I believe that we, as humans, are inherently good and are worthy of love, acceptance and belonging.
Hi, I’m Stephanie (she/her).
I serve adults who struggle with self-esteem and interpersonal issues due to LGBTQIA+ status, living in a larger body, and experiences of emotional abuse/neglect from a parent and/or adult relationships.
I can help you heal from childhood wounds and rise out of survival mode to a place where you can thrive and build a healthy relationship with yourself and others.
Together, we’ll access your innate goodness and worth, and release self-destructive ways of coping through difficulties to help you build a better quality of life.
Who I Help
LGBTQIA+
I am a straight, cisgendered therapist who fiercely advocates for queer folx in the Upstate (although I think we’re all probably on a spectrum of gender identity and sexual orientation). I’m often horrified by the stories I hear of previous therapy experiences, ranging from well-intentioned ignorance to full-scale discrimination and emotional abuse. For that reason, I make sure we take our time building a safe and trusting relationship so that you can have a corrective experience as we begin our work.
Stories of discrimination, judgment and persecution from family members—often in the name of religion—have become a broken record, leading me to advocate beyond the therapy room into the larger community, through participation in PFLAG and fighting for freedom of access in public libraries.
People Living in Larger Bodies
For several years, I worked with individuals pursuing bariatric surgery, helping them navigate the significant lifestyle changes required and build a better relationship with their bodies. We talked a lot about emotional eating and body image, both of which often continue to be a struggle long after significant weight loss.
People living in larger bodies experience a profound amount of discrimination. For this reason, I feel passionate about bringing a body justice perspective to my work, helping clients gain self-acceptance, release internalized fatphobia, and celebrate bodies of all shapes, sizes and abilities.
Adults With Emotionally Immature Parents or Partners
As a child of an emotionally immature/narcissistic parent, I know firsthand the lifelong struggle of confusion, hurt and internalized rage you can feel when you don’t have the knowledge and support you need to make peace with your childhood. It’s easy to diminish experiences of abuse when they aren’t physical. Harsh words and systematic emotional manipulation don’t leave bruises that can be identified by those who can help. Others, who can’t comprehend the severity of the situation, rattle off dismissive comments like, “all families are crazy!” only fueling self-gaslighting behaviors.
I’m here to tell you there’s a reason you don’t get excited the same way others do about family holiday gatherings or why you stand frozen, like a deer in headlights, in front of the greeting card aisle, feeling like every Mother’s Day or Father’s Day card is filled with bullshit that doesn’t apply to you. There’s a reason you flinch when your emotionally immature/narcissistic parent reaches out for a hug. There’s a reason for all of this…and it has nothing to do with you. You were never the issue.
How I Became a Therapist
You’d make a great counselor!
…a friend said to me as she was leaving my house after a serious heart-to-heart conversation. I was 26 years old, and after working as a technical editor for a few years, I was about to venture across the world to serve two years as a Peace Corps volunteer.
Two years later, I was sitting at a computer lab in the Republic of Georgia, applying to grad schools and writing an essay about why I wanted to become a counselor. At first, my meandering path seemed random, but as I thought about it, I realized that I had felt a calling to be a counselor from a young age, whether it was in adolescence, sitting quietly with a friend who had just lost his father to suicide, taking a “smoke break” at the office to check in on a co-worker struggling with heroin addiction, or having a heart-to-heart with a friend who struggled with lifelong mental illness.
There is something special that happens when bearing witness to another person in their vulnerability. A connection… a healing bond that reverberates out to both. We become inextricably linked in that moment by our humanness. I believe that it is from that space that true healing and growth is born.
Living in a culture vastly different from my own taught me to stay curious, and open to new ways of living and connecting with others.
I always felt humbled at the opportunity to hold space for others, long before I knew what “holding space” really meant. Even now, ten years into it, I remain in awe of the vulnerability and strength my clients show in the therapy room. What I do is a privilege. And I am grateful.
My Approach
Like most therapists, I’m eclectic.
My foundation is psychodynamic, meaning we look to the past and see how it informs the present. We explore wounds from childhood and identify patterns of behavior that may be creating barriers in relationships and other areas of life. Through our work together, we uncover harmful underlying beliefs about yourself and unresolved traumas, and bring to awareness ways of thinking and relating to the world that may be working against you and your efforts to cultivate a meaningful life.
Beyond the psychodynamic perspective, we may use other methods, drawing from CBT, DBT, positive psychology, mindfulness practices, etc. all in service to providing individualized care for you. What I love about therapy is that it is a creative process, allowing for flexibility and exploration so that your journey of personal growth is catered to your needs.
In the therapy space, you’ll find that I’m casual, candid, and take a collaborative approach to therapy. I believe that you are the expert of your life, so my job is to ask the right questions to help you find your inner wisdom. While I will challenge you at times, I do it with warmth, kindness and respect.
My Values & Beliefs
I’m a nature lover and forest bather. I’m a secular Buddhist who finds value in slowing down and being present (a simple idea but difficult in practice).
I’m a traveler. A mom. A word lover. A critical thinker who believes in expanding my world view through new information and life experiences.
I’m an advocate and take offense to acts of oppression, discrimination or shaming based on the color of a person’s skin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other aspect that may be outside the mainstream. We are all human beings, worthy of dignity and respect (and access to information).
Professional Qualifications & Education
Master of Arts in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology
Naropa University, Boulder, CO
SC Licensed Professional Counselor #5588
NC Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor #7818
Ready to build a life worthy of YOU?
Schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation by clicking below. We’ll talk about what you’re struggling with, how I can help and what comes next.
