I’m Carrie Allen, MS, LPC, NCC, a Licensed Professional Counselor providing trauma-informed, ethically grounded psychotherapy. I offer virtual therapy to clients located in Alabama, Missouri, Texas, and Florida. My clinical work is grounded in evidence-based, trauma-informed care and guided by the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics, with an emphasis on cultural humility, client autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. I work with individuals from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences and am committed to fostering a therapeutic environment that prioritizes safety, dignity, and respect. I approach therapy with cultural humility and curiosity, recognizing that personal history, identity, environment, and broader social contexts can influence mental health, stress, and a sense of safety in daily life. Many clients seek support while navigating anxiety, trauma, chronic stress, burnout, identity-related concerns, or major life transitions. My role is not to direct clients toward particular beliefs or identities, but to collaborate in a way that honors each client’s values, boundaries, and goals. I view clients as the experts on their own experiences and aim to support increased insight, emotional regulation, and psychological flexibility. Whether you are seeking support for healing, growth, or stabilization, my goal is to provide therapy that is collaborative, respectful, and tailored to your individual needs.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
Your first session is designed to be a supportive, transparent, and collaborative introduction to therapy. There is no expectation that you arrive knowing exactly what to say or how to begin. We will move at a pace that prioritizes clarity, consent, and psychological safety. At the start of our work together, I typically review informed consent, confidentiality, and the structure of therapy. I take time to explain these topics clearly and welcome questions at any point. My goal is for you to understand your rights, the limits of confidentiality, and what therapy with me does—and does not—include. This process is not rushed, and these discussions are treated as an important part of care. I may offer to review your completed intake assessments with you. Some clients find this helpful for organizing thoughts or identifying patterns, while others prefer to focus elsewhere initially. You are always welcome to decide what feels most useful. If you would rather spend the session discussing current stressors, lived experiences, or what brought you to therapy, we can do that instead. The first few sessions often focus on understanding your primary concerns, exploring your experiences, and beginning to build rapport. I view the therapeutic relationship as a meaningful part of the work and approach early sessions with curiosity and collaboration rather than assumptions or pressure. You are encouraged to ask questions, share feedback, set boundaries, or pause the conversation as needed. Therapy is a collaborative process, and your input helps guide the direction and pace of our work together. By the end of the session, we will discuss next steps collaboratively, whether that involves continuing with a similar focus, adjusting our approach, or allowing space to reflect on how the experience felt.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
What often stands out to clients is the depth of trauma-informed clinical training paired with a relational and transparent therapeutic style. I am a highly trained, trauma-informed clinician who approaches therapy with presence, empathy, and accountability. I believe ethical practice includes ongoing self-reflection, consultation, and professional development, which support attuned and responsible care. I understand trauma as a complex and layered experience that can affect nervous system regulation, relationships, identity, and one’s sense of safety in the world. My approach honors these layers without reducing clients to diagnoses or symptoms. I work collaboratively to understand how past experiences continue to shape present patterns, responses, and beliefs, while supporting clients in developing increased agency and self-trust. My clinical approach integrates evidence-based modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), attachment-informed techniques, somatic awareness, mindfulness-based interventions, reflective practice, compassion-focused interventions, and trauma-focused strategies. I explain therapeutic methods clearly, invite questions, and adjust pacing based on each client’s capacity, readiness, and consent. Therapy is not about “fixing” clients, but about understanding, integration, and meaningful change. I practice from a relational and person-centered framework and strive to be engaged, responsive, and grounded within appropriate professional boundaries. I value transparency, collaboration, and repair, and I approach therapy as a shared process shaped by ongoing feedback and mutual understanding. I work with clients from a wide range of identities, belief systems, and lived experiences. I am a non-Christian practitioner and do not integrate spiritual frameworks into therapy unless requested by the client. The therapeutic space is client-centered and guided by each individual’s goals, values, and preferences. Topics related to identity, spirituality, or broader life context are always welcome when relevant to the client’s experience and treatment goals. Above all, I bring to therapy a balance of clinical training, ethical responsibility, and genuine human presence. Clients often describe feeling understood, supported, and more grounded, with increased clarity and self-compassion as they navigate life’s challenges.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I am best positioned to serve individuals seeking a therapy space that is intentionally safe, affirming, and protective—particularly those who have experienced chronic stress, identity-related distress, or reduced access to safe care due to cultural, religious, or systemic factors. I am committed to working with clients whose identities, beliefs, or lived experiences have contributed to feeling unsafe, scrutinized, or invalidated in their communities. Many clients I work with are navigating the psychological impact of long-term marginalization, chronic vigilance, or pressure to conform to dominant expectations in order to stay safe or accepted. This includes, but is not limited to, women; transgender and gender-diverse individuals; LGBTQ+ clients; People of Color; individuals from non-Christian spiritual or religious backgrounds; and others who feel unseen, unsupported, or unprotected in their environments. I work well with clients who have learned to mask, self-silence, or remain hypervigilant as survival strategies. Many arrive feeling exhausted, disconnected, or overwhelmed—not because something is “wrong” with them, but because of the cumulative impact of stress, invalidation, or repeated exposure to unsafe or unsupportive systems. I am particularly well suited for individuals who want therapy that acknowledges how culture, religion, and broader social systems can influence mental health, identity development, and a sense of safety—without minimizing or pathologizing these experiences. Clients do not need to justify their fear, anger, or need for safety in this space. Clients who tend to do well in my practice are those seeking a therapeutic relationship where they can show up more fully, reduce masking, and build greater self-trust and agency. My goal is to support you in developing internal and external safety, clarity, and resilience in a way that aligns with your values and lived reality.
Trauma-Focused CBT
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is one of the core, evidence-based frameworks informing my trauma work. I am formally trained in TF-CBT and integrate its principles thoughtfully and flexibly, rather than applying it as a rigid, step-by-step protocol. At its foundation, TF-CBT recognizes how trauma impacts thoughts, emotions, behaviors, relationships, and the nervous system. In my work, TF-CBT is used to help clients make sense of their trauma responses, reduce distress, and regain a sense of safety, agency, and self-trust. I am especially attentive to how trauma shapes core beliefs such as shame, self-blame, worthlessness, or the belief that danger is always imminent. My approach emphasizes choice, pacing, and collaboration. While TF-CBT includes structured components—such as psychoeducation, coping skills, cognitive processing, and trauma narration—these elements are never forced or rushed. We move at a pace that aligns with your capacity and readiness. For some clients, early work focuses heavily on stabilization, emotional regulation, and building internal resources before any trauma processing occurs. For others, meaning-making and cognitive work may begin sooner. You are always informed about what we are doing and why. I also integrate TF-CBT with a broader trauma-informed lens that accounts for complex trauma, chronic stress, systemic oppression, and ongoing safety concerns. Trauma does not exist in isolation, and I acknowledge how cultural, political, familial, and relational contexts influence both trauma exposure and healing. I am careful not to frame trauma responses as deficits or pathology, but as adaptive survival strategies that once made sense. Throughout TF-CBT work, I prioritize transparency, consent, and emotional safety. Clients are encouraged to ask questions, give feedback, and pause or redirect the work as needed. The goal is not to erase memories or force resilience, but to reduce trauma’s power over the present and support clients in reclaiming their lives with greater stability, compassion, and agency.
Attachment-based
Attachment-based therapy is a central lens through which I understand relationships, emotional regulation, and healing. My approach is informed by attachment theory and trauma-informed practice, recognizing that early relational experiences shape how we connect, protect ourselves, and make sense of safety in the world. In my work, attachment patterns are explored with curiosity and compassion rather than labels or judgment. Responses such as avoidance, hyper-independence, anxiety, emotional shutdown, or people-pleasing are understood as adaptive strategies developed in response to past relational experiences. The goal is not to pathologize these patterns, but to understand how they formed and whether they are still serving you. Attachment-based work in my practice emphasizes the therapeutic relationship itself as a meaningful part of healing. I strive to create a consistent, attuned, and responsive space where trust can develop over time. Ruptures—moments of misunderstanding, misattunement, or discomfort—are addressed openly and thoughtfully, with an emphasis on repair rather than avoidance. This process can be especially powerful for clients who have experienced relational trauma, neglect, or chronic invalidation. I integrate attachment-based principles with other evidence-based approaches, including trauma-focused, cognitive, and skills-based interventions, adapting the work to each client’s developmental history, cultural context, identity, and current relationships. Pacing, consent, and emotional safety remain central throughout the process. Clients often find that attachment-based work supports deeper self-understanding, improved emotional regulation, clearer boundaries, and more satisfying relationships—with others and with themselves. Progress is measured not by changing who you are, but by increasing your capacity for connection, safety, and self-trust.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
How I Use CBT in a Multicultural- and Developmentally Responsive Way I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in a way that is culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate, and adaptable to a wide range of mental health concerns. Rather than assuming that thoughts or behaviors exist in isolation, I help clients explore how beliefs, coping strategies, and emotional responses have been shaped by culture, family systems, identity, environment, and lived experience. Cultural and Multicultural Responsiveness When working with clients from diverse cultural, racial, religious, spiritual, and identity backgrounds, I approach CBT with cultural humility rather than assumption. I collaborate with clients to understand how cultural values, community norms, systemic stressors, and intergenerational experiences influence thinking patterns, emotional expression, and coping strategies. CBT interventions are adapted to honor these contexts, ensuring that cognitive work does not invalidate lived realities or reinforce harmful narratives. Clients are never asked to “reframe away” experiences of discrimination, trauma, or inequity. Developmental Responsiveness Across the Lifespan CBT strategies are tailored to developmental stage and life context: Young adults often use CBT to explore identity development, self-concept, boundaries, academic or career stress, and the impact of early relational or attachment experiences. Adults and middle-aged clients may focus on long-standing patterns related to relationships, parenting, work stress, chronic illness, or cumulative trauma. Older adults may use CBT to navigate life transitions, grief, health changes, shifting roles, and meaning-making, with attention to values, resilience, and accumulated life experience. In each stage, CBT is adjusted to match cognitive flexibility, emotional capacity, and current life demands. Working With Complex and Co-Occurring Concerns For clients with complex presentations—such as trauma histories, chronic anxiety, depression, neurodivergence, somatic symptoms, or medical conditions—CBT is used flexibly and in combination with other trauma-informed approaches. I integrate somatic awareness and mindfulness to support nervous system regulation and ensure that cognitive interventions do not overwhelm or bypass emotional and physiological needs. Collaborative and Compassion-Focused Application CBT in my practice is collaborative and consent-based. I work with clients to examine thoughts and behaviors with curiosity rather than judgment, recognizing that many patterns developed as adaptive responses to past experiences. Interventions focus on increasing awareness, choice, and self-compassion rather than forcing change or promoting rigid “positive thinking.” Across all ages and identities, my use of CBT emphasizes respect, collaboration, and alignment with each client’s values and lived reality. The goal is to support clients in developing greater clarity, flexibility, and agency while honoring the full context of who they are and what they have experienced.
Trauma Informed Care
Trauma-informed care is the foundation of my clinical work and informs every aspect of how I practice. Rather than viewing trauma as a single event, I understand it as a lived experience that can be acute, chronic, developmental, systemic, or relational—and that shapes the nervous system, identity, and sense of safety over time. My approach prioritizes emotional, psychological, and relational safety. Therapy is collaborative, transparent, and paced intentionally. Clients are never pressured to disclose or process traumatic experiences before they are ready. Instead, we first focus on stabilization, regulation, and building internal and external resources to support resilience and choice. I approach trauma responses as adaptive survival strategies rather than pathology. Hypervigilance, avoidance, emotional numbing, anger, or shutdown are understood in context as responses that once helped protect you. Together, we work to understand these patterns with curiosity and compassion, rather than judgment or urgency to eliminate them. Trauma-informed care in my practice also includes awareness of systemic, cultural, political, and identity-based harm. Trauma does not occur in isolation, and healing requires acknowledging how oppression, marginalization, medical trauma, religious harm, and chronic invalidation affect mental health and access to safety. I am attentive to power dynamics, consent, and language to minimize the risk of re-traumatization. Throughout therapy, I remain transparent about my clinical reasoning and welcome ongoing feedback. Progress is defined by increased agency, self-trust, emotional capacity, and a growing sense of internal and relational safety—rather than speed or symptom suppression alone. Trauma-informed care is not about reliving the past; it is about restoring choice, dignity, and control in the present.
Compassion Focused
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is an important part of my work with clients who experience high levels of shame, self-criticism, guilt, or a persistent sense of not being “good enough.” This approach is especially supportive for individuals whose nervous systems have been shaped by trauma, chronic stress, identity-based harm, or environments where safety, care, or acceptance were inconsistent. CFT recognizes that many of our most painful internal experiences are not personal failures, but the result of how our brains and bodies adapted to survive. In my work, compassion is not treated as forced positivity or self-indulgence. Instead, it is a practical, evidence-based way of developing a safer, more supportive internal relationship—particularly when self-attack, harsh inner narratives, or chronic shame are present. Compassion-focused work in my practice intentionally acknowledges how shame and self-criticism are reinforced by systemic oppression, cultural invalidation, religious harm, and political targeting. Many clients have internalized messages that they are dangerous, wrong, broken, or undeserving simply because of who they are. In these cases, self-criticism is not a personal flaw—it is a learned survival response to chronic threat and exclusion. Compassion-focused therapy provides a framework for gently untangling these messages without minimizing the very real external forces that shaped them. My approach emphasizes gentleness, pacing, and choice. We explore how threat, drive, and soothing systems operate within the nervous system, and how trauma or chronic invalidation can leave people stuck in survival mode. Together, we work to build compassion skills that feel realistic and accessible rather than overwhelming or artificial. I integrate compassion-focused work with trauma-informed, attachment-based, and skills-based approaches. For some clients, this may involve learning how to respond differently to shame or fear; for others, it may focus on reducing self-blame, softening rigid expectations, or developing greater emotional safety. Compassion is always introduced with respect for cultural context, identity, and personal boundaries. Clients often find that compassion-focused work supports increased emotional regulation, reduced self-criticism, and a greater sense of worth and self-trust. Progress is not measured by how kind you can be at all times, but by your growing ability to meet yourself with understanding rather than punishment. Compassion-focused therapy is not about becoming someone new—it is about learning to relate to yourself in a way that supports healing rather than harm.