Therapists in Towson, MD

Welcome! I'm Pamela Watkins a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor (LGPC) deeply committed to helping individuals facilitate their healing journey. With a heart full of empathy and a client-centered approach, I strive to create a safe and nurturing space where you can explore, heal, and grow.

What is it for you...Is it the lack of motivation? The over-thinking? The never feeling good enough or need to be perfect? The “I don’t know who I am?” The loss of identity? The failed or lack of relationship/s? The hopelessness? The unexplained sadness? The lack of support? School Stress? Well sometimes growing up or even life can be very overwhelming and the desperation to feel better as you navigate through can leave you feeling stuck and lost on your next decision/move.

/ Accepting New Clients! / Immediate Openings :) / Online Scheduling Available! / Do you feel stuck? Caught between an internal battle of emotions? Maybe it’s seemingly constant anxiety about your future, an inner critic that always has something negative to say, or an unshakable fear that others don’t like you. Working through these feelings may sound scary, but it doesn’t have to be! Together, I’m confident that we can tap into your strengths to remove the obstacles that have made it difficult for you to live the life you want to live.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States. Anxiety can be significantly disabling and negatively impact our mood and quality of life. It's not uncommon for someone with an anxiety disorder to also suffer from depression. You are tired of experiencing symptoms of anxiety including intrusive, racing, and ruminative thoughts that seemingly don’t stop, feeling on constant edge, and worrying all the time. You may also feel anxiety present itself as uncomfortable sensations in your body. You, however, have already made the most courageous step which is to look for a solution.

As a Licensed Clinical Professional Therapist, I understand that when people are in pain, the need for understanding, empathy and relief is most important. With both competence and devotion to my work, I specialize in the treatment of depression, anxiety, trauma, loss, transitions, phobias, couples therapy and divorce recovery. In the comfort of a warm and safe environment, I work hard, in partnership with you, to find the most effective pathway to you feeling better...and feeling better soon!

If you have you been upset about your life or relationship, you just may feel better sooner than you ever thought you would. I can help you reduce the emotional pain while increasing your confidence at the same time. I have been referred to as a "no-holds-barred life changer." I use Psychotherapy, Hypnotherapy and EFT as tools to speed up your growth process. When you walk in my office you are a person not just one of my clients. We will find out what your specific needs are and then match the best treatment for you. www.drdeborahcooper.com

I enjoy working with people. I work well with all age groups: adults, young adults, the elderly, children, adolescents and families. I am trained to adapt myself to a person's individual needs, developmental level, and pace. I consider myself an eclectic clinician, predominantly practicing Rogerian (person-centered approach incorporating humor and accurate empathy). I collaborate well with other treating professionals to provide the suitable support for a person under my care. If you are looking for a dedicated professional who will meet your or your child's needs by applying evidence-based treatment approaches, look no further!

Are you feeling invisible? Angry about a breakup? Have you recently experienced a loss/death? Do you feel misunderstood? Are you experiencing more pain, burnout, and/or fatigue than normal? Does your adolescent need extra support? Is your family/relationship falling apart? If your answer to any of these questions is "Yes," or even if you have questions of your own, it may be time to reach out and talk through those thoughts and feelings. I would be delighted to be the person you reach out to.

As a therapist, I strive to provide a safe and thriving environment that aids individuals and families in the ability to navigate through life’s stressors. My goal as a therapist is to assist the consumers in exploring their own thoughts, feelings and emotions— while considering their own interactions with people, places and things. As a therapist I aim to assist the consumers in discovering something new about themselves; while developing a new sense of awareness pertaining to self and/or possible disruptive behavioral patterns.

I got an undergrad degree in Psychology, then I went back to school for a Master’s in Social Work and worked for the State of Maryland in Child Protective Services/Family Preservation for 11 years. I have worked a variety of other places over the years and learned many invaluable skills that I use every day. .

Reaching out for help can seem intimidating, but it is the first step in doing something for you. Strength doesn’t come from what you can do, it comes from overcoming life’s challenges you once thought you couldn’t. Living with an eating disorder, anxiety or depression can feel overwhelming but you don’t have to tackle it alone. Therapy encourages open communication in order to bring awareness to your innermost thoughts and feelings.

*Accepting new clients* Over the past year the way we go about our day to day lives has changed drastically. This has led to an increase in stress, anxiety, depression and feeling overwhelmed for many of us. Children and young adults have been hit especially hard as they have had to miss out on cultural milestones and important lessons in face to face peer interactions that would typically happen at school. These changes have impacted the mental health of so many of us. My goal is to help kids/teens/young adults adjust to these changes and to life changes such as graduating high school and weighing pro's and cons of college.

Are you experiencing challenges and stressors that seem nearly impossible to navigate? Facing life obstacles is difficult for everyone and often times the hardest part can be acknowledging to ourselves that we can’t face them alone. Perhaps you're feeling overwhelmed when contemplating your future, or experiencing extreme emotions that you can’t seem to get ahold of due to unhealed past traumas.

You are brave, curious and brilliant but feel like you are an imposter and never good enough. You have tried people pleasing and a relentless pursuit of self-improvement strategies but can’t shake off the feeling of not being worthy. You long for true belonging, confidence and to live your most authentic expression by releasing old patterns that no longer serve you. You are not alone. I believe that we all have inherent within us expansive wisdom, and capacity to heal. We can't always access our truest Self because of past trauma, societal pressures and habitual patterns that keep us disengaged from our true nature.

Taking a person-centered approach, I work to learn about your needs and meet you where you are in your therapeutic journey allowing us to open a new door to emotional and self expression and healing. Everyone needs a safe space to be your most authentic self without judgment as well as grow and develop into the person you want to be and I offer a space for you to be heard. I engage in therapeutic techniques drawing from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, and mindfulness based practices.

Before earning my MA in Counseling Psychology from Towson University, I received a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from UMBC. As such, I understand the importance of integrating concepts of community, culture and meaning-making into clinical practice. I specialize in treating clients experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship issues and addiction. I also welcome non-native English speakers and clients whose country of origin is outside of the U.S.

Clients that work best with me include people who are overweight or obese and want to lose weight or are before or after bariatric surgery, families where a loved one has anorexia who needs to realize and understand that they have a problem and need help on the road of recovery, people who are neurodiverse in need of executive functioning coaching or navigating the neurotypical world (including twice exceptional / 2E), couples who have relationship difficulties and need help solving relationship problems and getting through a tough phase of their lives.

I appreciate the quote, "You don't have to be sick to get better." As a solution-focused therapist, I'll work with you to identify strengths that can be applied in unique ways to help alleviate current struggles and put you back on the path to the best version of you. This approach is effective for both long-standing issues such as chronic anxiety or depression, as well as more acute issues including relationship challenges and immediate life changes. Starting from session one we collaborate on establishing goals for our work, develop customized tools you can use immediately, and then build on that foundation for lasting success.

Who are you and who do you want to be? For many people, that’s a terrifying question riddled with feelings like anxiety, insecurity, hopelessness, fear, dread, etc. Yet you’re here, on PsychologyToday, hoping to move closer to the person that you want to be. That’s where we start. The first question that I ask during an intake session is “when you imagine being successfully done with therapy, what does your life look like?” Well, really the first question is "how are you?" followed by shared laughter at the conditioned "good, how are you" response. Then that vision of yourself is what we use to guide us along the therapy journey.