Therapy Services | Individual, couples, and family therapy in Pinellas County. Specializing in marriage counseling, OCD treatment with ERP, and adventure therapy. Ages 14+
Individual Therapy
A goal-oriented, values-based support tailored to help you navigate life's transitions and find personal growth in a safe space.
Relationship Counseling
Strengthening connections with a systemic approach to communication, mutual understanding, and navigating change effectively to promote your healthiest relationship.
Family Therapy
Establishing healthy interaction patterns to foster a supportive and grounded environment for the whole family system.
Individual Therapy
Whatever You’re Going Through, You Don't Have to Go Through it Alone
​
I work with individuals (ages 14+) from all walks of life—from those in the high-intensity environment of Baker Act facilities to those finding peace during sessions I've facilitated aboard a sailboat on Boca Ciega Bay. I am proud to provide an LGBTQ+ affirming space for every client I serve.
Â
While my expertise lies in Depression, Anxiety, and Life Transitions, I have a deep focus on:
​
-
Men’s Issues & Emotional Regulation
-
Strategic Coping Skills
-
Career Counseling & Goal Setting
Â
You are the expert on you. I view our work as a co-creative process where I act as your guide. Using a solution-focused framework, we’ll use your personal values as our compass, working step-by-step toward the life you want.
Â
My goal is to eventually work myself out of a job. Success means you’ve gained the tools and confidence to navigate your world without me. Therapy is brave, challenging work, but the reward is a life lived on your own terms. I am deeply honored to walk beside my clients every day as they turn those desired changes into their new reality.
Therapy is not reserved for crisis situations or clinical diagnoses. If something is consistently getting in the way of how you want to live, that is enough of a reason to seek support. It is also worth noting that no problem worth bringing to therapy is too small; minimizing your own experience is one of the most common reasons people wait longer than they should. In fact, addressing concerns early before they compound is one of the most effective things you can do for your long-term wellbeing. At In Between Counseling, the work is goal-oriented and practical, meaning sessions are focused on building real skills and forward momentum regardless of where you are starting from.
That is completely okay, and more common than you might think. You do not need to arrive at therapy with a clear agenda or a list of things you want to fix. Many people start simply knowing that something feels off and that they want it to be different. At In Between Counseling, intentionally helping clients identify and craft their goals is a built-in part of how therapy begins. Clarity about your goals is often a product of the process, not a prerequisite for it.
Yes, and it is more common than most people expect. Therapy often requires revisiting difficult experiences, sitting with uncomfortable emotions, and challenging patterns that have been in place for a long time. Feeling drained, emotional, or unsettled after a session is not a sign that something went wrong; it is frequently a sign that something real and meaningful was reached. Think of it like a difficult workout. The soreness afterward is part of the process, not evidence that you should stop. Those feelings typically settle, and what comes after is usually clarity and forward momentum.
A bad experience with therapy is more common than most people realize; unfortunately it is something I hear about far too often. The most important predictor of successful outcomes in therapy is the relationship between the client and therapist. Different therapists use different methods, follow different theories, and ultimately are just different people. At In Between Counseling, the approach is active and solution-focused rather than open-ended. Every client starts with a free consultation specifically so you can get a feel for the fit before committing to anything. If you have tried therapy before and walked away feeling like nothing changed, it is likely the fit and approach just were not right for you.
Absolutely, and you should never feel guilty about it. Therapeutic fit is one of the strongest predictors of successful outcomes, and staying with a therapist who is not the right match out of obligation or politeness does not serve you. If something feels off, the first step is always to raise it directly; sometimes a direct conversation is enough to get things back on track. If it becomes clear that a different provider would serve you better, I will do everything I can to help you find the right fit and make that transition as smooth as possible.
Relationship Counseling
Every Relationship Has Bumps Along the Way—My Passion is Helping You Navigate Them
​
Whether you are in the early stages of a commitment, a few years in wondering what you signed up for and struggling to remember why you ever did, or 40 years down the road facing a new challenge, my focus is on promoting the healthiest possible partnership for each of you.
Â
My role is to help you:
-
Clear the Air: Ensuring communication is accurate, honest, and kind.
-
Bridge Understandings: Navigating differing perspectives to find shared meaning.
-
Define the Path: Setting mutual goals and expectations for your future together.
-
Build Your Toolkit: Teaching you the skills to handle future obstacles as a team.
Â
Let’s make sure your speedbumps stay speedbumps—not the thing that throws you off the road.
Therapy can absolutely help, but it is not a magic fix. What relationship counseling does is give everyone involved a structured, supported space to understand what is not working, communicate more effectively, and make intentional decisions about the future. Whether that means rebuilding and strengthening the relationship or gaining clarity about a different path forward, therapy creates the conditions for real change. The couples who tend to see the most meaningful progress are the ones who come in willing to do the work, not just the ones whose relationship looks salvageable from the outside.
If you are asking this question, it is probably not too late. Research shows that couples wait an average of 2.68 years after serious problems begin before seeking help, and the evidence suggests that most are still very much workable when they arrive. Therapy works best when both partners are willing to show up and engage honestly, even if the relationship is in a difficult place. The only situation where therapy may not be able to help is when one or both partners have fully disengaged and have no investment in the outcome. Reaching out sooner is always better, but later is almost always better than never.
If a therapist ever tells a couple they should not be together, that therapist is not acting in a professional or ethical manner. It is not my role to make that decision, and it never will be. My job is to provide an objective and honest reflection of the state of your relationship and to guide you toward new possibilities. You decide whether it is worth putting in the work to realize those possibilities. Sometimes that work leads to a stronger, more connected partnership. Sometimes it brings clarity about a different path forward. Either way, the direction is always yours to decide.
A good therapist does not take sides. In relationship counseling, the relationship itself is the client, not any one person in it. My job is to help everyone feel heard, understood, and appropriately challenged. That said, there will be moments where I reflect something difficult back to one person or another, and that can sometimes feel like taking sides. What it actually reflects is a commitment to honesty over comfort, which ultimately serves everyone in the room. If you ever feel the process is consistently unfair, that is always worth raising directly.
Yes. Individual therapy in the context of a relationship can be incredibly valuable even without your partner in the room, and as a dually licensed practitioner, I am uniquely qualified for this type of work. Working on your own communication patterns, emotional responses, and boundaries creates real change that affects the relationship regardless of whether your partner participates. Sometimes one partner making meaningful shifts is enough to change the dynamic between them. It is also worth noting that a reluctant partner often becomes more open to therapy once they see the impact it is having on their significant other.
Family Therapy
Supporting Families at Every Stage—From Those Under One Roof to Adult Families Navigating Changing Roles
​
Family is the foundational support system of our lives, yet it often carries the most complex and unique challenges. I view every family not as a collection of separate individuals, but as an interconnected system where actions, emotions, and interactions at the individual level can shift the balance of the entire family.
​
My role is to hold a safe and balanced space for everyone in the room. I honor each person’s individual perspective and contribution, ensuring that every voice is heard as we explore the shared history and dynamics that shape your family’s unique environment.
​
We work together to identify the specific patterns that may be causing friction. By understanding how these parts fit together, we can find personalized solutions tailored to your family's specific needs—improving how you interact and finding the optimal way to not just coexist, but to genuinely appreciate and enjoy the relationships you share across a lifetime.
Not at all. Family therapy is designed for any group of people who share meaningful relationships and want to improve how they function together. That can mean parents and children, adult siblings, blended families, multigenerational households, or any combination of people navigating a shared dynamic. The defining feature of family therapy is not who is in the room but the focus on the relationships and patterns between people rather than any single individual. If your family does not fit a traditional mold, that is not a barrier to getting started.
There is no required number, and I am willing to work with whoever shows up. Family therapy can be effective with as few as two people and can expand or contract as the work evolves. If someone is reluctant or refuses to participate, that is okay. Family systems change regardless of whether every member is in the room. Working with part of the family often creates enough of a shift to change the dynamic for everyone, and a resistant family member frequently becomes more open once they see the impact the process is having on the people they care about.
This is one of the most common reactions people have, and it is worth addressing directly. Family systems do not have a single problem person; they have patterns, dynamics, and cycles that everyone participates in, often without realizing it. It is also worth asking yourself: is there anything about your relationships or family dynamic that you would like to see look or feel different? Most people can think of something, and that is reason enough to show up. Going to family therapy is not an admission of fault, it is a recognition that you can contribute to the change your family needs.
It is a fair concern. It is also common for things to feel worse before they get better. Family therapy surfaces difficult dynamics and requires honest conversations that can feel uncomfortable, especially early on. That discomfort is usually a sign that the work is reaching something real rather than an indication that things are deteriorating. A skilled therapist manages the pace and safety of those conversations carefully so the process feels challenging but not destabilizing. If at any point the work feels like it is doing more harm than good, that is always worth raising directly so we can adjust the approach.
The honest answer is that I do not, and I would never claim to. What a good family therapist brings is not a blueprint for how your family should look, but a trained outside perspective on the patterns and dynamics that are keeping you stuck. You are the experts on your own family. My job is to help you see those patterns more clearly and create the conditions for you to work through them together. The goal is never to impose an outside vision of what your family should be, but to help your family become more of what you want it to be.
OCD TreatmentÂ
Reclaiming Your Life from the Cycle of Intrusive Thoughts
OCD is often self-diagnosed as a joke and inappropriately attributed to individual quirks or anxieties. If you are living with OCD, you know that it can be an all-consuming nightmare that seems impossible to beat.
Fortunately, we have clinically proven methods for treating OCD. Chief among these is Exposure Response Prevention Therapy (ERP). Having been trained at one of the nation’s top OCD clinics, I guide you through a detailed process of assessment, diagnosis, planning, and implementing a personalized strategy to overcome your OCD.
ERP is incredibly demanding and difficult work; it is a profound privilege to witness the lasting transformation and relief that comes when committed clients can begin to live their lives on their own terms.
OCD is one of the most misunderstood and misdiagnosed conditions in mental health. The defining features are obsessions, which are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that cause significant distress, and compulsions, which are repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to neutralize that distress. The cycle is the key: obsession triggers anxiety, compulsion provides temporary relief, and the cycle repeats. OCD is not about being neat, organized, or particular. It shows up in many forms, including intrusive thoughts about harm, contamination, religion, relationships, and identity, among others. If you are unsure whether what you are experiencing is OCD, the best first step is a clinical assessment with a therapist who specializes in OCD treatment.
OCD and anxiety share significant overlap, which is why they are so frequently confused. Both involve distressing thoughts and uncomfortable physical sensations. The key distinction is the obsession and compulsion cycle. General anxiety tends to involve worry about everyday concerns like work, relationships, or health, and while it can feel consuming, it does not typically follow the rigid cycle of obsession, distress, and compulsion that defines OCD. OCD generates relentless, intrusive doubt that compulsions temporarily relieve but ultimately reinforce. Treating OCD with standard anxiety interventions is ineffective and can make symptoms worse, which is why specialized treatment matters.
For most people, OCD does not go away on its own, and without treatment it tends to expand over time. The compulsions that provide short term relief actually reinforce the obsessive cycle, which means the brain learns to generate more obsessions requiring more compulsions. Stress, major life transitions, and avoidance of triggers can all accelerate this pattern. That said, OCD is highly treatable. With the right approach, most people experience significant and lasting reduction in symptoms. The question is rarely whether treatment can help, but how soon you are ready to start.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the most extensively researched and clinically validated treatment for OCD. The core principle is straightforward: you gradually face the thoughts, situations, or triggers that provoke obsessive anxiety without performing the compulsion that would normally follow. Over time, the brain learns that the feared outcome does not occur and that the anxiety, while uncomfortable, is tolerable and temporary. This process is called habituation, and it is what breaks the obsessive cycle at its root rather than just managing symptoms. ERP is hard. Some exposures are genuinely difficult, and sitting with that discomfort without responding to it takes real courage. At In Between Counseling, the pace and structure of exposures are always collaborative and carefully calibrated to what you are ready for. You will never be pushed into something you are not prepared to face.
OCD treatment timelines vary depending on the severity of symptoms, the number of themes present, and how consistently the work is engaged with between sessions. A focused course of ERP typically runs 12 to 20 sessions, though some people make meaningful progress sooner and others benefit from longer term support. OCD is generally not a condition that resolves in a handful of sessions, but it is also not one that requires years of open ended therapy. The goal at In Between Counseling is always to give you the tools to manage OCD independently, so that therapy becomes something you graduate from rather than something you maintain indefinitely.
Adventure Therapy
Healing Beyond the Four Walls
Traditional office settings aren’t the only place where profound change happens. Sometimes, the most impactful breakthroughs occur when we step out of our routine and into the elements.
Adventure therapy can be as simple as sitting on a park bench for your session, a "walk and talk" through a local trail, or as engaged as kayaking the Weeki Wachee River or fishing along the coast. This approach uses the environment as a co-therapist, offering a dynamic space to:
• Break through stagnation: Moving your body helps move your mind when you feel "stuck" or overwhelmed.
• Build real-time resilience: Navigating the outdoors provides immediate, tangible metaphors for life’s unpredictable challenges.
• Practice mindfulness in motion: Finding calm and focus in the present moment, guided by the rhythm of the natural world.
This is a collaborative and co-creative process designed for those who find traditional "talk therapy" limiting. Together, we step away from the distractions of daily life to find clarity, perspective, and a renewed sense of agency. Â
Research consistently shows that time in nature reduces cortisol levels, lowers anxiety, and improves mood. Taking therapy outside adds those benefits to an already effective process. Beyond the physiological effects, the outdoor environment naturally reduces the formality of a traditional therapy setting, which many clients find makes it easier to open up and engage honestly. Movement also plays a role. Walking side by side rather than sitting face to face changes the dynamic of a conversation in ways that are often surprisingly productive. For many people, the outdoors is simply where they feel most like themselves, and that comfort translates directly into better therapeutic work.
Yes. Adventure therapy and nature based interventions have a growing body of research supporting their effectiveness across a range of concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship difficulties. Studies consistently show that outdoor and experiential approaches produce meaningful improvements in self-efficacy, emotional regulation, and interpersonal functioning. Adventure therapy is not a departure from evidence based practice; it is an extension of it, applying proven therapeutic principles in a setting that enhances engagement and accelerates growth for many clients.
Adventure therapy works well for a wide range of people, but it tends to be particularly effective for anyone who has struggled to engage with traditional office based therapy and people who simply love the outdoors and would rather do their therapeutic work in an environment where they already feel comfortable and at ease. The outdoor setting removes a lot of the formality that can make sitting across from a therapist feel intimidating or unnatural, which makes it easier for many clients to open up and do meaningful work. As an added bonus, my usual walk-and-talk sessions typically cover around two miles, meaning you get real physical activity built into the process alongside the therapeutic work. For a lot of clients, that combination is hard to beat.
Primarily because it requires specialized training and a genuine commitment to working outside the traditional office setting. Most therapists are trained almost exclusively in office based modalities and are not equipped or credentialed to facilitate adventure or experiential work safely and ethically. It also demands more logistical flexibility than a standard practice model. At In Between Counseling, adventure and experiential therapy is a core specialization, not an occasional add on, which means the training, the structure, and the intention behind it are built into the work from the ground up.
No two sessions look exactly the same, which is part of what makes adventure therapy effective. A session might involve a walk and talk through the forest, casting a line at a local beach, sitting on a park bench, or playing sports at a nearby complex. The setting and format are always chosen intentionally based on what you are working on and what will serve you best at that point in the process. What stays consistent across every session is the clinical structure underneath it. Adventure therapy is not just a walk in the park; it is purposeful, evidence based work that happens to take place in a more dynamic environment.