(she/her)
New to Grow
Hello, I’m Kim Paylor, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), school counselor, and clinical supervisor with a diverse background in mental health, education, case management, and student support services. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with children, teens, adults, veterans, families, and young adults across school, community, and clinical settings. My experience includes working as a school counselor, special education resource teacher, therapist in private practice and telehealth settings, and clinical case manager within the HUD-VASH program supporting veterans. Prior to entering the mental health field, I also spent many years working in customer service, payroll, human resources, and university settings, which has given me a strong understanding of life stressors, workplace challenges, relationships, parenting, and major life transitions. I bring warmth, compassion, authenticity, and real-world understanding into the counseling relationship. I specialize in anxiety, emotional wellness, trauma-informed care, self-esteem, stress management, and helping clients develop healthier coping skills, emotional resilience, and greater confidence in themselves and their lives. My strongest area of focus is supporting adolescents, teens, and adults between the ages of 11–45. My therapeutic style is highly person-centered, supportive, and collaborative. While I use evidence-based therapeutic approaches such as CBT, ACT, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and trauma-informed care, I strive to create a counseling experience that feels approachable, practical, empowering, and genuinely supportive rather than overly clinical or judgmental. I believe therapy works best when clients feel truly heard, valued, and comfortable being themselves. I often incorporate guidance, emotional support, skill-building, and strengths-based strategies to help clients not only process challenges, but also build confidence, self-awareness, resilience, and practical tools they can apply in everyday life. My goal is to create a safe, nonjudgmental environment where clients feel supported, empowered, and encouraged as they work toward healing, balance, and meaningful change.
During our first session, my goal is to create a comfortable, supportive, and nonjudgmental space where you can begin to feel at ease. I understand that starting therapy can feel overwhelming or even intimidating for some people, so I approach the first session in a warm, conversational, and collaborative way. We will spend time getting to know one another, discussing what brought you to therapy, exploring your current concerns, and talking about your goals, hopes, and expectations for the counseling process. I also focus heavily on building rapport and creating a strong therapeutic connection, as I believe trust and feeling genuinely heard are essential parts of meaningful progress in therapy. Together, we will begin identifying areas of focus and developing a treatment plan that feels supportive, realistic, and personalized to your individual needs. My approach is person-centered, compassionate, and designed to help clients feel safe, supported, and empowered from the very beginning.
One of my greatest strengths as a therapist is my ability to create a warm, authentic, and highly approachable counseling environment where clients feel comfortable being themselves. Clients often describe me as easy to talk to, supportive, relatable, and genuinely caring, which helps build trust and meaningful therapeutic connection early in the counseling process. While my approach feels conversational, supportive, and down-to-earth, it is also grounded in strong clinical knowledge, evidence-based practices, and years of professional experience across mental health, education, trauma-informed care, and emotional wellness. I strive to balance compassion with practical guidance, helping clients feel emotionally supported while also developing healthier coping skills, greater self-awareness, confidence, and lasting personal growth. I believe therapy is most effective when clients feel safe, understood, and empowered — not judged or overwhelmed by a highly clinical environment. My goal is to provide a space where clients can process challenges openly while feeling encouraged, supported, and capable of creating meaningful change in their lives.
I specialize in working with clients experiencing anxiety and anxiety-related challenges, including chronic stress, overthinking, panic symptoms, school or work stress, emotional overwhelm, self-doubt, and difficulty managing daily pressures. I have extensive experience helping teens, young adults, and women better understand how anxiety affects their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, relationships, and overall well-being. My approach focuses on helping clients develop practical coping skills, emotional regulation strategies, healthier thought patterns, and increased self-awareness so they can feel more confident, balanced, and in control of their lives. I integrate evidence-based approaches such as CBT, ACT, mindfulness, trauma-informed care, and strengths-based support to help clients reduce anxiety while building resilience and emotional wellness. I strive to create a calm, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment where clients feel safe exploring their challenges and empowered to make meaningful, lasting changes.
Trauma-Focused CBT
I use Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) to help teens and adults process difficult experiences in a safe and supportive way. This approach helps clients understand how trauma can affect thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships. In sessions, I combine coping skills, emotional regulation strategies, mindfulness, and gradual processing of difficult experiences at a pace that feels comfortable for the client. My goal is to help clients feel more empowered, emotionally safe, and confident in their daily lives and relationships
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients develop healthier relationships with their thoughts, emotions, and life experiences. Rather than trying to eliminate difficult feelings completely, ACT focuses on building emotional awareness, self-compassion, and practical coping strategies that allow clients to move forward in meaningful ways. In my work, I help clients identify personal values, increase mindfulness, and learn how to respond to stress, anxiety, trauma, and life challenges with greater flexibility and resilience. I often incorporate grounding techniques, emotional regulation skills, and values-based goal setting to help clients feel more empowered and connected to the life they want to create. My approach is warm, collaborative, and focused on helping clients build lasting emotional wellness while accepting themselves with compassion and grace.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients better understand the connection between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. CBT is a practical, goal-oriented approach that helps clients recognize unhelpful thinking patterns, develop healthier coping strategies, and build skills to navigate challenges more effectively. In my practice, I work collaboratively with clients to identify patterns that may contribute to anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, depression, trauma responses, emotional overwhelm, or relationship difficulties. Together, we explore ways to challenge negative thought patterns, strengthen emotional regulation, improve problem-solving skills, and create realistic, meaningful changes in daily life. My approach to CBT is supportive, compassionate, and individualized. I strive to create a safe and encouraging environment where clients feel empowered to grow, build resilience, and develop tools they can confidently use outside of therapy sessions
Faith based therapy
I offer faith-based therapy for clients who would like to incorporate their spiritual beliefs and values into the counseling process. I believe faith can be an important source of strength, hope, healing, and resilience during difficult seasons of life. In sessions, I provide a supportive and nonjudgmental space where clients can explore emotional challenges while integrating prayer, scripture, spiritual reflection, or Christian principles if desired by the client. My approach is compassionate, respectful and based in the christian belief system. Faith-based therapy may be helpful for clients navigating anxiety, stress, grief, relationship challenges, life transitions, trauma, self-worth concerns, or spiritual struggles. My goal is to support clients in strengthening both emotional wellness and spiritual growth while helping them move toward healing, balance, and purpose.
Motivational Interviewing
I use Motivational Interviewing to help clients explore their goals, strengthen motivation for change, and build confidence in their ability to move forward. This approach is especially helpful for clients who may feel stuck, uncertain, overwhelmed, or conflicted about making changes in their lives. In my practice, I create a supportive and nonjudgmental environment where clients feel heard, respected, and empowered to make decisions that align with their values and personal goals. Rather than directing or pressuring clients, I work collaboratively with them to explore challenges, identify strengths, and develop practical steps toward positive change. Motivational Interviewing can be helpful for concerns related to anxiety, depression, behavioral challenges, self-esteem, life transitions, relationship concerns, stress management, and personal growth. My goal is to help clients build self-awareness, increase confidence, and feel more capable of creating meaningful and lasting change.