Therapists for college students near Duke University

After trauma, we reach for whatever coping skill is closest in order to survive. We may turn to substances, self-harm, intellectualizing, perfectionism, etc. This helps us soothe, distract, and numb from feelings of shame, guilt, anger and fear. Still, our unprocessed emotions can overwhelm–morphing into anxiety, depression, rage, dissociation, or hyper-vigilance. However, this only represents a part of us and our experiences. We contain creativity, empathy, resilience, & intuition. Through our strengths, we increase our tolerance, release survival skills that no longer serve us, and return to our most liberated and aligned self. I specialize in addiction, anxiety, trauma, marriage counseling, and depression. I am also trained in Brainspotting, a trauma treatment, which involves less invasive talk therapy & quicker response times for healing, when compared to EMDR. For marriage & couples counseling, I am trained in the Gottman Method. We all have an innate and intuitive ability to heal and transform, yet healing is not a destination. Rather, it is a continual process that we may deviate from and rediscover repeatedly throughout our lifetime. I am here to sit with you in your pain, your recovery, your joy and everywhere in between. Please reach out. You are worthy of support.

"You deserve the love you so freely give to others.” – Alexandra Elle My practice is centered around you as a “whole person,” not just as a collection of diagnoses. As a therapist I seek to offer a full range of therapeutic services using theory and evidence-based practice, while also simply sitting in your challenging spaces with you, providing a comforting, nurturing, judgement-free environment, and pushing you to break through and progress in your mental health journey. I believe that taking care of yourself is the single most important endeavor you can undertake in your life, and I hope to be able to assist you in any way I can as you begin looking inward. Much like life, treatment is everchanging. Each session we will work together to develop a treatment regimen that best suits your needs both in the moment and as you move forward. We will complete an initial assessment to help me better understand your basic needs. I’ll gather information from you about your background, history, family dynamics, lifestyle, culture, socioeconomic status, and current symptoms. Then, we will have a few rapport-building sessions to get to know one another as I continue assessing your needs. As we progress, we will begin developing goals for your treatment plan centered around decreasing your symptomology and bringing balance back to your life. I will also often present other resources in our community that I believe can eliminate some of the burdens you face. Each session I will use the tools, skills, and knowledge I possess to support you, push you, and guide you through what you’re facing. I believe as a therapist it is my job to find a balance between comforting you and validating your feelings, while also challenging you and often telling you things you may not be thrilled to hear. It is my goal to make sure you feel safe and secure in treatment in addition to presenting you with alternate ways of thinking, gently coaching you through correcting any harmful behaviors, and changing your perspectives on how you perceive your reality. My process is to get to know you on an individual level, gain your trust, provide a safe and validating space for you to release your emotions, and then walk alongside you as you learn to advance in your mental health.

Handspring is a modern mental health clinic that provides personalized, evidence-based behavioral care for young adults. We currently serve young adults who are looking for treatment for anxiety, depression, or behavioral difficulties. Our therapeutic approaches include CBT, DBT, organizational skills training, behavior therapy, exposure & response prevention, and parent management training.

I am adept at treating much of the human condition because my training is existential-humanistic. My approach is holistic, client-centered, and tailored to the specific place you are in the world. I will help you move to your place of purpose and meaning, as well as evoke your innate healing ability. I do not think there is an ideal client, but there is an ideal relationship that we establish together. I ensure that you feel attended to, heard and seen in the way you wish to be. You deserve stellar care. Visit or call for free 15 minute consultation. As a yoga instructor, I will draw (if you wish) from ancient healing techniques and practices; this includes breath work, mindfulness, meditation and philosophical teachings. As a specialist in primary care behavioral health, I am able to focus your treatment comprehensively, integrating your physical and mental well-being. No matter your ailment, I will provide you with focused, dedicated, experienced, and compassionate care. You will feel relief on your first visit, and after some time working together, you can expect tremendous growth and healing. This goes for individuals, couples, and groups.

Healing Arts Collaborative is a community-driven therapy and healing arts practice based on Occaneechi, Shakori, Cheraw, Tuscarora, and Lumbee ancestral land (so-called Durham, North Carolina). We are mental healthcare workers committed to providing safe, affirming, and culturally responsive healthcare for our 2SLGBTQIA+ community. HAC practitioners are committed to decolonial, abolitionist, anti-racist, anti-ableist and liberation principles in our work and personal lives. Our therapy style is person-centered, trauma-informed, queer- and gender-celebratory, sex-positive, fat positive, and anti-oppressive. We value personal and collective artistic, musical, movement-based, dramatic, and written expression, and hold space for these liberatory practices in and outside of therapy sessions. We are inspired by wellness frameworks that acknowledge the impact of personal, community, and environmental relationships and systems of oppression on a person's development, health, and well-being, including: -Healing Justice -Relational-Cultural Counseling Theory -Health at Every Size Principles -Harm Reduction Principles -Social Justice Art Therapy We work together with our clients to challenge the Medical Industrial Complex, white supremacy, ableist cis-hetero patriarchy, and related oppressive systems by naming individual and collective experiences of oppression and learning to live into our innate power. In addition to individual, relationship/family, and group psychotherapy, we also offer therapeutic workshops for larger groups, clinical supervision for pre-licensed mental healthcare providers, and training and consultation for healthcare professionals.

Big changes have a way of shaking loose questions you thought you had already answered-about who you are, where you belong, and who you want to be. You don’t have to figure it all out alone. I work with students and young adults who are navigating these in-between phases that can be confusing and overwhelming.

I believe in meeting you exactly where you are. Guided by a commitment to collaboration, I seek to walk beside clients as they forge and discover their own path towards healing. My goal in therapy is to be fully present with clients as we explore their emotions, experiences, truths, hopes, challenges, and strengths, with the aim of helping folks build a life they truly desire. I seek to hold intentional space for processing intersecting experiences of oppression and privilege that impact clients’ lives. Whether facing challenges at school, in family or elsewhere in community, I work with clients to weave, unweave, and reweave the ways they hold their past, create presence in their present, and construct achievable goals for the future. It is my delight and priority to support clients in reconnecting with joy, strength, internal and communal power, as well as their role in individual and joint liberation. Some approaches to therapy that we could use together include but are not limited to: Anti-Oppression & Liberation Frameworks, Creative Arts & Play-Based Therapies, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness & Somatic Based Therapies, Narrative Therapy, Parts Work (influenced by elements of Internal Family Systems and Trauma-Informed Stabilization Therapy), and Person-Centered & Strengths-Based approaches. Some areas in which I have experience supporting individuals includes but is not limited to Neurodivergence (ADHD, Autism, etc.), Complex Trauma, and Identity.

I am a licensed psychologist specializing in the treatment of depression, anxiety, OCD, body-focused repetitive behaviors (hair pulling, skin picking), and ADHD. My approach is informed by evidence-based practices, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Psychotherapy, (IPT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD, and Organizational Skills Training for ADHD. These approaches work best when we can develop a strong therapeutic relationship. Accordingly, I prioritize creating a warm, supportive space for us to work together toward the goals that are most important to you.

At Creasman Counseling, our diverse team is here to help you navigate the challenges of life - building skills, healing trauma, and cultivating resilience. We offer individual, group, and couples counseling incorporating a broad, evidence-based range of therapeutic approaches. We also offer medication management, clinical supervision, and social justice groups for providers.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

I work predominantly with students who are navigating the change of college, interpersonal dynamics, anxiety, depression, and personality disorders. I hope that through our work together, we can find ways to help you thrive and reach your goals.

I love working with college students and young adults who are encountering obstacles in their search for happiness and success. My goal is to provide each client with the most effective, short-term, evidence-based psychotherapy to maximize results without maximizing your time. I have 25 years of experience working with trauma survivors and people who struggle with anxiety, ADHD, and Depression.

I believe that therapy is a collaborative journey where you and I work together to explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. My approach is rooted in empathy, active listening, and a non-judgmental environment where you can openly express yourself. In our therapist-client relationship, I see myself as a supportive guide, here to help you gain insights, develop coping skills, and set achievable goals. Together, we’ll create a safe and trusting space for you to work through challenges and find a path towards personal growth and healing. Ultimately, success in therapy is about empowering my clients to lead more fulfilling, balanced, and purposeful lives by applying the insights and skills gained during our therapeutic journey.

I view therapy as a unique, dynamic space between two people where an alliance is being formed. Clients often come my way frustrated by not being heard by health providers or mental health therapists who lack empathy, understanding, or who come off as judgmental. My job is to meet you in a place where you can feel deeply seen, heard, and understood.

We are a diverse collective of queer, trans, cis, anti-racist healers, makers, bodyworkers, change makers, counselors, artists, social workers, physicians, musicians, energy workers, clinical and counseling psychologists, activists, caregivers, justice seekers, peacemakers, movement guides, yogis, workers, dream weavers, trouble makers and scholars. We believe in the inherent worth and dignity of each person and offer sliding scale services based on an economic justice model of financial privilege. to that end, we challenge white supremacy, capitalism, ableism and all systems of oppression to make our programs and services more affordable and accessible to poor and working class people and people of color. We affirm that all individuals are the experts of their own experiences and choices and are committed to providing trans-informed care and support trans folx in their gender self determination using an informed consent model of care. We believe that individual wellness contributes to social justice and social justice contributes to individual wellness and that radical inclusion must involve radical transformation. We understand that through the pursuit of justice, equity, healing and reconciliation we may cultivate healthier societies and foster relationships with self and community liberated from violence and oppression. In our efforts to ensure ongoing, successful collaboration with the LGBTQueer+, People of Color and people of all identities, we commit to regular, ongoing trainings, consultation and are active agents of change and advocacy in our communities. You belong here.

Some clients enter therapy to learn specific skills and practices to increase their well-being, while others simply want an empathetic listener to help them work through life’s challenges. As a therapist, I strive to create a warm, empathetic, and nonjudgmental environment for clients to explore the complexities of their lives and to feel heard and understood. I particularly enjoy working with older adolescents and young adults on issues surrounding anxiety, OCD, phobias, life transitions, depression, and traumatic experiences. I understand that frequently our emotions and past experiences can keep us from living the lives that we hoped for, and I strive to help clients move forward to live in line with their values.

My primary goal as a counselor is to create an open and non-judgmental space in which clients can express their thoughts and feelings freely. None of us are without our struggles, and I find it beneficial for each of us to have a space where we can explore these struggles reflectively and creatively. I aspire to gain a holistic understanding of my clients, their life experiences, and their issues, so that we might collectively explore opportunities for growth through evidence-based practice. I find great value in person-centered, cognitive behavioral, acceptance & commitment, and existential therapies. However, perhaps the greatest determinant of success is a relationship built upon mutual trust and understanding between counselor and client. I believe that sound counseling practice is an active, and at times difficult, process for the client. However, take comfort in the fact that it is my mission as a counselor to walk with you through trial and tribulation. I would be honored to join you on your journey.

Our eating disorder treatment facilities in the Southeast U.S. (Durham & Charlotte, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia), offer inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient programs for children, adolescents, and adults. Our personalized approach ensures you receive first-rate treatment at the level of care that’s right for you. We’ll build your care plan around best practices and proven therapies, delivered with expertise, understanding, and compassion.

Maybe you feel like you don’t quite belong anywhere or struggle to trust your own worth. Perhaps you’re carrying the weight of systemic oppression, intergenerational trauma, or the pressure to fit into a world that wasn’t built with you in mind. You want to heal, to feel at home in yourself, and to build a life that feels authentic and meaningful. I’m here to hold a space where you can show up fully and be met with care, empathy, and non-judgment. I love working with LGBTQ+ & BIPoC folks and folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers from a strengths-based, neurodiversity affirming perspective. My therapeutic approach is guided by a commitment to fostering dignity, resilience, and empowerment, with a focus on practical strategies for personal growth and self-care. I am EMDR trained and use this as well as other therapeutic approaches to support clients in healing from trauma and cultivating a sense of personal sovereignty. As a mixed race-Black, trans-masculine, and nonbinary practitioner, I understand the importance of being seen and affirmed. I approach therapy with a commitment to creating a secure, affirming space where clients can unfold into their most authentic selves. If you think we might be a good fit, I invite you to reach out and schedule a free consultation.

You are at your threshold and something has to give. Maybe you have been struggling for years, or maybe you have new stress that feels unmanageable. You've tried changing your diet, journaling, talking it out, and nothing seems to change. It may seem as though things will never be different in your life or your relationships. But, after years of experience working with others just like you, here is the truth: lasting change is possible. My clients come to me because they want a shift and are seeking support as they turn onto a new path. Together, we will explore your thoughts and feelings, using a goal-oriented, holistic approach. Imagine what it would feel like to finally be able to let go of the constant worrying, suspicion, anger, and resentment. To feel like you can set boundaries and have the energy to participate in your life and experience joy again. You would be a better partner, friend, and parent, someone who is capable of saying "no" clearly, or "yes" wholeheartedly. I am committed to helping you unravel old wounds as you strengthen and create a new direction in your life and relationships. My goal is to create a warm, non-judgmental and safe space for self-reflection, recovery, and personal growth.