Barbara Parchment
Maybe you’re the person everyone counts on, the one who handles things, keeps going, and appears to have it all together. But underneath that, you may be anxious, emotionally exhausted, constantly overthinking, or struggling in relationships. You may find yourself people-pleasing, feeling guilty for saying no, putting everyone else’s needs before your own, or wondering why the same patterns keep showing up even when you know you want something different. I work with adults who want to understand where these patterns come from and begin changing them. Often, our work explores how family dynamics, childhood experiences, and past relationships have shaped the way you view yourself, manage emotions, set boundaries, and connect with others. This isn’t about blaming the past. It’s about understanding what you learned to do to cope or feel connected and deciding what still serves you today.
Motivational Interviewing plays a pivotal role in our sessions, fostering intrinsic motivation for change and supporting individuals in achieving their therapeutic goals.
For some clients, these patterns become even more noticeable after becoming a parent. Parenthood can bring up unexpected emotions about your own childhood, your relationship with your parents, and what you want to carry forward or intentionally do differently with your own family. I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C), and EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist. My approach is warm, collaborative, and genuine, with a focus on helping you understand yourself more deeply, heal from experiences you may still be carrying, and create healthier patterns in your relationship with yourself and others.
First session
The first session is really a chance for us to get to know each other. You don’t need to come prepared with the perfect explanation of what is wrong or know exactly where to begin. We’ll start with what brought you to therapy, what has been feeling difficult lately, and what you would like to be different. I’ll ask questions to better understand you, your experiences, and what is important to you, but there is no expectation that you share everything in the first meeting. We’ll begin identifying what you would like to work on and talk about how therapy can support those goals. My hope is that you leave the first session feeling heard and comfortable, with a clearer sense of what our work together could look like.
Strengths
One of my biggest strengths is creating a space where people can let their guard down. If you’re used to being the strong one, taking care of everyone else, or saying “I’m fine” even when you’re not, therapy shouldn’t become another place where you feel like you have to perform or have everything figured out. I’m warm and supportive, but I’m also engaged in the process with you. I ask questions, offer feedback, notice patterns, and help you make connections between what is happening in your life now and what may be underneath it. We might notice where guilt shows up when you set a boundary, why you feel responsible for other people’s emotions, or how an old relationship or family pattern continues to influence the choices you make today. I also believe therapy can be meaningful without feeling overly formal or clinical. There is room for honesty, humor, difficult conversations, reflection, and simply being human. I’ll meet you with compassion while also challenging you when needed, because the goal isn’t only to understand your patterns. It’s to help you begin changing the ones that are keeping you stuck.
Ideal clients
I work with adults who are ready to better understand themselves and make meaningful changes in their lives, with a particular focus on supporting women. You may be dealing with anxiety, overthinking, relationship stress, difficulty setting boundaries, or a tendency to put everyone else’s needs before your own. You might recognize patterns that keep repeating and wonder why they are so difficult to change. Many of my clients are managing work, relationships, family, and everyday responsibilities while realizing they want more than simply getting through the day. They want healthier relationships, stronger boundaries, greater confidence in themselves, and a better understanding of how earlier experiences may be influencing the way they respond to themselves and others today. You don’t need to have everything figured out before coming to therapy. What matters most is being open to looking at yourself with curiosity, making connections, and trying new ways of doing things.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
It’s easy to get caught in cycles of overthinking, assuming the worst, questioning yourself, or being much harder on yourself than you would ever be on someone else. I use CBT to help you slow those patterns down and better understand how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are connected. Together, we’ll identify the thoughts and beliefs that may be contributing to anxiety, self doubt, relationship stress, or difficulty setting boundaries. From there, we can work on developing more balanced ways of thinking and practical tools you can actually use outside of therapy.
EMDR
Sometimes you understand where a pattern comes from, but knowing it logically doesn’t necessarily change how it feels. Past experiences can continue to influence how we see ourselves, respond to stress, and show up in relationships long after those experiences are over. As an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist, I use EMDR to help clients process experiences that may still feel stuck or emotionally charged. This may include difficult childhood experiences, relationship wounds, painful memories, or negative beliefs about yourself that continue to affect you today. EMDR can help us work beyond simply talking about an experience so that the past has less influence over how you feel and respond in the present.
Motivational Interviewing
Change isn’t always as simple as knowing what you “should” do. Sometimes part of you is ready for something different while another part feels uncertain, afraid, or simply not ready. I use Motivational Interviewing to help you explore those mixed feelings without pressure or judgment. Together, we can look at what matters to you, what may be getting in the way, and what change could realistically look like in your life. The goal is not for me to tell you what to do, but to help you feel more confident making decisions that align with what you want for yourself.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
Knowing how you want to handle a situation and being able to do it when emotions are high can be two very different things. Anxiety, conflict, frustration, or fear of disappointing someone can make it difficult to respond the way you intended. I incorporate DBT skills to help you manage emotions, tolerate uncomfortable moments, communicate more effectively, and set healthier boundaries. We may work on mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and relationship skills that can help you feel more confident navigating everyday situations without becoming overwhelmed or losing sight of your own needs.
Location
Virtual sessions
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Licensed in
- FloridaLicense MH22127
- South CarolinaLicense TLC 2914 PC