Family Therapy in Hickory, NC

I specialize in helping clients learn to take control of their anxiety and lives by examining the impact of internal pressure (like unhealthy self-talk) and external triggers (like toxic relationships) and replacing what doesn't work with strategies to feel more empowered. I firmly believe that the way that we speak to ourselves impacts how we handle the pressures we face and let's be honest, we are often our own harshest critics. That is why I use a strengths-based approach to treatment to help clients get rid of hurtful self-talk and learn to embrace their own power!

I provide counseling and life enrichment services for teens, adults, families, couples, and groups. My office is a safe atmosphere welcoming diversity in culture, in sexual orientation, religion, and other factors of difference. Our lives can be wonderful, tragic, amazing, challenging and we go on many journeys and walk on many paths along the way. Sometimes we just need someone to talk to, bounce ideas off of, find peace and healing with or just explore what makes us tick. Allow me to be with you on these journeys of life.

My ideal client is someone who is ready for new results. I love helping people create what is really important for their life, and I am committed to being someone who can push them to have it. The most successful couples I work with have struggled with infidelity, considered divorce, or lost the fireworks in their marriage. The most successful individuals I work with have struggled with anxiety, addiction, intimacy issues, death/loss, or finding a purpose. All of my clients who succeed are open to exploring new ideas and hungry for change. Our conversations are action-oriented and results driven. Most of our sessions are fun.

My journey of helping individuals and families began as a hospice social worker. I worked closely with individuals and families to provide a "total care" approach while offering guidance through the emotional process of death. Now in private practice, I have worked with many cases and continue to use the "total care" approach with each client. I welcome all individuals and find incorporating your values/beliefs in therapy is supportive of the healing process. As I share with clients, we have to embrace our past, present and future to begin the healing process.

Therapy is a growth experience that can influence the way you view the world and yourself. As humans, we all experience times of discomfort and life transitions. Therapy is not only for those suffering from addiction or mental illness. It is also a way to gain skills, enhance your performance, and learn more about yourself. Barriers to becoming who you want to be can be explored in therapy and work to re-building life, relationships, and even your career.

Ami is experienced with child and adolescent disorders, trauma, anxiety, depression and mood disorders, and is passionate about enhancing healthy family and relationship dynamics. She provides an engaging and supportive environment to motivate clients to achieve their individual treatment goals. She integrates cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma-informed, resiliency and strengths-based approaches. She also utilizes play and expressive arts interventions and is EMDR Basic Trained.

My work is focused on helping older adolescents and men deal with life's challenges, struggles, and difficulties with particular emphasis and attention to the unique concerns and needs of men. I provide individual, marital and family counseling, counseling for relationship concerns, men's issues, adjustment disorders, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, spirituality, communication, intimacy, attachment, self-esteem difficulties, and trauma work.

Everyone’s journey is different. At times, this journey is wonderful and inspiring, and other times it can be overwhelming or exhausting. My mission is to support children, adolescents, families, and adults of all ages as we identify your unique qualities and resources. Together we will navigate the challenges you are experiencing, draw on your strengths, and seek manageable steps that empower you. It is okay to ask for someone to walk alongside you during this journey, and comforting to have someone new on your team!

I have been in the helping field for over fifteen years. I work with children, adolescents, couples, & families.Working with all of these age groups has helped me to have a better worldview of how issues affect us throughout different stages of our lives.My approach is cognitive behavioral therapy with family systems, but I also believe that an integrated approach alows us to use the events that have hurt us over the years to actually strengthen us today. I do EMDR as well. It is a process but I am here to guide & support you through getting to a healthier you.I am full of gratitude for the opportunties I have to work with you.

I consider it my personal mission to reduce the divorce rate in the United States, 1 couple at a time. But preventing divorce will only be succesful if, in place of unfulfilling or chronically dysfunctional marriages, couples develop truly thriving marriages & deeply fulfilling relationships. Even in the most hopeless-seeming cases, couples can heal the damage from the past and move forward in a healthier way. Not all marriages can be saved, but when couples do the work to heal the past, their future can be happier, no matter what the outcome for the relationship.

I am well versed in a number of theoretical approaches, utilizing an integrated strategy designed to meet your needs best. I treat adults, and families. I am very well suited to work with a wide spectrum of populations including both mental health and addiction issues. Most of my patients find that I am a good listener with empathic and genuine qualities. I am dedicated to my work and believe in meeting my patients where they are in relation to our work together. If you are looking for a therapist who is versatile, experienced, and open to a variety of issues I might be a good fit for you.

Many of my clients say that, in one way or another, their life just seems disjointed, frustrating, overwhelming, lonely and confusing. Sometimes that is a description of their inner state of mind, or it could describe how they feel within their most personal relationships. Others report a significant life change that has thrown them off course. It could be a career crossroad, a traumatic event/upbringing, a relational struggle, or a spiritual battle that brings them to seek therapy.

Life is a journey and sometimes we struggle with its trials. I offer a holistic approach to counseling and help adults, children, teens, families, and couples. If you or a love one is struggling with depression, ADHD, anxiety, marriage difficulties, addictions, Domestic Violence (verbal, physical, financial, and emotional abuse), family or friends that are abusive, grief and loss, self-esteem problems, divorce, spirituality, and parenting difficulties there is hope at: Counsel For Hope.

Throughout my life I have become so aware of the importance of having someone who will listen, someone who will offer compassion without judgment. Throughout my career I have strived to place that understanding in focus as I worked with individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and the lifelong pains of trauma.

When life and relationships create unsettling challenges, people tend to rely on unhealthy, learned emotional reactions and thought patterns. By creating a safe, non-judgmental environment in therapy, I can help you identify these destructive emotions and thought processes, while consciously redirecting them into a mindfully positive, rational perspective to decrease emotional distress, reduce life and family conflicts, and stressors.

People come to therapy for validation, acceptance, and answers to the questions that seem unknown. You may be feeling hurt, lost, unheard, invalidated, and you are seeking answers. I can meet you where you are in your journey and help you navigate your way to your truth through my years of education and experience.

When I started working in therapy, I often worked with people who felt “stuck”. Stuck in the rudimentary day-to-day life, cycle of unhealthy patterns, or struggling to cope after a tragedy. It seemed as though traditional talk therapy just wasn’t helping, no matter how many different things we tried. Clients were wanting something deeper, a more meaningful experience. A lot of people felt hopeless. Then… I saw the same individuals interact with horses. And that's when the magic happened. I knew the transformative healing that could happen through equine therapy.

At Grow in Grace Behavioral Health, PLLC we offer effective outpatient, individualized, psychological care. We treat a number of mental health and substance use disorders, and provide a neutral ground for individuals, families, and children/adolescents to grow through what they go through. Are you experiencing extreme emotional shifts or not feeling like yourself? Maybe you are in a period of change and transition in your life and often feel invalidated by others. Perhaps your family or personal relationships are strained and you are feeling isolated or alone. We all experience tough times, let us guide you through.

Life transitions are a part of our journey and, while some are rewarding, some are a challenge. Whether you are struggling with something personally or professionally, you could benefit from working with a therapist who understands and can help guide you through the work to initiate change in your life. My approach is holistic, honest, and interactive with a little humor thrown in when needed. Clients appreciate my authenticity and ability to “be real” with them regarding how best to tackle current issues and concerns. I encourage my clients to start with small steps and move toward what speaks to their heart and their values.