Lou @ the mend

I work with adults and adolescents navigating anxiety, depression, grief and loss, career

concerns, self-esteem, life transitions, trauma (including birth, sexual, intergenerational, and

childhood), identity exploration, addiction, and parenting or caregiving challenges. I’m honored

to meet you where you are and collaborate in uncovering a life that feels aligned and meaningful

to you.

I offer a safe, compassionate, nonjudgmental space where your voice and lived experience are

respected. You are the expert on your life; my role is to support you with care and curiosity while

integrating evidence-based approaches tailored to your needs. I practice with a trauma-informed,

anti-racist, and LGBTQ+ celebratory lens.

I recognize that our environments and social systems shape our mental and physical well-being,

and therapy can be a place to explore those impacts openly. While intergenerational and early life

wounds can run deep, healing is possible—and we also carry forward strengths and resilience

worth honoring. As a lifelong learner, I stay engaged with evolving research and language to

provide thoughtful, relevant care.

 I’m a North Carolinian who grew up moving between my mom’s home in the city and my dad’s

farm filled with animals. Some of my happiest memories are of being outdoors, connecting with

friends, and caring for the animals that shaped my early sense of curiosity and connection.

I studied psychology and women’s studies at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, and

earned my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Western Carolina University.

Before becoming a counselor, I worked with children and families as a preschool teacher andadministrator, and as a health educator in a nonprofit reproductive health clinic. These

experiences deepened my appreciation for each person’s complexity and strengthened my

commitment to understanding and supporting others.

Outside of work, I love spending time outdoors, sharing meals with loved ones, reading, baking,

cooling off in a creek during the mountain summer, watching The Great British Baking Show

with my family, and petting all the dogs and cats (and really any animal who’s down for it). I’m

a parent in a home full of animals, music, and books, and I believe deeply in the power of

community, connection, and chosen family.

I draw from a range of therapeutic frameworks, including Relational Cultural, Feminist, Queer,

Multicultural, and Attachment theories, as well as Internal Family Systems (IFS),

person-centered, mindfulness-based, existential, nature-based approaches, and EMDR. These

perspectives shape how I understand and support each client, allowing me to tailor care to your

unique needs, values, and lived experience.