Existential Therapists in Durham, NC

I work with adolescents, adults, couples and families on a range of things, from family and relationship issues to life transitions, depression and anxiety, grief, larger existential questions, and other things. A particular focus is helping people in crisis manage and make meaning from difficulties. My approach to therapy is supportive, relational, and client-centered, with a focus on how things manifest themselves in the here and now. More than anything, I try to create a safe space for tuning in to feelings, finding balance, healing, and working on change.

Grief, trauma and systemic oppression have increasingly become visible and universal experiences affecting individuals, couples, families and communities. I began my career working with the survivors of intimate partner violence and individuals/families grappling with cancer and death. These experiences have informed my practice working with individuals, couples and families dealing with loss, grief, trauma, anxiety/depression, major life changes, chronic illness, abuse and relational distress.

You may be someone used to figuring things out on your own, but you’ve run out of ideas or want a fresh perspective. Maybe you have sought help before but were frustrated by the pace of your previous therapy. Perhaps life has thrown you a curveball, and it’s time to make some changes. Either way, you want real solutions as well as support and encouragement. My clinical judgment is tempered by real-world experience. I've raised two kids to adulthood, been married, divorced, and happily remarried. I’m an ex-Business guy. I have a Ph.D. in Psychology, I’ve run real businesses, coached top execs, and been helping people for 25+ years.

Pronouns: he/they. I am a Licensed Psychologist with about 10 years of experience providing therapy and testing. As an openly queer and trans person of color, my experiences of both privilege and oppression greatly inform my clinical practice. I infuse themes of multiculturalism, social justice, intersectionality, liberation, and feminism into therapy as needed. I have worked with the LGBTQ+ community for most of my clinical career, and have training & a particular passion for working with trans, non-binary, and gender diverse clients. Sex positive and kink, sex worker & poly friendly. Neurodiversity-, trauma-, and HAES-informed.

*Accepting New Clients* Why cancer now? Hearing the diagnosis of cancer can be overwhelmingly devastating, emotionally and physically. Treatment and tests can trigger anxiety, depression, existential crisis, or the exacerbation of traumas and conflicts. It feels like your life has an expiration date and with each ache, sleeplessness, fear, and sadness they become a reminder of that “c” word taking control of your life as well as your loved ones. Are you struggling to find some sense of it all? Are you on a quest for some semblance of normalcy? Are you questioning how can you continue to create the life you want to live?

My name is Becca Leifer (she/her/hers) and I am passionate about helping folx find coping strategies that will enable them to better navigate the bumps in the road, that are a natural part of life, so that they can find more ease, joy, and comfort in moving through the world. I specialize in working with clients seeking support for depression, anxiety, PTSD, complex trauma, ADHD, ASD, and those navigating chronic illness. I am a sex-positive, kink-affirming therapist, and have experience working with people in Ethical Non-Monogamous relationships.

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.

My approach to counseling is that of a “fellow traveler” who takes the journey alongside of you in a way that is calm, open, supportive, empathic, and actively engaged with you at all times. I bring a unique existential approach to counseling that helps you in the “here and now,” and daily lived experiences of your life. I work with couples and individual’s ages 13-70. I specialize in working with anxiety, depression, grief/loss, intimacy issues (physical and emotional), LGBTQIA issues, men’s issues, marital conflict, sexual addiction, and complex personal life struggles. There is space here for you!

In times of great vulnerability, mind-body awareness, self-compassion and insight guide the way to deeper healing and renewed purpose. We all carry this capacity within. I specialize in helping clients navigate anxiety, depression, grief and loss, sleep dysregulation, post-traumatic symptoms, major life transitions-including midlife and career issues, clinician, first responder and family caregiver chronic stress, end-of-life and psycho-spiritual integration - combining proven holistic, mind-body clinical mental health counseling and mindfulness-based methodologies.

As a licensed Clinical Psychologist my goal is provide a safe and caring place where you can talk about your thoughts and feelings. My focus is on helping you build on your own strengths to better cope with the challenges you may be facing. I can help you discover the necessary skills to become more effective in getting what you really. I am especially interested in helping people create meaningful relationships in which they feel respected and deeply valued. I am the author of How To Stop Feeling So Damn Depressed: A No B.S. Guide For Men. (New Harbinger, 2018)

I have over 25 years experience doing therapy and evaluations for all ages. As a therapist, through compassion, listening, and active skill-building, I help individuals, couples and families increase understanding of issues and make changes needed to function better and feel better. While 25 years of experience guides my understanding of issues and my ability to help, in that time I have also developed a deep respect for the uniqueness of each person who comes to me, thus I approach each person with an eye to that uniqueness and how we can harness it to improve things.

I believe therapy is rooted in each individual’s inherent capacity for growth. I offer a collaborative and accepting space in which you can feel seen, valued, and understood as you explore the challenging symptoms, interpersonal patterns, thought processes, and emotions that you may be experiencing, and take steps to create a more fulfilling and meaningful life. I believe you are the expert on yourself and approach therapy with curiosity, encouraging you to be an active participant in the therapeutic process.

I believe that each person is unique and that their story is their own. I do not know what you are experiencing at this time, however, it is my goal to understand what you are experiencing by listening to and learning from you. I believe that we can work together to establish a working relationship that feels safe while promoting healing and growth for you.

You are not what you feel. You are not even what you think. You are what you do. Acceptance & Commitment Therapy is about taking thoughts and feelings and using them for what they're supposed to be: data. They are merely to let us know how we're responding to our environment. It is up to our higher cognitions, our rational thoughts, to decide what to do with that information. My clients range from those with neurodevelopmental issues, mood disorders, and life adjustment events. The premise is the same in all cases: understand ourselves, what we feel and think, figure out WHY we think that way, and then decide what to do with it.

Are you a teenager or adult struggling with daily stress, anxiety, depression, borderline personality disorder, or trauma and looking to get started immediately? Together we can work to build resiliency and health coping skills as well as improve self-image and communication. I am passionate about helping the LGBTQIA+ community. I am also looking to counsel couples looking to strengthen their relationship. I pride myself on providing a relaxed environment where others feel free to be themselves in order to heal and build. No matter where you come from or how far you have to go, I believe in you and your ability to overcome.