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4 therapists available in Birmingham
As someone whose life was changed by a therapist during my teenage years and who proudly identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ comm...
About
As someone whose life was changed by a therapist during my teenage years and who proudly identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am committed to offering others the same life-affirming support and understanding.
I am a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) with 11 years of experience in the mental health field. I specialize in helping adolescents and adults navigate depression, anxiety, trauma, and life transitions. My passion for this work began after a therapist supported me during a difficult time in my teenage years, and I have dedicated my career to offering that same hope and healing to others.
I earned my Master of Social Work from Alabama A&M University. My approach includes cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, motivational interviewing, and person-centered therapy. I am trained in EMDR and use it to help clients process trauma and other distressing experiences.
I work best with clients who are open to growth and ready to explore change in a supportive space. Whether you are seeking relief, clarity, or transformation, I will meet you where you are and help you build the tools needed to improve your overall well-being.
Education and training
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I believe healing begins when you feel genuinely understood, and I bring authenticity, compassion, and a grounded therapeutic pres...
I believe healing begins when you feel genuinely understood, and I bring authenticity, compassion, and a grounded therapeutic presence to help you grow at your own pace.
I am a licensed professional counselor (LPC) with 5 years of experience in the mental health field. I specialize in helping individuals navigate emotional regulation, grief, relationship challenges, life transitions, and long-standing patterns that feel difficult to change. I often work with clients experiencing anxiety, anger, low self-esteem, and feelings of being misunderstood in their relationships or family systems.
I earned my master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from the University of West Alabama. I utilize cognitive behavioral therapy, rational emotive behavior therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, and strength-based therapy to help clients gain insight, manage emotions, and build healthier coping patterns.
I understand that reaching out for support takes courage, and you deserve a space where you feel heard, respected, and empowered. My approach is warm, direct, and collaborative, offering practical tools and steady support as you work toward clarity, confidence, and meaningful, lasting change at a pace that feels right for you.
I am an honest and caring counselor and want to create a safe and real place for clients to explore, discover, try, fail, change, ...
I am an honest and caring counselor and want to create a safe and real place for clients to explore, discover, try, fail, change, and heal.
Michelle Essary is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 15 years of experience specializing in how the body, brain, and mind all work together. She takes whole-person approach to therapy and works with individuals ages 14 and over, couples, and groups. She specializes in relationship issues, cross-cultural transition, life transition, anxiety, grief, and depression. She also works with those dealing with ADHD, PTSD, peak performance, or navigating neurodivergence.
Michelle has a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Denver Seminary. She is certified in neurofeedback and uses several therapeutic modalities to assist her clients, such as existential therapy, family systems, and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Michelle is eager to work with those who believe they are ready for change and wants to join with clients to identify what is not working, the source of their discomfort, and help set them up for and walk with them into successful healing, change, and overall health.
Being able to provide support and validation to the LGBTQIA+ community through their many challenges and obstacles has been extrem...
Being able to provide support and validation to the LGBTQIA+ community through their many challenges and obstacles has been extremely rewarding for me and has reinforced my drive to be an affirming therapist.
Savannah Donahoe is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with a background focused on trauma, crisis response, LGBTQIA+ issues, gender-affirming care, PTSD, depression and anxiety, self-esteem, gender identity-related issues, sexual identity,-related issues, grief, and loss. Savannah is passionate about providing support to folks of all ages through the unique challenges that they face. She values the importance of diversity, self-identity, and multicultural competency.
Savannah completed her Master's degree in Counseling at the University of Montevallo. She has experience in trauma and crisis response, as well as gender-affirming care. Savannah utilizes multiple treatment approaches including mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), solution-focused therapy (SFT), person-centered therapy (PCT), and gender-affirming therapy.
Savannah is confident that she would be able to support you through the different challenges you may be facing. Seeking counseling can be a very difficult step, but if you feel ready, schedule an appointment with Savannah to start working towards a better quality of life.
You deserve dedicated time with a mental health professional — it can be life-changing.
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We will contact you with availability updates based on the preferences you provided for up to six months.
Our go-to approach for helping people with online therapy is to establish rapport and identify needs to develop a treatment plan with the client. This will benefit the client in learning about the process and feel comfortable there.
We want focus on developing coping skills that utilizes the individuals strengths that are identified in treatment.
I know a client is making meaningful progress in with their trauma when they have met the goals and report a reduction in symptoms.
Clients can supplement their time by complete assignments, practice skills reviewed, and take notes about changes in their trauma prior to the follow up session.
Clients can prepare for their first session, by being open about what their experiences without the fear of being judged.
At Thriveworks, Trauma/PTSD therapy involves dedicated efforts to address and navigate through past and/or recent traumatic events. Therapists specializing in trauma create a secure environment to process and heal from these experiences, aiming to reduce trauma-related symptoms and enhance overall quality of life.
Our Thriveworks providers use Trauma/PTSD therapy treatments like eye movement desensitization and reprocessing EMDR, CBT, and exposure therapy with the goal of helping clients process the traumatic events they have experienced so that they can to start feeling safe and secure again.
The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can vary but often include:
The best way to overcome PTSD triggers is to seek the assistance of a professional therapist, such as those at Thriveworks, who can help you to understand and treat your PTSD triggers.
In most cases, a therapist who specializes in Trauma/PTSD therapy is the best type of mental health professional to address the symptoms of PTSD.
PTSD/trauma therapy at Thriveworks is conducted both in person and online by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
If a client is working through a single traumatic event that occurred as an adult, trauma or PTSD therapy may only take a few months, but in general, it can take a year or more to effectively treat trauma symptoms and PTSD. The duration of treatment is highly dependent on the client and the severity of their symptoms.
The success rate of therapy for PTSD depends entirely on the individual’s symptoms, commitment to attending sessions, and personal abilities.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
Thriveworks Counseling & Therapy Birmingham is located at 400 Office Park Dr Suite 308, Birmingham, AL 35233, off of US Hwy 280.
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