Optima Therapists in Downtown, Charlottesville, VA
See all therapists in Downtown, Charlottesville
Suzanne Wilberger LCSW
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
Verified
I provide psychotherapy for adult men and women who are facing a wide range of life challenges. Maybe you're having difficulties due to anxiety or you are confused about your life’s direction or purpose. Possibly you have recently realized you have a pattern of becoming involved in unhealthy relationships and want to figure out why. I'll provide a comfortable, accepting, caring, and non-judgmental environment for you to gain an increased awareness of self, and to discover how this awareness can become the pathway towards growth and positive change.
Cynthia Starnes
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
Verified
I have extensive experience supporting clients who suffer from trauma-related disorders, including intimate partner violence, childhood abuse/sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and loss and grief issues. We will work together as partners in your treatment, developing a plan to process your trauma and move from the role of victim to that of a strong and successful survivor. I also have experience working with clients who have other anxiety-related disorders and now offer online sessions via HIPAA compliant, secure, easy to use platform. Easy online scheduling.
Daphne Ingene
Licensed Professional Counselor, PhD, LPC
Verified
Verified
I enjoy helping people establish and maintain relationships. It could be a relationship with your significant other, colleagues, or your family where values, beliefs, expectations, or even the cultures may be different. I also help people maintain a positive relationship with themselves by achieving an internal balance and being at peace with their past experiences.
Not accepting new clients
Deborah Sinek
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
Can you use your mind to reduce your suffering, rather than increase it? Or to increase meaning and depth in your life? You can, but most people need a little help with this. Sometimes a sympathetic family member or wise friend can help a great deal; other times when a knowledgeable, compassionate professional is a better choice. Perhaps your internal life feels out of control, or you're feeling stuck, repeating ineffective patterns of relating to yourself and others. I work with people to help them understand themselves and their situation, manage stress better, and make positive changes happen.
Waitlist for new clients
Will Luckett
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC
Verified
Verified
Life in a human body is hard, and none of us were made to go through it alone. Healthy Relationships are what heal those parts of us that feel broken, shut off, or disconnected. In a healing therapeutic relationship, you can discover the place inside that was always whole, safe, and protected and regain those parts that you may feel are lost or damaged. Whether you are facing issues of anxiety, overwhelming stress, depression, anger, trauma, grief, paralyzing fear, that feeling of being stuck, or some other difficulty, together we will mindfully navigate life's many challenges with kindness, respect, and compassionate courage.
Waitlist for new clients
Heather Whitney
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC
Verified
Verified
I have spent the past 20+ years helping clients to lead happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. My goal is to provide a stress free, nonjudgmental environment where you can feel supported, comfortable, and free to express yourself.
Jessica L Jennings
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC, CADC
Verified
Verified
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and have 20 years of counseling experience working with mental heath disorders, eating disorders, and couple therapy. I take an emotion focused and Jungian approach that allows for depth therapy. I also use Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills training to promote self-acceptance, non-judgment, and behavior change in the areas of interpersonal effectiveness, mindfulness, distress tolerance and emotion regulation. My therapeutic approach promotes an environment of acceptance and compassion that over time becomes an increasing internal experience.
Waitlist for new clients
Angela Green
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, CCTP
Verified
8 Endorsed
Verified
8 Endorsed
As a trauma-informed therapist, I am passionate about helping my clients shed their burdens and feel more empowered in their lives. I believe each of us has innate healing powers that that can become overcome by trauma, leaving us feeling stuck, frozen, or in states of panic. I typically blend EMDR with experiential, somatic, and mindfulness techniques. Using these approaches, I will provide you with practical tools to cope with and overcome the issues you are experiencing, while also helping to heal the underlying causes of those issues.
Susan Horne
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
I use a person-centered, trauma-informed approach to create a safe space where you can explore the challenges that are preventing you from thriving in your daily life. I work with individuals, families and couples to identify behavior patterns and past experiences that are currently causing distress in their lives. We will work together to develop effective coping strategies that will support you feeling confident in your own abilities to reach your therapeutic goals.
Barbara R Troncoso
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
Verified
I am a generalist clinical psychologist. I see clients of all ages from toddlers to adolescents and adults. I have been in private practice in Charlottesville, Virginia for 25 years, providing insight-oriented individual therapy, family therapy, and play therapy.
Jesse Luckett, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC
Verified
Verified
I work with individuals and couples to help them actualize their innate qualities of goodness and wholeness. I support people who are overwhelmed with stress, anxiety, or depression, in order to help them learn to transform their life challenges into opportunities for healing and growth. Individuals and couples will learn to recognize behaviors that keep them stuck and are provided with tools to help them process difficult emotions and connect and communicate more effectively and lovingly. Through establishing a caring therapeutic relationship clients can become more confident and secure within themselves.
Barbara Groves
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
Verified
As your therapist, I will guide you to recognize learned patterns of thinking, acting and feeling that may be creating suffering in your life. Together we will explore where and why you learned those patterns. Once fully understood, you will find the courage to transform those learned patterns into healthier ones. I will then guide you to practice these new and healthier patterns in the therapy room as well as in your life outside the therapy room.
Once you transform old patterns of relating into healthier ones, you will feel lighter, more confident and happier.
Wrenn Carlson
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
3 Endorsed
Verified
3 Endorsed
I am a clinical psychologist with experience providing individual, couples, and family therapy in outpatient and inpatient settings. My areas of interest include working with couples, parents of adolescents, high-stress families, and women with trauma histories. I enjoy working with couples and families to help them find new ways of communicating with each other and their children. I provide comprehensive psychological assessments for children and adults using cognitive, achievement, and personality measures. I aim to make assessments a useful addendum to therapy, psychiatric care, and improved classroom and home functioning.
Chapin Faulconer
Licensed Professional Counselor, MEd, LPC, NCC
Verified
Verified
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and National Certified Counselor specializing in individual, couples and family therapy. Also, I am a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator (CDWF) based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown. My treatment approach is to provide support with insight and feedback to help clients address current challenges and long-standing issues. With sensitivity and compassion, I draw from different styles and techniques to incorporate what is most helpful for each individual. Together with each client, I work to build on strengths and achieve life goals.
Full Life
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC
Verified
Verified
***Please note that calls and emails are answered by my intake coordinator, Madeline Schultz.*** I work with individuals, couples and families collaborating with them to reach their goals. These goals range from finding relief from depression, anxiety, past trauma, and addiction to finding deeper joy and satisfaction in work, leisure and relationships. I have specialized training in individual and family therapy, couples therapy, and sex therapy. I provide a safe environment for people to reflect on their lives with curiosity and compassion and make desired changes based on this reflection.
Russell Grieger
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
Verified
As a cognitive-behavior's therapist with over 35 years clinical experience, my goal is two-fold with each of the people who entrust themselves into my care. One is to help them resolve the issues that are at the core of their current unhappiness. A second is to equip them with the necessary skills to lead a happy, productive life and to quickly resolve any issues that may arise in the future.
Not accepting new clients
Terri Higgins
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC
Verified
Verified
My approach to therapy uses Internal Family Systems, an insight-oriented therapy which is a powerful method for understanding conflict, trauma, and defenses, and for promoting healing, change, self-empowerment and self-compassion. I view the counseling process as a partnership and an opportunity for you to learn more about yourself. We will honor the patterns that have kept you safe in the past, while at the same time gently removing the barriers that have kept you from being the person you wish to be. I utilize EMDR in my work as well to address trauma that happened long ago, as well as any recent trauma.
Lisa Tomala
Resident in Counseling, MS
Verified
Verified
Lisa is passionate about helping people live their best life. She has over 20 years experience working in the field of Counseling. After graduating from George Mason University with a Bachelor’s in Psychology in Fairfax, VA, Lisa worked with children and adolescents in a diagnostic group home. Realizing her passion for helping others on their journey towards healing, she pursued her Master’s degree in Professional Counseling from Grand Canyon University.
Afton Cordoba
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, ASDCS, CCTP
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
Afton has experience working with individuals in the areas of anxiety, depression, interpersonal conflict, trauma, grief/loss and life transitions. Afton believes that every person is fully capable of change, growth and healing. Her work focuses on empowering clients to recognize their inner strengths and cultivate healthy mindsets. Afton integrates elements of cognitive behavior therapy and solution focused therapy to aid clients in challenging negative thought processes, setting goals and envisioning their future selves. She also uses mindfulness as a way to help clients explore their present situation and find joy and peace.
David L. Allen
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, NCC
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
My work is focused on all types of addictive behaviors, especially the use and abuse of substances. An Addiction is simply the use of something outside of ourselves to change the way we feel inside. I help individuals cope with their Addiction and Co-Occurring Disorders by using an eclectic array of theories. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is extremely affective in treating addiction, but I use whatever techniques are required to help individuals overcome their addiction and face the underlying issues that are being medicated by their behaviors. I received a Masters in Community and Addictions Counseling from William & Mary.
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How can I find a therapist in Downtown, Charlottesville?
Search for nearby therapists or counselors by inputting your city, town, or suburb; or zip code; or a provider’s name into the search bar. From there, you can filter providers by the issues they treat, cost, insurance, gender, and other factors to find providers who are well-suited to your needs. To navigate between locations within the same country, enter a new city or zip code into the search bar.
Learn more about how to find a therapist.
Learn more about how to find a therapist.
Is online therapy a good option?
Therapy conducted online can be just as effective as in-person therapy, as long as there is a strong alliance between the client and the therapist. To find a therapist who provides telehealth services to clients in your area, click “Online Therapy” on the directory homepage and search by your city or town or your zip code.
What’s the difference between a psychologist, a therapist, and a counselor?
Therapists, psychologists, and counselors are all licensed mental health professionals. In the US, psychologists have earned a doctoral degree. The terms “therapist” and “counselor” are used somewhat interchangeably, but generally therapists offer longer-term, mental health care, while counselors offer shorter-term care that may focus on one domain, such as marriage, career, or academic challenges.
What type of therapist is right for me?
Clients should consider factors such as insurance coverage and their primary reason(s) for seeking therapy to determine the type of professional best suited to their needs. Someone struggling with mental health challenges such as depression or anxiety, for example, may wish to seek out a clinical psychologist, psychologist or therapist, while someone navigating career obstacles or marital upheaval may benefit from seeing a counselor who can offer short-term, targeted support.
Is everyone in the Psychology Today Therapy Directory a licensed therapist?
The Psychology Today directory lists providers who offer legitimate mental health services to the public, including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and counselors. Many have been licensed by the country or state where they practice; providers whose license or primary credential has been verified by Psychology Today are signified by a “Verified” symbol. Some clinicians or organizations provide services for which their state or country does not offer licenses, such as pastoral counseling. They may be selectively included without the “Verified” seal.
What type of therapy is right for me?
The type of therapy best suited to a particular individual depends on several factors, including their primary reason for seeking therapy, their preferred timeline (some therapy types last for a set number of sessions, while others are open-ended), and their personality and preferences—some may prefer a more structured approach. For many individuals, multiple types of therapy could provide a good fit.
Is online therapy cheaper than in-person therapy?
Many therapists charge the same amount for online therapy as they do for in-person therapy—though clients may still find this cost-effective if it cuts down on their transportation costs. Health insurance plans often offer equivalent coverage for online and in-person therapy; indeed, in many places, they are legally required to do so. Text-based or on-demand therapy apps may be cheaper than traditional one-on-one psychotherapy; however, the practice may be less effective and is not likely to be covered by insurance.