Existential Therapists in Lynch Station, VA

Are you sick of feeling anxious, depressed, numb, overwhelmed or empty? Does life feel meaningless? I can help you heal and find real joy, peace and wholeness. I have helped hundreds of people with numerous issues such as depression. addiction, trauma, anxiety and more transform inside, out. I care about my clients’ well-being as much as I care about my own well-being. Helping others is a calling, not just a career. It is my greatest desire to help people heal, discover their authenticity and awaken to their true potential. I use my intuitive abilities, education and experience to empower you to build a life worth living!

Navigating life's complexities, including anxiety, depression, substance use, life transitions, and interpersonal relationships can often feel like facing a series of overwhelming challenges. Whether it's mental, physical, spiritual, or relational difficulties, it's easy to feel drained, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to move forward. However, you don't have to face it alone. I provide a safe, supportive, and (sometimes) humorous space for the exploration and treatment of mental health, interpersonal, and substance use concerns for the 16-75+ population. Both male and female clients are accepted.

I am passionate about sitting in the metaphorical darkness with clients, whether that is grief, trauma, depression, anxiety, self harm, life transitions, or questioning about identity. Together we will hold space to explore whatever struggles you may bring into the room. All genders, races, and sexual orientations are welcome. I am currently seeing adult clients who are located in Virginia in person or via telehealth services with a focus on college students, emerging adults, and first/crisis responders ages 18+.

Life is full of transitions and adjustments. Often, there are many aspects of life outside of our control, which can feel incredibly difficult to manage. We cannot control all of the things that happen to us, but we can begin our journey in processing and moving through it. Trust can take time to establish. Let’s build a place of safety to allow healing to begin. My practice is to walk alongside you from a stance of non-judgement and acceptance. I specialize in working with individuals struggling with life transitions, trauma, depression, anxiety, and attachment related issues. I also have experience working with military personnel.

I enjoy working with teenagers and adults of various backgrounds. I connect with individuals who are struggling with anxiety, depression, shame, self-esteem, relationships with others, and healing from trauma. I use a variety of techniques and modalities that are best fit for each person to help clients reclaim their narratives, deconstruct the systems that contributed to their current struggles, and embrace their inner strength. While our work together may involve some gentle challenges, it is always empathetic and collaborative. Together, we will help build the confidence and empowerment you are (and always have been) worthy of.

Whether you are seeking counseling to have support or receive help for more immediate needs, it's a courageous first step. My style is to be compassionate, honest, and I like to use humor when appropriate. I provide a safe and supportive space for my clients to grow and feel empowered to make positive changes in life.

In my initial training experience as a hospital chaplain, I encountered patients and families in crisis, often going through personal oceans of grief and loss. As an intern at an urban Veterans Administration's behavioral health clinic, I saw how the trauma of war and chronic mental illness challenged patients, already isolated, even in their own families. At the Royal Edinburgh Hospital (Scotland) and at Tavistock Institute (London), I learned to think not just with my head, but also with my gut. My post-MSW career included work at a state mental hospital and as a Clinical Associate in Duke's Department of Psychiatry.

My goal for all my clients is to empower them with the tools to live a rewarding and fulfilling life, no matter the challenges that arise. I prioritize a person-centered approach, recognizing that each person is an individual with unique goals and needs. I will work with you to identify your goals and create a plan tailored to your strengths to help you move forward.

At Laurel Counseling, I'm deeply committed to providing holistic therapeutic services to those looking to seek clarity and make meaning in their lives. I use an existential, person-centered approach in my work with clients. I believe that YOU are the expert on your life and that YOU already have the answers for growth and healing within yourself. My role is to be a guide, resource and supportive companion as I walk beside you on your life journey, and help you discover and nurture your inner truth. I have extensive experience working with children, teens, adults and families who have been affected by trauma.

Are you feeling stressed, anxious, irritable, or disillusioned? Life can be challenging, confusing, and painful, but it can also be full of meaning, satisfaction, and joy. My belief is that our deepest emotional wounds can also lead to our greatest inner growth: “Life doesn’t happen to us, it happens for us.” Whether you need support with a strained relationship, trauma, physical pain, self-esteem, divorce, illness, personal loss, or are suffering but unsure of how to cope, I will be honored to accompany you on your personal journey and will strive to develop a relaxed atmosphere of mutual trust.

I am a psychologist who helps adults identify and better understand symptoms or concerns and I teach skills for making adjustments in different areas of life. I work with issues such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, parent coaching, stress management, emotional regulation skills, major life transitions, peripartum/post-partum anxiety and depression, grief, career counseling, and job burnout. I believe anyone can learn about themselves, gain additional coping strategies and skills, and experience growth through counseling. I conduct bariatric, career, personality, and diagnostic assessments. I am a PSYPACT license holder.

Everyone deserves the experience of having a compassionate, empathetic space in which to be heard and understood without judgement. As a counselor, I bring my interest in life stage human development and psychosocial adaptation as well as my education in psychodynamic, family systems, humanistic, and existential theories to the process of joining with clients to process emotions and contextualize experience in ways that are affirming to each one. I believe in the therapeutic value of the corrective emotional experience and strive to support clients with accessing a validating and strengths-based presence in counseling.

Finding value and meaning whether you are in the valley or at the top of the mountain using a blend of traditional evidenced based interventions with an existential feel incorporating different philosophies and schools of thought.

Taylor has worked in the field of mental health for nearly ten years involving direct contact with children, adolescent, and adult survivors of trauma. She has directly worked with survivors from various ranges of abuse and neglect to help instill physical safety, healthy boundaries, and hope. She firmly believes there is no “one way” to partake in therapy and sometimes it takes multiple attempts to bring light and awareness to those areas in our lives keeping us stuck and in the dark. She looks forward to supporting you during this time of healing and self-exploration.

I currently have some limited availability for new clients. I believe being deeply understood, in the context of a safe and collaborative therapeutic relationship, is the catalyst for healing and transformation. In our work together, what often are considered symptoms are viewed as important messages about one’s lived experiences and psychological needs. We will work together to understand your distress, and the deeper meaning underlying that distress. My focus in therapy is on understanding the root cause of your suffering, and to deeply listen and understand your experiences, and how they have shaped you.

I have experience working in the field of mental health for over ten years, providing both inpatient and outpatient services. My experience includes treating adults and adolescents struggling with depression/anxiety and emotion regulation, substance abuse, trauma-related concerns, and serious mental illnesses. I use a variety of therapeutic techniques to assist my clients in reaching their goals and develop insight which leads to healing, peace, and acceptance.

I have experience working with children, adolescents, young adults, and older adults. While I use a variety of approaches (including AEDP, Existential Theory, Attachment Theory, and CBT), ultimately I like to let our work together inform which approach suits our time best. I am knowledgeable about trauma-informed practice and bring a lot of my own life experiences into the sessions, through my work as a teacher, professional firefighter, and professionaI musician.

While we possess many innate tools to cope effectively with adversity, there are many factors that can serve as barriers to achieving and maintaining a healthy balance in life. Whether these barriers relate to internal processes or external circumstances, I believe that it is often beneficial for us to practice vocalizing our experience to others. Doing so can serve as a protective factor, helping us to cope more effectively with any radical internal monologues that may pop up from time to time.

I regard much of 'psychopathology' as well-intended (but ineffective) efforts to contend with pain and fear, and to pursue needs and wants. So, in psychotherapy, I invite my clients to explore, identify, and take guidance from their emotional experiences, honoring their depression, anxiety, and other symptoms while finding more effective ways of living well. I also provide psychological and neuropsychological assessments.