Therapists in Durham, NC

My approach to therapy is rooted in the view that we are all, at the deepest level, whole and complete; we all have wisdom, love, compassion, and the capacity for connection within us. My job as a therapist is not to fix or to change anyone—it is to help and support you in connecting with your own knowing, power, and ability to grow and meet your goals. I work with adults and older teens seeking assistance with a wide range of concerns, including depression, anxiety, trauma, grief and loss, life transitions, and identity development and change.

Life is full of challenges that generate varied degrees of stress, anxiety and depression, even substance abuse. Challenges may include: Personal and family relationships, finances, career, illness and loss of creative engagement with your self and the world. Psychotherapy can offer time and a special place for self discovery, reflection, revitalization, resilience, insight, empowerment and access to your creativity; creative expression and creative living. Our lives can be what we imagine and want them to be. We can develop our active imagination to envision a life of purpose, meaning and the joy we are meant to have.

Individual Therapy is offered. I use a combination of approaches and I build on strengths, not dissect weaknesses. I also see the individual wholistically (body, mind, and spirit) and see each life problem as an opportunity for significant growth.

Over 20 years of working with individuals and couples, I have developed expertise working with a variety of issues, including: low mood, low motivation, anxiety, creative blocks, feeling "stuck" (in any area of life), relationship issues, work or career issues, anger management, addictions, compulsive behavior, and personal growth. My approach is client-centered and collaborative. Together we will work to clarify your goals, and develop a plan that will help you achieve them as quickly as possible. To help you actualize those goals I utilize a variety of modalities, including mindfulness therapy, interpersonal therapy and psychoeducational approaches.

Many of us are struggling with anxiety and depression in these challenging times. As a holistic practitioner, my goal is to help my clients find the priority that will allow them to discover a route to a more satisfying life. Too often we remain constricted with pain and fear from the past or broken dreams and worries about the future. If we are able to connect with the healer within, we can find peace and stability in our present circumstances, no matter how chaotic our external world. We can find a way to remove the blockages that keep us from seeing the Truth and Beauty all around us.

In times of great vulnerability, mind-body awareness, self-compassion and insight guide the way to healing, self-empowerment and renewed purpose. We all carry these capacities within. My approach combines evidence-based clinical, holistic and mindfulness-based methodologies grounded in the leading-edge neuroscience of emotional wellbeing and personal growth. I specialize in helping clients navigate anxiety, post-traumatic symptoms, grief and loss, sleep dysregulation, major life and career transitions, clinician and caregiver chronic stress, end-of-life and psycho-spiritual integration.

I incorporate my training of mindfulness, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and expressive therapy (art therapy) to help my clients in reducing anxiety and emotional distress, and thus improving understanding and self-awareness. I’m an artist, a free-thinker, and a trauma survivor. Painting and drawing on a daily basis has allowed me to explore emotions, survive, and know that we are not alone in this one wild and precious life we are living. I want to take care of what’s coming up in your life without judgment and help unlock those parts of you that seem impossible to look at.

*I AM NOT CURENTLY TAKING NEW CLIENTS* I have a relational approach to therapy and my work is informed by psychodynamic theories. I believe that long-term growth and change become a reality when we are able to make informed choices and discover greater authenticity in our daily lives. I believe that you can find immediate relief from some of your distress by using mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral techniques. I have experience working with groups and individuals with mood and anxiety difficulties, personality disorders, histories of violence or trauma, and anger management difficulties.

Suffering draws us to consider therapy, much as it sends us to any doctor. The suffering therapy focuses on is emotional and existential (a LIFE that is out of whack). If you are considering therapy it means that you take your suffering seriously and wish to seek a more fulfilling life. You know instinctively that more is possible. I have many years of experience in helping people to develop greater strength and more fulfilling relationships.

Dan Chartier, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist- Health Service Provider, Raleigh, NC has been in private practice since 1983. As a psychotherapist, in addition to "talk therapy", Dr. Chartier uses psychophysiological methods of biofeedback and neurofeedback to facilitate mind-body healing. In his work, deepening awareness and release of non-productive behaviors is a primary process. By learning to enter neutral emotional space clients come to more clearly recognize options and choices that result in improved health. In addition to treating clients with psychological and emotional distress, Dr. Chartier works with patients coping with chronic pain or recovering from brain injury.

Many persons I see are exploring spirituality for their personal growth and deeper understanding of themselves and their difficulties. They increasingly sense the limiting nature of the fear based ego. An ego that can limit or sabotage their choices and relationships. Yet a clear steady path from stubborn ego patterns to their authentic self can be elusive. I draw from Eastern teachings, meditation practices, the Enneagram, ACIM, and the Hawkin's map of consciousness for this path. I emphasize emotional mindfulness and the intuition that arises in the Silence and stillness of meditation to recognize Spirit in oneself and others.

I offer tailor made counseling services, including traditional & psychedelic therapy as well as coaching, to those experiencing life's difficulties. My compassionate and non-judgmental approach is predicated on offering helpful direction towards specific, realistic, client determined goals. I am very comfortable working with individuals or couples of all ages, veterans and business executives. My approaches based on individual client expectations and needs. Each approach is customized and personal. Phone and video and sessions are available for added convenience. I offer a Christian worldview approach upon request.

I am currently accepting new clients, and I always respond within 24 hours. I partner with adults of all ages who are seeking psychotherapy within a setting that’s able to hold the fullness of who they are and the larger arc of their path. Located on Pickards Mountain at the edge of Chapel Hill, I describe my approach as somatic, depth-oriented, and mindfulness-based. Another term I use is soulcentric. Why? Because the word soul points to the deeper dimensions of one’s life. It evokes the rich, sometimes veiled currents running through our lives and orients us toward our ever-unfolding authenticity and path.