Women’s Therapist in Hickory, NC
You’re tired of carrying the weight of being the one everyone relies on.
You’ve probably done a lot of work in therapy already. You understand your patterns, know what you’re “supposed” to do, and may even know exactly where some of it comes from. Yet there’s still a gap between what you know and what you can actually follow through on when it matters.
If you’re still feeling stuck, there’s usually a reason. Together, we’ll get curious about what keeps pulling you back into the same patterns, connect the dots, and help change feel possible—not just understandable.
Let's make sense of what's happening before we decide what to do about it.
Therapy with me will feel warm, safe, and conversational—but we’ll move beyond simply venting. Awareness is the first button, but without change, the needle doesn’t move.
I come to our sessions prepared to thoughtfully lead our work, and I’ll ask you to bring back what you noticed, practiced, or bumped up against between sessions. We’ll use that information to keep connecting the dots and deciding together what comes next.
Nothing about our work is cookie-cutter. I’ll meet you where you are, while also believing deeply in your ability to move forward. Think therapist, coach, and accountability partner—with plenty of room to be human along the way.
THERAPY WITH ME IS…
Collaborative, thoughtfully paced, and led by you.
You’re always in the driver’s seat of our work together, and I serve as your GPS. My role is to help you connect the dots between where you’ve been, what’s happening now, and where you want to go—without rushing you past the parts that need extra time and attention. We’ll move at a pace your nervous system can actually tolerate, because doing the “right” thing too fast can turn it into the wrong thing.
A place you don’t have to perform.
I’m not looking for you to “perform” healing in a way that looks good on paper but doesn’t feel real on the inside. As a recovering people-pleaser myself, I know how easy it is to just say what you think someone wants to hear. I don’t want you to do that with me. Here, your real reactions, doubts, and fears are welcome—and they’re how we figure out what will actually help you feel better. I’ll always be honest and direct with you, so you feel encouraged to be honest and direct with me.
Practical in a way that builds self-trust.
We’re not going to try to overhaul your whole life overnight. We’ll start where you are, and we’ll look for small, meaningful choices that help you come back to yourself. Sometimes, that starts with something as simple as being able to say what you want for dinner. Those little moments are where you can practice self-leadership and rebuild a stronger sense of who you are. Over time, those micro-wins add up to bigger wins—and a kind of trust in yourself that helps you sleep better at night.
Grounded in science and shaped by lived experience.
I bring clinical depth and expertise, but I also know what it’s like to be dismissed by providers and to have your body complicate things. I understand the impact of living with chronic illness, midlife changes, and ADHD—especially the kind that gets overlooked because you've learned to mask it.
That lens of lived experience helps me ask better questions and connect dots faster, but it also means you don’t have to prove how hard things are for you. I get it, and would never minimize or dismiss what you’re going through. When it’s helpful, I can collaborate with other providers—like your medical team, psychiatrist, pelvic floor therapist, or a functional nutritionist—so you’re not trying to manage every piece of the puzzle by yourself.
A bit more about my expertise:
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional (CIMHP) Board Certified Sexologist (ABS)
Trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Brainspotting Trauma Therapy, Flash Trauma Therapy, DBT Skills, Functional Nutrition for Mental Health, and Integrative Mental Health
Hope isn’t a pipe dream—it’s something we build one small win at a time.
With over 20 years of clinical experience and specialized training in women's mental health, here's a bit more about my expertise:
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MSW, Clinical Social Work — University of South Carolina at Columbia
BSW, Social Work — Appalachian State University
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW (NC C006722)
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Certifications
Board Certified Sexologist, ABS (American Board of Sexology)
Certified Sex Therapy Informed Professional, CSTIP (Evergreen Certified Professionals)
Certified Mindfulness Informed Professional, CMIP (Evergreen Certified Professionals)
Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional, CIMHP (Evergreen Certified Professionals)
Additional Training
Brainspotting (Phase 1 + advanced training with David Grand)
Internal Family Systems, IFS (Richard Schwartz & Frank Anderson)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT (Steven C. Hayes & Russ Harris)
FLASH Technique (Trauma Institute & Child Trauma Institute)
EMDR (Arielle Schwartz, PhD, CCTP-II, E-RYT, EMDR-C)
Complex Trauma, CCTP/CCTP-II (Janina Fisher)
Shame (Janina Fisher)
Women's Mental Health
Polyvagal Theory
Functional Nutrition for Mental Health (Dr. Leslie Korn)
DBT
Narcissistic Abuse (Ramani Durvasula)
Postpartum Anxiety, Rage & Burnout
Binge Eating & Chronic Dieting
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American Psychological Association (APA)
Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS)
National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
American Board of Sexology (ABS)
Evergreen Professional Ceritifcations
Lichen Sclerosus Support Network (LSSN)
Insight Timer Provider
Healthy At Every Size
PFLAG
Human Rights Association
LGBTQ & All
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Some of the work I care most about lives in spaces where women are trying to make sense of painful, confusing body changes—and feel less alone in it. I was a guest speaker with the Lichen Sclerosus Support Network (LSSN) at their 2025 Summit, and I’m listed as a provider who integrates the evidence-based principles of Lori Brotto’s work on sexual wellbeing. I don’t offer those programs as a separate service, but I weave these principles into our work when it’s relevant—alongside the other integrative, trauma-informed approaches I use in therapy.
Ready to explore what's possible?