Wendy’s journey to becoming a therapist began as a desire to help others through encouragement when she was very young. As an educator, mother, and minister's wife, she has been learning how to create and sustain a spiritually and emotionally healthy life, marriage, and family for more than 28 years. Her family spent more than 12 years living in a cross-cultural environment. Wendy knows what it feels like to be an outsider and misunderstood, facing circumstances beyond her control. Her compassion for others has grown as she has faced trials that have taught her to let go of fear and judgment. She strives to live daily in a spirit of grace toward herself and others, remembering the grace that she has been given throughout her lifetime. Wendy earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Valdosta State University in 1993. After returning from three separate tours as a cross-cultural worker in Central Asia, she attended Richmont Graduate University, earning a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and a certificate in marriage and family therapy. She worked with children, adolescents, and families under board-certified art therapist Teresa Woodruff's direction at Art It Out Therapy in East Cobb. There she learned to incorporate creative expression into various therapy modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and person-centered and group therapy. Wendy also worked with individual adults and couples at Hope Counseling Center in Marietta. To further her work with couples and families and gain a better understanding of the role of attachment in relationships, she studied emotionally focused therapy (EFT) under James Hawk, PhD., LPC. Wendy is in the certification process for EFT. Wendy receives strength and encouragement from her faith in Christ and believes it informs every area of her life. As a follower of Christ, she is compelled to love others as she has been loved. To Wendy, that includes respecting the personal beliefs of others, even if they differ from her own. She hopes that every person she is with experiences compassion and a nonjudgmental spirit from her. If incorporating your personal faith into therapy is something you want, Wendy will gladly do so. However, she will not force her beliefs on you. Wendy welcomes clients from any faith or with no faith background at all. Wendy loves working with school-aged children, adolescents, individual adults, couples, and families. She believes that play is the primary language of children and incorporates creative expression, play therapy, and games into her work with them. She also uses media and art therapy with adolescents—and adults! Wendy believes everyone can benefit from creative expression. She has a passion for working with couples and families and has chosen EFT as her primary therapy model. According to authors Candice C. Beasley and Richard Ager (2019), EFT is one of the most effective, researched-based, relational therapies for couples. Having experienced EFT as both a client and therapist, Wendy can vouch for its effectiveness. At Family Renewal Counseling in Woodstock, she is now under the direction and supervision of Christie Poole, MS, LMFT, and board-certified supervisor Erin Holcomb, MS, LPC.

Dr. Goodman specializes in helping clients create a solid foundation and solid relationships in order to live their best life.

You feel like you're not a good enough mother, but you're afraid to admit it to anyone so you're feeling more alone than you ever imagined. It wasn't supposed to be like this. How are other people doing it? You're feeling so overwhelmed that you can't think straight and can hardly handle what used to feel like the simplest of tasks. You're wondering if you'll ever get your old life back, or if you'll ever be able to go through the day without crying or lashing out at the people you love most. The kindest, most loving step you can take for yourself and for those you love is to reach out. Therapy can help. Lauren is here to take the journey with you. As you develop insights about yourself along with how and why you interact with the world in the ways you do, your confidence builds, and you can tackle the issues in your life again with honesty and purpose. Lauren utilizes a person-centered approach, following your lead to help clarify your goals and providing support as you work toward them. You come not as a passive learner but to actively work on yourself. We often have the solutions to the issues we face, but we need space to discover them within a collaborative, therapeutic relationship.

A native of Atlanta, Rebecca has been counseling for more than six years. She has a wide range of experience that led her to counseling, including serving in a college ministry, studying overseas, working in human resources, and helping with leadership development. She believes it is a privilege to be a part of someone’s journey toward healing. “You will be secure because there is hope,”(Job 11:18) has been a significant verse in her life and healing. As a therapist, Rebecca has a heart to help people regain that sense of hope. She wants to walk alongside her clients to provide support and encouragement as they explore more about God, themselves, others, and the world so they are able to thrive.  Rebecca has a specialization and experience working with many clients with all levels of trauma. She believes that all kinds of trauma deserve recognition and healing… from “little” to “big.” A strong believer that relationships and connection, both past and present, have a huge impact on our lives, Rebecca strives to build a strong therapeutic relationship with each client in order to partner with them. This partnership will enable an individual to feel secure enough to be able to explore different aspects and issues in their lives.

Brooke is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) who provides therapy services to children, teens, and adults. Her education includes a bachelor’s degree in counseling/psychology from Toccoa Falls College and two master’s degrees in public health and social work from the University of Georgia.  Through her own lived experiences and a passion for understanding people, she has learned the value of empathy and acceptance in the healing process. Her therapeutic style is warm, empathetic, and relational, creating a space that fosters hope, acceptance, and positive change. Brooke's goal is to offer a safe, healing space where one feels free to navigate tough feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Her experience with kids, teens, and adults in mental health and public health settings has provided Brooke with a unique skill set to work with clients living with various mental health concerns. A few areas include anxiety, depression, grief, relationship challenges, transitions, mood disorders, behavioral challenges, disasters, disordered eating, and trauma.

Dr. Brian is a licensed psychologist who provides psychotherapy to adults, couples, college students, families, parents, adolescents, and children. He has valuable experience in addressing areas such as depression, anxiety and stress, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), relationships, family-of-origin issues, assertiveness, parenting, oppositional/disruptive behavior, social skills, self-esteem, anger management, trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), conflict resolution, and difficulty with transitions.Brian specializes in working with couples who are dating, engaged, or married to improve their relationship through effective communication and conflict resolution skills, and he offers a relationship assessment through the PREPARE/ENRICH model. He also seeks to understand the role that faith plays in a client's life and aims to integrate it with psychological strategies. Dr. Brian believes that everyone can benefit from psychotherapy during different seasons of their lives, whether during times of great difficulty or during times of focus on personal growth. Clients often report that they enjoy his thoughtful, caring, down-to-earth nature and his sense of humor. Dr. Brian is only offering virtual services to his clients at this time and is most accessible by email.

Angela is a licensed psychologist and the author of Revealed: What the Bible Can Teach You About Yourself, published in February 2019. She specializes in the treatment of eating disorders. Angela is a third degree black belt in Taekwondo. Her therapeutic style is warm and collaborative, and she works to build upon existing strengths to empower clients toward change.

“Children don’t say, ‘I had a hard day, can we talk?’ They say, ‘will you come play with me?’” Working with children requires knowing how children feel seen and heard. Play therapy offers therapists the chance to explore thoughts and feelings a child may be having in a non-threatening and age-appropriate way. Catherine has years of experience in providing play therapy, along with CBT and mindfulness, to children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. She understands the importance of managing family systems and, therefore, aims to include parents so that skills practiced in treatment can be reinforced in the home. Common areas of concern include anxiety, depression, trauma, social skills building, behavioral concerns, and parent coaching. Catherine received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame. Following graduation, she lived in Boston teaching math to high school ELL students. While she enjoyed teaching, Catherine enjoyed spending time with students one on one and working with them from a therapeutic lens. Catherine then moved to New York and attended Columbia University School of Social Work where she received her MSW. Catherine went on to join the Center for Comprehensive Health Practice as a clinician offering therapy for both those affected by substance abuse and those in recovery. She focused her work on providing therapy to children and teens, implementing a wide range of interventions, including play therapy, mindfulness, TF-CBT, and motivational interviewing. After growing up in the northeast, Catherine is excited to settle and put roots down in Georgia. A mother to two young kids, Catherine tries to make the most of her free time, which includes watching new movies, puzzling, reading, and dreaming of places she’ll travel one day. Catherine is under the directed experience and clinical supervision of Nathan Butzen, Psy.D.

Kayla is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of Georgia. She earned a Master of Education in professional counseling from the University of Georgia and has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Berry College. Kayla believes that everyone deserves love, and when love is shown, it creates an environment of acceptance and authenticity.  This is how people can be truly honest and implement change that is long-lasting.  Kayla approaches every person's circumstances  uniquely in order to provide the best care for her clients.  She enjoys working with adolescents, adults, couples, and families.  Kayla is experienced in helping clients who are suffering with depression, suicidal ideation, self-harm, substance abuse, anxiety, identity, grief and loss, and self-worth. Kayla was inspired to pursue her counseling career because she understands that though everyone has difficulties in life, it is easier to walk through those difficulties with someone by your side. Kayla is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of Georgia.  She earned a Master of Education in professional counseling from the University of Georgia and has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Berry College. When she is out of the office, Kayla enjoys time in the great outdoors with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.  She also enjoys baking and hosting friends for meals and porch hangs.  

Nichole Walker is a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor and National Board-Certified Counselor who has worked for 12 years with children, teens, and adults. She earned her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of South Carolina, a master of education degree in guidance counseling from Cambridge College, and a post-graduate certificate in marriage and family therapy from Argosy University. Nichole is well-versed in working with a diverse socioeconomic population and with people from different backgrounds. Her work with clients is guided by these core principles: simplify, believe, grow! As a virtual therapist who delivers healing and wellness, Nichole partners with clients so they leave their sessions feeling empowered, confident in their abilities to face life's challenges, and able to facilitate overall balance and healing from within. In essence, clients learn to live their best lives. Virtual counseling sessions are customized in a safe space for teens and adults seeking support with anxiety, stress management, setting boundaries, and establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. Nichole welcomes the opportunity to begin your journey toward growth and healing—and a better you! Schedule your free consultation at simplifylife.clientsecure.me/.