultures and spiritualities. So let's play Minecraft while you process, write fanfic about overcoming adversity, or if you're brave, use Dark Souls to practice coping with big emotions. Makes therapy sound kinda fun, right?

My name is Dakota and I provide teletherapy in both the states of Georgia and Florida -- Finding our way through life’s journey can become overwhelming at times. We may reach stages where we feel out-of-touch, out-of-place, and out-of-sync. One method of addressing these bumps on our path is recalibrating how we understand ourselves and others. Learning new ways of handling and adapting to all of life’s changes can be revitalizing. I would be excited to be there with you on your path as a co-journeyer and as a provider of objective, researched-based counseling.

We may sometimes feel that we are not able to embody our identify and beliefs. Feeling you should be something you are not is unbearable: what is core to you can be honored, and what is not can be examined and then embraced, accepted or changed. What we choose to value, and how we pursue those values, dictate what we are to become. Some things cannot be changed, and yet we can choose how we move around them. Being true to yourself can sometimes seem like a difficult choice, and we all must decide when and how to realize our potential, even in the face of adversity.

My highest ambition in my work with clients is to help you to discover your own inherent strengths, resources, wisdom, and power, and to help you to cultivate compassion for yourself through mindfulness, radical self acceptance and self compassion. I have experience working with anxiety, depression, OCD, grief and loss, life transitions, family of origin issues, relationship challenges, sexual orientation and gender identity questions, vocational and existential concerns. I have training and experience working with LGBTIQ+ folk, as well as clients in non traditional relationships.

"Real healing can begin only when we finally learn to be present in the places where we have been absent." So many of us find ourselves repeating patterns of behavior we consciously experience a desire to let go of. What keeps us stuck is that we are disconnected from the places within us where our actions come from. My work with clients focuses on uncovering truth, with compassion and without judgment. My approach to therapy centers on the belief that "healing is making whole." Attention is, therefore, given to the whole of the individual: mind, heart, body and soul.

Working with us you'll get results. Because we believe you're best served by a clinician who's passionate about not only their work, but who they work with as well. That's why we started Lifebulb - We're committed to building an organization that truly allows therapists to get back to enjoying their work, so you, our client, can receive the highest quality therapy services, whether in person at one of our locations or online through telehealth. We hire only highly trained and educated, licensed clinicians dedicated to the therapy process. We're confident we can help you achieve your therapy goals.

Do you feel like you are on auto-pilot? Are you constantly disconnected from your body? My job is to hear you and witness your story. Know that you are not alone. Together we can support you in reconnecting to your body and feeling more safe in the world. We will embark on this journey together to get you from surviving to thriving.

For over 35 years, as both a fertility psychologist and OB/GYN with a strong interest in infertility, I have loved helping people on their fertility journey. Are you on a fertility journey? Have you experienced obstacles along the way? Perhaps nothing is as disempowering as struggling with fertility. For many of us, issues with fertility mark the first time that we've wanted our bodies to do something that they seem not capable of doing. Challenges with fertility are traumatic experiences. Is it any wonder why we may be struggling?

My goal is to provide focused treatment to help you feel better quickly. You can learn skills to reduce anxiety, mood swings, and negative life patterns. We may be a good match if you are experiencing grief or loss, relationship distress, anxiety, depression, or PTSD from trauma, or if you want to increase self-care. I also work well with children of alcoholics and caregivers (w/ a loved-one with dementia or illness.) Overall, I strive to help clients become more joyful and successful with themselves and with others. I welcome clients with a range of multicultural, gender and sexual identities, and I am committed to social justice.

I believe you have the potential to realize the desires deep within your heart. It takes courage to confront fears and overcome mental and emotional hurdles that block our best intentions. Circumstances most often out of our control can cause feelings of doubt, lonelines, lack of fulfillment and even a loss of hope. In our attempt to quiet an overwhelming sense of distress, we sometimes adopt beliefs and behaviors that are at best, self-compromising. I would be honored to accompany you on your journey towards wholeness. Together we will embrace truth, transcend pain and create a more meaningful life through freedom and choice.

You do not have to have lived through something literally life-threatening to be a trauma survivor. If you didn't get your basic or emotional needs consistently met during infancy and early childhood, you likely struggle in your adult relationships. You might be overly clingy, avoidant, or self-sabotaging with your friendships and romantic partners. Or maybe, for you, it shows up as anxiety, avoidance, dissociation, low self-worth, poor boundaries, and even self-destructive behaviors. This is called complex trauma or attachment-based trauma, and it can be healed!

Sometimes, we can get messages that we can't change ourselves or our lives, that we aren't worthy of healing, that we should not hold on to hope. I believe that during those times, it is so important to seek support. In therapy, you can find a place to explore the challenges you are facing and can receive support as we work together to come up with new strategies. I enjoy helping clients find healing, hope, and wholeness in the face of difficult experiences, particularly those related to race and culture, identity, family problems, self-esteem, and spirituality.

I provide therapy for adults who are navigating life transitions in careers and relationships as well as discovering themselves, their place in the world, and their true purpose or calling. Whether you’re a 20-something launching into life as an adult, or a 30, 40, 50, or 60+-something launching a new phase of life by choice or unexpected events, therapy can help you understand more about what matters most in your life.