Therapists in Cashiers, NC

People often think psychotherapy is only for crises. However research shows that therapy is one of the best investments you can make for life satisfaction and growth. In addition to therapy are other modalities that support healing and growth. Some of these holistic wellness tools include exercise, mindfulness, tai chi and yoga. I have a rich background in the application of mindfulness to promote healing and growth, and have experience integrating tools such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, DBT, CBT, Hypnosis and EMDR. I also find authenticity and humor essential for healing and use both liberally.

Full Circle Counseling and Wellness provides access to high quality, experienced counselors and integrative wellness practitioners who operate in a holistic, community oriented environment. Our counselors have experience with a wide range of emotional and psychological health challenges and seek to make effective treatment strategies affordable and sustainable. We employ the power of relationship for therapeutic benefit and to help foster belonging and connection by surrounding you with resources and support. Whether making art together, weeding gardens, or playing a board game, we hope to provide community oriented opportunities for everyone.

I specialize in EMDR (processes traumatic memories/core beliefs), Internal Family Systems Therapy (systems of protective and wounded inner parts led by a core Self), and Mindfulness-Based Somatic Therapy (emotions/sensations in the body in the present moment). I also use a variety of other forms of psychotherapy including Hakomi, Contemplative, Person-Centered (Rogerian), Existential, Relational Life Therapy, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. I provide a safe, nonjudgemental space for you to turn toward your experience. A whole body-mind approach has the ability to transform, much more than talk therapy alone.

I believe every person has the right to feel seen, valued, and heard. I provide a safe space for my clients. A space where there is no judgement; where over time, when trust is built within the therapeutic relationship, the client will bring their most authentic self into session. I use an integrative approach, although my roots lay in modern psychoanalysis and in attachment framework. Having healthy relationships, specifically with ourselves is challenging! Relationships are vital to the emotional and mental health of all human beings especially the relationship with the self, as I believe it holds both the wound and the cure.

Getting started can be overwhelming. My goal is to help you feel as comfortable as possible so we can go at your pace. I specialize in working with clients with anxiety, ADHD, and trauma. Many of my clients have tried to cope with their situations by pushing their feelings away or using addictive behaviors to numb them. My job is to help people listen to and manage their emotions without feeling overwhelmed or ruled by them. Being personally in recovery from alcohol helps me understand and empathize with what you’re going through because I’ve probably been there too.

Are you not feeling like yourself? Missing who you were or longing for who you want to be? Are your thoughts telling you that you are broken or unworthy? Sometimes difficult experiences or the general stress of life manifests as physical pain in our bodies or as emotions that feel overwhelming and unpredictable. Therapy is a place to learn how to listen to the wisdom of our bodies to better understand how to take care of our mental and physical well-being. The fact that you are looking at this page means you have taken the first step towards getting to know yourself better, and I know how hard that first step can be.

My name is Dawn Clark, and I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 27 years of clinical experience. My primary focal point is adults and couples with Anxiety, Depression, Women's Issues, Sexual Orientation, Trauma, and PTSD. I focus on helping and encouraging individuals., not treating a disorder. I utilize a combination of Cognitive Behavioral (CBT), Trauma Focused, Coaching, Couples Therapy, and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapies during treatments with my clients. I believe that I am very direct and open-minded, and no one should ever feel out of place in a relationship.

I am a somatic psychotherapist and clinical supervisor, who enjoys working with people from all human backgrounds. I have been in practice 13 years. I specialize in trauma and attachment resolution, and the various mental/emotional/relational difficulties that can stem from trauma and attachment wounding. I also have a great passion and skill for working out patterns of oppression in the body. Aliveness, strength, respect, laughter, kindness, humility… these are all qualities central to the work I do. Together we will create an alliance to discover the true and beautiful health that exists inside you, and let your truest self shine!

My calling is to journey alongside women that have experienced abuse, domestic violence, addiction or other painful experiences and watch them come into their own power and regain trust and confidence in becoming their most resilient and authentic selves. Your anxious feelings of the unknown and depressing feelings of past experiences have been hurdles for you to climb as you maneuver your way from surviving to thriving in life. You’ve felt a loss of hope for your future. Perhaps you’ve experienced a glimmer of hope from time to time and know it exists, but struggle to hang on for fear of falling.

Stress, anxiety, uncertainty, and fear can feel overwhelming. You may find yourself turning to drugs or alcohol, harmful eating patterns, self-harm, or fall back on other old habits to cope with your emotions. You may be struggling with anxiety, stress, depression, or fear. Maybe you are in recovery from addiction or an eating disorder, and are having trouble maintaining your progress. You may be navigating your gender and sexual identify. Or perhaps you are concerned that your teenager is dealing with some of these issues. Whatever you are facing, you are not alone! I am here to provide support, guidance, and encouragement.

Have you noticed yourself looking around at your life and wondering, “how the hell did I end up here?” Things may feel chaotic, misaligned, or imbalanced right now. You might feel like you are at the end of your rope and desperately need something to change. It might feel like a lot is changing right now, and it’s happening all at once. You have stronger feelings about things than you once did. You want to spend your time differently. It feels like there is an itch; a drive for something more, different, better. You want things to feel more easeful, more balanced, and more aligned with who you are NOW, not who you have been.

My areas of focus include: mindfulness, trauma, adolescence, family systems, parenting and co-parenting relationships, ADHD, anxiety, depression, grief, life changes, stress management, existential matters, and personal growth.

Even the most self-aware humans can experience periods of confusion, stuckness, and destabilization, and oftentimes suffering has unconscious roots. I've dedicated my training and education as a helping professional to learn how to unlock messages from the unconscious to promote healing and well-being. I also strive to arm my clients with concrete tools to use independently, long after our work together is completed. I have many years of experience helping people heal, blending a variety of nontraditional and expressive therapeutic approaches with evidence-based interventions to meet the individual needs of the people I serve.

Life can present challenges, some we live with every day, and others seem to come out of nowhere. Maybe life doesn't follow along a path we've spent years creating and working toward. The business of living can begin to feel like a grind, and simple tasks may create exhaustion, fear, and uncertainty. Unresolved and painful childhood memories seem to revisit out of nowhere, and even though you've worked and wished, or prayed about the pain, the pain lingers. We often resign ourselves to perceiving life as a chore instead of a joyful experience, which can lead to a lack of fulfillment and even chronic illness.

My purpose and passion is to support couples and individuals dealing with relationship conflict and life stressors. As a therapist I take a relational/systemic approach and value utilizing evidence-based practices to support couples in decreasing conflict and increasing intimacy and connection. For individuals, I understand that every person’s experience is unique and therefore I integrate several therapeutic models and interventions to uniquely support each client.

Do you feel stuck, stalled, and overwhelmed? Do you feel shame, grief, or isolation? You might feel debilitating worry, have chronic sadness, or even struggle to get out of bed every day. You probably feel lost, unsteady, and lonely. Perhaps you don’t know why you feel so empty and dissatisfied, but nothing you try seems to produce long-term changes. Or, maybe you are aware of a particular issue causing you pain, such as an unfulfilling job or relationship, and carry deep self-doubt or shame. This discomfort is the part of you that is longing for something different. But another part feels unsure and uncomfortable with change.

Life is full, complicated, amazing and sometimes we get a curve ball thrown our way. Though each of us possess the tools and wisdom of healing, it is during those curve balls that we need someone to point out our strength and resilience. As a counselor, I am that someone with a bag of tools to help. You decide where we go, what you want out of counseling, and choose what tools you will use. Those times may come from parenting, substance use, hurting those we love, burn out, anxiety, transition, the world around us, not being able to be who we fully are, and questioning life.

I love working with adults (age 18 and up) on anxiety, depression, attachment styles, and body image issues. My ideal clients are those who feel like they have been repeating habits and behaviors that are unhealthy and are wanting to learn how to change those patterns. I teach clients how to identify personal and interpersonal needs that are currently unmet and how to set more effective boundaries. I enjoy assisting clients who want to better understand their behaviors and learn how to develop self-awareness skills to help them feel more in control of their lives.

My ideal clients are people who have co-occurring substance use and mental issues and/or co-occurring mental health issues (for example, Anxiety and Depression, Borderline Personality Disorder and PTSD). I also specialize in grief and trauma-informed approaches to personality and mood disorders.