Rated 5.0 stars out of 5, 28 ratings

Candice Cruse

LCSW, 11 years of experience

Frequently rebooked

Authentic
Solution oriented
Open-minded

Have you tried therapy before and walked away feeling misunderstood? Have you worried that you wouldn't be able to share everything about yourself in session, fearing judgement? When we don’t fit the norms around us, it’s pretty easy for anxiety and depression to wreak havoc on our mental health and self-esteem, making it more difficult to feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable. Having struggled with alienation myself, I’ve gravitated to helping people who experience this too. Although this can be something anyone goes through, I often find myself supporting people who are neurodiverse, LGBQTA+, ethically nonmonogamous, those with “alternative” faiths, and teens. In addition to supporting specific identities, I help people reduce their stress and anxiety, adjust to uncomfortable changes, climb out of depression, and build the confidence, insight, and judgment they need to improve themselves to impact their life. I pride myself on creating a safe, comfortable environment where you can express yourself freely, so we both learn more about who you are and what you need. Whether we work together or not, I'm really glad you're taking the time to consider therapy and care for yourself <3

Get to know me

In our first session together, here's what you can expect

Your intake will be focused on gathering data & forming a plan of how to reach (or find) your goals, but typical sessions with me tend to be 50 minutes and conversational, albeit with some guidance. If your paperwork is completed, sometimes we can even begin some work lol I tend to assign behavior and thought based homework fairly often, but occasionally I might ask you to do a worksheet. (Seriously, this is your therapy, if you aren't interested in that tell me lol)

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

I think my experience as a patient offers a level of peer support that can increase vulnerability and therapeutic rapport to improve our outcomes. This allows us to come together as equals in session; I bring theory, interventions, and skills and you bring your knowledge of your life and goals.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

My primary populations (who have seemed the most pleased with our work together) have been neurodivergent, ethically nonmonogamous, and/or queer people who are going through adjustments, relationship issues, or motivated to do trauma work.

Rated 5.0 stars out of 5, 28 ratings

1 rating with written reviews

May 26, 2025

I really like that she's able to challenge the way that anxiety has shaped my views without invalidating my experiences.

Verified client, age 25-34

Review shared after session 33 with Candice

About Candice Cruse

Address

1264 Merry St, Augusta, GA 30904

Appointments

Virtual & in-person

My treatment methods

Cognitive Processing (CPT)

This strategy is helpful for recognizing automatic unhelpful thoughts & learning to rewrite them over time. Once we change those, the emotions that follow these automatic thoughts also change ★ I utilize a variety of other modalities such as, Sensorimotor & Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, to improve overall insight as I believe it is necessary in order to not only rewrite our thoughts, but supply the necessary data to have sustainable, long term success★

Humanistic

(Technically Humanistic+Feminist Theory) I see this as creating a more equitable and balanced relationship, allowing me to give a much more collaborative and genuine experience for those I work with. Over the years, I've learned that therapeutic outcomes can improve when the client has a more even playing field; this can be presented through self-disclosure, reactions, or normalizing experiences. It's easier to be real & vulnerable when you can tell who you're working with will be too ☆

Psychoeducation

When we know why and how things work, we can choose to do it more or less often and, if it's a new concept, begin weaving that knowledge into our daily lives & choices. In my sessions, this can range from neuroscience to various models & theories to research driven data to improve your daily life★