I am licensed in both Tennessee and Alabama as a professional counselor (LPC/MHSP ) and have a sincere passion for working with individuals impacted by ADHD, addiction, depression, anxiety, adjustments to major life changes/events, relationship issues, codependency, family of origin trauma, and other complex trauma. My mission is to help you be the best you can be and find self-empowerment in your therapy journey. Through mindful processing and awareness building, I will help you build a foundation for healing as we carefully identify the not-so-great parts of your life and then align them with curated and evidence-based real life skills and solutions to problematic behaviors, thoughts/feelings, and experiences.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
Our first session will include an evaluation and assessment of your needs and usually lasts an hour (60 minutes). I prefer using a casual-conversational style to gather information about you and your background, and problem areas that have brought you to therapy. If we agree to begin therapy, I will usually schedule one 60 minute session per week with you at a time we agree on and we will work in collaboration to develop and follow a tailored treatment plan to meet your specific goals. At anytime in your therapy process I encourage you to ask any questions, share any concerns, or provide additional information for me as you remember things or they come up in sessions. I am happy to use the Grow message board to communicate in between scheduled therapy sessions as needed.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
Over the course of my professional career - I have grown most in my ability to authentically connect and deeply empathize with my clients. I also value sincere validation for my clients' thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Because I cherish human connections so deeply - I make sure to be relatable, easy to talk to, and offer you my authentic self in a professional/therapeutic space. I don't sugar-coat things but balance being assertive and confrontational while also maintaining the utmost respect and compassion for you. I purposely and intentionally strive to create a non-judgmental, safe space for my clients to find self-empowerment, a new sense of energy, and solutions to life's many stressors.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I really enjoy working with people from all walks of life & backgrounds. I sincerely thrive in diversity! My primary specialty is working with individuals (19-65) struggling with relationships, codependency, complex-trauma, depression, anxiety, ADHD/OCD, and general life adjustment issues - but - there are *very few* areas of treatment I have not worked in. I also pride myself on being a safe space for LGBTQ+ folx as both an ally and a member of the queer community. I am a non-religious/secular clinician with spiritual values but I will never impose any of my personal beliefs or values on my clients. We can explore your Spirituality if you explicitly let me know you want to do that kind of work in YOUR therapy. My goal is to serve You and provide you the best quality therapy because you deserve to feel safe, heard, seen, and understood. If I don't seem like the right person to help you, I am more than happy to help you with a referral to another clinician. I know my limitations and boundaries and I will always help you to understand yours too.
About Selle Terrell
Specializes in
Serves ages
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Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Mind-body approach
When The Mind and The Body disconnect or detach from one another, we feel "out of sorts" and more prone to nervous system dysfunction (aka emotionally overwhelmed)! This is also a sign that our Fight-Flight-Freeze system is working overtime and pumping way too much stress into our bodies 'to react' to everything. When we are overly or chronically stressed, basic functions such as emotion regulation decreases so that our more primitive Survival instincts can take the driver's seat. An unpleasant outcome of this often shows up as generalized anxiety (rampant worries, racing thoughts, rapid heartbeat, brain fog, mental agitation) or panic attacks, chronic irritability, depression, and/or misdirected anger/frustration. Using an approach in talk therapy that encompasses redirecting the human mind to communicating effectively with our body helps us learn how to nurture and stabilize our inner self, which makes it much easier to address everything else outside of our physical being. WHEN the body is calm it sends messages to the brain that we are SAFE and we are so much better able to manage conflict and chaos in our external environment when that sense of safety is intact. With this approach we are reconnecting the mind and body where trauma, stress, and other strong emotional experiences have probably created a wall to help us maintain our survival-based behaviors and thought patterns. Now stop what you're doing for 5 seconds and take a big deep breath...and exhale...
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
My goal with this method of therapy is to place an emphasis on real-life, usable skills that address patterns of behavioral dysfunction (aka unhealthy or negative coping mechanisms) and cognitive distortions (which is a fancy way of labeling 'unhealthy thinking patterns'). I teach the thoughts-feelings-behaviors cycle to my clients so we understand the connections between internal and external triggers and how those patterns negatively affect our everyday functioning. Behavioral therapy has so much educational value and the skills are often integral in modifying our way of dealing with difficult emotions, thoughts, and behaviors - once we learn these skills, we will easily practice them in our day to day life.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I heavily utilize this therapy model when I need to hone in on specific skills to help you with emotion regulation and interpersonal communication. DBT also encompasses valuable mindfulness skills as well as distress tolerance skills (aka coping skills!) I really love this skill-based therapy approach when I am working with those who struggle with suicidal ideation, self-harm behaviors, quality of life deficits, and have difficulty with communication in relationships.
Trauma Informed Care
I am a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP). In every approach I use with my clients I pride myself in always being the utmost sensitive to the space that traumatic stress takes up in the psyche, the body, and the human spirit. The strong emotions and mood fluctuations that come with stress, anxiety, and trauma can be debilitating when they take control of us. I am also trained in Trauma-Focused CBT and well versed in somatic healing practices that address trauma from a physiological and body-awareness perspective - meaning we explore more of how The Body holds onto Stress and is malfunctioning due to an overload of overwhelming emotions and survival-based behaviors.