LPC, 9 years of experience
New to Grow
Hello, my name is Tonia Morris, and I am a dedicated mental health therapist who is passionate about helping children, adolescents, and families navigate emotional, behavioral, and relational challenges. I provide a supportive, nonjudgmental space where clients can explore their thoughts and emotions, gain insight, and develop healthy coping skills. I primarily work with individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, ADHD, and family conflict. My goal is to empower clients to build resilience, improve communication, and achieve emotional balance. Through evidence-based approaches like CBT, Person-Centered, and Family Systems Therapy, I’ve helped clients gain confidence, strengthen family connections, and experience measurable improvements in their daily lives and relationships.
In your first session with me, you can expect a calm, supportive space where we focus on getting to know you and your goals for therapy. We’ll talk about what brings you in, what’s been most challenging lately, and what you hope to change or understand better. I’ll also ask some background questions to help me understand your experiences and strengths. Together, we’ll begin to outline a plan for your care, setting realistic goals that feel meaningful and achievable to you. You don’t need to prepare anything — just come as you are. My goal for the first session is to make you feel comfortable, heard, and hopeful about the work we’ll do together.
What stands out about my therapeutic approach is the balance I create between empathy and practical skill-building. I focus on meeting clients exactly where they are while gently guiding them toward meaningful growth. My approach blends evidence-based methods like CBT with a Person-Centered foundation that emphasizes trust, respect, and empowerment. I believe healing begins when clients feel genuinely understood and supported — so I work to create a space that feels safe, nonjudgmental, and collaborative. Clients often tell me they appreciate my ability to help them feel heard while also giving them tools they can use right away to improve their daily lives.
I am best positioned to serve individuals and families who are ready to make positive changes in their emotional and relational lives. Many of my clients come to therapy feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, grief, or family conflict. They are often seeking not only relief from symptoms but also a deeper understanding of themselves and their relationships. I work well with clients who are open to self-exploration, eager to build coping skills, and motivated to create lasting change. Whether you’re navigating personal growth, rebuilding confidence, or improving communication within your family, I provide a supportive and empowering space to help you move forward.
In my sessions, I often begin by collaboratively identifying specific problems or triggers that affect the client’s emotional and behavioral functioning. I then use techniques such as cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, and thought journaling to help clients challenge cognitive distortions and replace them with more balanced and realistic perspectives. I also incorporate psychoeducation, self-monitoring worksheets, and skills training to strengthen the client’s self-awareness and self-efficacy.
In practice, I use Person-Centered techniques to establish a strong therapeutic alliance and to empower clients as the experts of their own lives. I focus on being fully present and attuned to the client’s emotional experience, using reflective listening, validation, and open-ended dialogue to foster trust and self-exploration. My goal is to help clients connect with their inner resources and make choices that align with their authentic selves, rather than imposing interpretations or solutions.
I have experience utilizing Family Therapy as a core component of my clinical work, particularly when addressing relational conflict, communication issues, and behavioral or emotional challenges within the family system. My approach is grounded in the belief that individual symptoms often arise and are maintained within a family context, and therefore meaningful change requires examining and improving family dynamics, roles, and patterns of interaction.