Career Counseling Therapists in Nashville, TN

If you are struggling with anxiety and depression, I am offering intensive therapy. It is seven sessions dedicated to your growth and change. Please note that this therapy is for persons who are serious in making a positive change in their mental health. This approach is not a quick fix, it is intensive and requires commitment to change.

My hope is that our work together can reignite those things that bring you the most joy and life. Often this process involves working through the impact of loss, pain, or trauma in a safe and supportive therapeutic relationship. I work extensively with artists, musicians, womxn and queer folx, and much of my experience centers around religious trauma and spiritual wounding. My work is informed by humanistic and existential perspectives of psychotherapy, and I often incorporate the use of mindfulness techniques. I am also trained in a number of evidence-based clinical treatments including IFS, ACT, and EMDR.

Sometimes when we feel stuck, we know something needs to change, but we just don't know where to begin. As a therapist, I help clients know what changes they can make. I love seeing my clients begin to experience the life they desire. By utilizing the strengths clients possess and enacting strategic changes, the stage is set for clients to reach their goals.

(COVID-19 NOTICE: Online Sessions Now Offered) It takes a lot of courage to enter into psychotherapy. If you are looking at this website, you may be suffering anxiety, emotional or relational pain, and wondering where to get relief. Choosing a therapist can be overwhelming. I work with couples and individual clients, many who have suffered anxiety and depression, grief, trauma, addiction, painful relationships, and eating disorders. Because of life experience as well as extensive training, I can offer practical tools that can help relieve you now as well as long after you leave my office. I am glad to answer any of your questions

As a therapist, I strive to create an environment for my clients that fosters acceptance and connection in a way that best supports their healing and their journey. It is one of the greatest honors of my life to walk beside my clients through sorrow, anxiety, joy – all the experiences inherent in being human. I seek to aid clients in recognizing their own strengths as well as assist them in developing new coping skills to meet life’s challenges. As a therapist, I aim to greet every client, every session with non-judgment, radical acceptance, and a genuine interest in their wellbeing.

“How can I make things better?” Whether you’re managing mental health issues like anxiety or depression or existing in a dissatisfying relationship, you’ve probably asked yourself many versions of this question. If you’re willing to work hard and are open to making changes, know that you have every reason to believe you can enjoy a healthier and happier life. Our purpose is to help our clients know what changes they may need to make in order to reach their goals. We are eager to serve and look forward to working with you.

*Telehealth Only* Are you struggling to manage your anxieties about your relationships or the future? Do you feel stuck replaying situations over and over again in your head, which leads you to question yourself or feel like you're "going crazy"? Do you wish you could gain clarity, motivation, and direction? I understand how frustrating and exhausting it can be to feel overwhelmed, confused, and searching for answers. Although it might be difficult to see right now, there is a way to create a meaningful life, where you feel confident, sure of your decisions, and proud of who you are. You just have to take the first step!

Many times life throws us unexpected curve balls, and if we can catch them, we find that with a little help we come out much stronger, wiser, and ready to embrace life for a better future. I want to help you do that very thing. I have been a therapist for 30 years and I enjoy helping people find new dreams out what they believe to be lost possibilities. I have also raised four wonderful children and am personally familiar with life's seeming messiness that can evolve in ways we could not have predicted.

If you struggle with overwhelming emotions, I can teach you skills in a supportive, engaging environment. You can join my Online DBT skills training groups from anywhere in the world. I also offer Individual DBT therapy for people in Tennessee, including Skills Coaching by phone, Individual Therapy and group. Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a highly effective, well researched therapy. The work demands a lot from Therapist and client. And it is worth it! Most clients report that my sense of humor and authenticity is one of the reasons they like working with me. I really value the use of "irreverence" in DBT.

If you are interested in working the deeper levels of personal growth, I specialize in Jungian dream therapy as well as teach Kundalini Yoga. Dreams are a reliable picture into the inner dynamics of the psyche whereas Kundalini Yoga focuses on changing the energetic patterns underlying emotional and mental states. This two tiered approach is highly effective for treating many forms of emotional imbalances, including trauma recovery, depression, relationship stress, anxiety, and reconnecting with authenticity and purpose.

It is my honor to work with clients on paths of exploration, personal growth, and healing. Because of the pain that often brings us to therapy, I believe that safety, unconditional positive regard, and authenticity are of the utmost importance in the therapeutic relationship. My theoretical orientation in counseling is primarily psychodynamic and interpersonal within a humanistic framework. I believe that past experiences inform current understanding, and exploring such issues can be healing. Change can also be related to a new understanding of relational patterns and a new experience of relationship with the therapist and others.

Are you looking for support and guidance on your journey? You don’t have to do it alone. Showing your true colors can feel vulnerable, so it is my intention to hold space in which you can feel safe to be yourself without judgement. My practice is defined by a genuine desire to help you feel comfortable in your own skin. Therapy can act as an anchor, providing the stability and support to explore your identity safely. I will be there every step of the way to support you in forging new paths and helping you discover and build the life you have always imagined.

I was raised in the diverse melting pot of NYC as a first-generation Chinese American, born to parents who emigrated from Hong Kong. After college, I moved to Nashville, where I had the wonderful privilege of traveling the world as a musician. These experiences afforded me the unique opportunity to hear thousands of people’s stories—from depression, suicide, grief, and addiction to hope found amidst it all. Through these stories, as well as my own, I came to realize the powerful gift of therapy and the difference that occurs when one comes to understand their intrinsic worth and their capacity to be seen, heard, known, and loved.

My work as a therapist is based on a conviction that our choices and relationship patterns are fueled by our need to experience wholeness and heal the brokenness of our past. This concept lies at the core of attachment theory and is a powerful tool for helping us understand why we struggle with others and with our own internal critic. In my therapeutic work, I leverage aspects of Imago, Solution-focused, and Internal Family theories to help clients progress towards deeper and more meaningful connections with themselves and others.

Are you struggling to find joy in the present moment? Do you notice over-reactivity in certain circumstances that feels impossible to control? Are you aware of your strengths but at times having trouble believing in them? I work with both couples and individuals to help them find relief from anxiety, depression, low self-worth and relationship conflict or disconnect. With compassion and care, I will help draw our your strengths, help you better understand your value, and connect more deeply with others. If you have a longing for change but don't know how to get there, I would love to help. You don't have to do this all on your own.

Do you currently struggle with a painful or even traumatic past? I believe in active acceptance as the most effective path towards change. Through a focus on values, clients learn to accept a difficult past towards a vital life in the present. To their credit, most clients have already tried to "get rid of" difficulties before therapy. They typically make the decision when realizing that their well-worn coping tools don't work and they're overwhelmed. Ideal clients are ready to actively engage in a collaborative process challenging them to let go of control/avoidance strategies towards a committed life in the present.

I understand how life can become hectic and you need someone to help slow things down in order to create balance. Creating an understanding and resolving acuities is what I am here to help my clients with. I always meet my clients where they are and we will work from there.

The world we live in is full of opportunities to disconnect, avoid emotions, and escape reality. I believe that healing is often found through connection to people around us, connection to nature, and the ability to sit with both comfortable and uncomfortable emotions. In therapy, I work to create an authentic, non- judgmental, welcoming, and trustworthy environment through which healing and growth may occur. I believe that the therapeutic relationship is crucial to the success of counseling, and place great importance on it.

Mike is a seasoned board certified Licensed Professional Counselor with over 15 years of experience helping people reach their highest potential. He works with individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma, grief/loss, loneliness, disconnection, negative emotions & behavior patterns, work-related stress, and dysfunctional relationship patterns.