LCSW, 18 years of experience
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist with over 18 years of experience in mental health and addiction counseling field. I am licensed in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Utah, and Maine. My career has included extensive work with Veterans, Active Duty personnel, and federal employees, providing trauma informed care to those navigating the unique challenges of high stakes, high responsibility environments. I specialize in supporting neurodivergent adults, LGBTQIA+ individuals, those living with chronic illnesses, and trauma survivors as they navigate addiction, burnout, anxiety, women’s issues, and major life transitions. My approach is nonjudgmental and trauma informed, meeting clients where they are with curiosity and compassion while creating a space for authentic growth and understanding. I practice a relational and integrative approach grounded in collaboration and clinical insight. I value appropriate self disclosure when it supports the therapeutic process and use my training and lived experience to help clients develop tools that genuinely serve them. My work draws from an eclectic foundation that includes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Solution Focused Therapy, Polyvagal Theory, and Somatic approaches. I also integrate alternative and mind body methods that expand healing beyond traditional talk therapy, supporting both emotional and physiological well-being. I practice from an intersectional perspective, recognizing that our identities—race, gender, sexuality, neurotype, ability, culture, and lived experience—intersect to shape how we move through the world and how the world responds to us. Healing requires honoring all of those parts. I believe neurodivergence is not something to be fixed, but understood, supported, and celebrated. Therapy is a space to learn your brain, not fight against it, to understand how it works, identify what it needs, and build systems of support that honor your authentic wiring.
Our first session is a space for you to exhale, slow down, and simply show up as you are. We will begin by talking about what brought you to therapy, what you would like to work on, and what you hope to gain from the process. I will ask questions to learn more about your history, current challenges, and strengths, not to judge or label, but to better understand your story and how your experiences have shaped you. This is also your time to ask questions and get a sense of how I work. My goal is for you to leave the first session feeling heard, understood, and a bit lighter, even if we are just beginning to untangle what brought you here. Together, we will start building a collaborative plan that fits your goals and capacity. I will share tools, coping strategies, or small grounding exercises when helpful, but we will move at your pace. Therapy with me is a partnership. We will balance insight with practical tools, honoring both your lived experience and the way your brain and body uniquely respond to the world. You do not have to come prepared or have the right words. Just bring yourself. From there, we will begin the work of creating clarity, healing, and forward movement, one step at a time.
One of my greatest strengths as a therapist is my ability to meet clients exactly where they are, without judgment or expectation. I offer a deeply compassionate, attuned presence and an eclectic, individualized approach that draws from Somatic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, and trauma-focused interventions to create a therapy experience that is as unique as you are. Clients often share that they feel deeply seen, safe, and understood in our work together. What makes my practice especially distinctive is the emphasis I place on transformation—helping people rise above life’s emotional undertows and reconnect with their inner strength and clarity, much like finding calm above the tides. My work is not only about healing pain, but about uncovering meaning, building resilience, and helping you return to a life that feels aligned with who you truly are. I take a neurodivergent affirming and trauma informed approach to ADHD, executive functioning challenges, and emotional regulation, grounded in both evidence based strategies and nervous system regulation. Drawing from Polyvagal Theory, I help clients understand how their brain and body respond to stress, overwhelm, and demand, and how to build sustainable systems that support safety, focus, and motivation. Together, we work to reduce shame, increase self awareness, and develop personalized routines and coping tools that honor your unique energy, needs, and values. Whether you are navigating ADHD, anxiety, OCD, autism, trauma, burnout, or life transitions, my goal is to help you reconnect with your strengths and create a life that feels both empowered and regulated.
My Ideal Clients I am best positioned to serve neurodivergent adults, individuals navigating women’s health concerns, Veterans, healthcare providers, high performers, LGBTQIA+ individuals, trauma survivors, first responders, and those in recovery or transition. Many of my clients carry the weight of complex trauma, burnout, or identity exploration and are seeking a space where they feel seen, safe, and understood. I work especially well with clients who value a nonjudgmental and affirming approach and who may have felt overlooked or misunderstood in more traditional therapy settings. My ideal clients are thoughtful, self-aware individuals who are ready to understand themselves more deeply and make meaningful change at their own pace. You may be navigating anxiety, ADHD, trauma, or life transitions and want a space where you can show up fully without needing to mask, explain, or perform. I specialize in ADHD and neurodivergent affirming care because I believe neurodivergence is not a disorder to be fixed but a natural variation of the human mind. As a neurodivergent clinician myself, I bring both professional expertise and lived experience to the work. I understand firsthand the challenges of navigating systems that were not built for our brains, as well as the strengths, creativity, and resilience that come with thinking differently. I offer a validating, nonpathologizing space where clients can be fully themselves and feel safe to unmask and grow. While traditional evidence based treatments have value, many were not designed with neurodivergent individuals in mind and can unintentionally reinforce shame or unrealistic expectations. That is why I take an integrative approach, blending structured methods with flexibility, compassion, and creativity. I draw from holistic practices, nervous system regulation, and the Living in Balance model to support the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. Therapy with me is not about fixing you; it is about building a life that works for your brain, not against it. I use a variety of treatment modalities and do not believe the best therapy comes from following a manual or rigid model. Healing requires flexibility, curiosity, and creativity—because we all need multiple tools, and what works for one person may not work for another. Therapy with me is a collaborative process where we discover what fits for you rather than fitting you into a box. Whether you are navigating executive functioning challenges, emotional overwhelm, relational stress, or a desire for more balance, therapy with me focuses on helping you realign with your values, your body, and your natural rhythm. My clients are seekers—people who know they are meant for more than just coping and are ready to rise above the tides of self doubt to rediscover their calm, strength, and clarity. My background includes extensive work in substance use treatment across various settings, including managing inpatient and outpatient facilities and programs. I take a pro-recovery approach that honors the connection between mind, body, and soul, helping you build a recovery path that feels meaningful and sustainable. For the past 10 years I have also worked closely with active duty service members, Department of Defense employees, and veterans, including survivors of military sexual trauma and those living with the long-term impact of deployment, operational stress, and reintegration on mood, relationships, and identity. Reaching out takes courage. Together, we will forge a new path on your healing journey, helping you build a life that feels more grounded, sustainable, and aligned with your values. Offering phone sessions after 7 PM and on weekends. Please email or message me about video availability.
Currently only offering appointments evening and weekends. I’ve used CBT/DBT/ACT extensively throughout my career to help clients identify and reframe unhelpful thought patterns that impact their emotions and behavior. I integrate CBT techniques to support clients in building insight into their cognitive distortions, develop healthier coping strategies, and move toward actionable change. It’s especially helpful for managing anxiety, depression, ADHD, and trauma-related symptoms.
ACT is a core part of my approach when working with clients navigating painful thoughts, chronic stress, or life transitions. I guide clients in developing psychological flexibility, identifying core values, and learning to accept internal experiences without judgment. I often pair ACT strategies with mindfulness and somatic work for deeper integration.
I incorporate DBT skills training—particularly emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness—into both individual and group sessions. DBT is especially useful when working with clients who experience intense emotions, trauma, or relational instability. I’ve found it effective with neurodivergent clients and those recovering from codependency or emotional dysregulation.
Mindfulness is woven throughout my practice, whether through grounding exercises, breathwork, or present-moment awareness strategies. I use mindfulness-based interventions to help clients manage anxiety, cultivate self-compassion, and reconnect with their bodies. Somatic therapy complements this approach by integrating body-based awareness and gentle movement, allowing clients to release stored tension and deepen the mind-body connection. These practices are particularly effective when paired with ACT or DBT for clients managing chronic stress, trauma, or burnout.
My work is grounded in an eclectic approach that draws from a wide range of evidence-based therapies to meet each client where they are. I integrate somatic practices and Polyvagal Theory to help clients regulate their nervous systems, reconnect with their bodies, and build a greater sense of safety and resilience. At the same time, I draw from trauma-focused, psychodynamic, and narrative therapies to explore both the immediate impact of trauma and the deeper patterns that shape relationships, emotions, and self-perception. This flexible and holistic style ensures that therapy moves at a pace that feels safe, collaborative, and uniquely tailored to each client’s healing journey.
1 rating with written reviews
June 17, 2025
First meeting with Meagan, instant connection. Able to meet me where I am and provide coping mechanisms off the gate to help start to meet some of my goals. Realistic and caring.