Marquita is a Licensed Psychotherapist serving residents of Colorado, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Maine in her virtual practice, Whole Heart Counseling. She serves individuals who desire healing from anxiety, depression, relationship conflict, life transitions, trauma, and work-life concerns.

I believe that we all have the capacity to grow towards becoming better versions of ourselves. I work systemically and collaboratively with individuals, couples, and families to help them achieve their desired goals for treatment. I place great emphasis on developing a strong therapeutic relationship with my clients, while also valuing the inherent ability that each person has to work towards individual growth and change. I utilize a variety of interventions in working with clients, viewing treatment through the lens of experiential and structural therapy.

For Adolescents in distress…
The teen and preteen years can be exciting, but also extremely challenging, especially when your child appears to be struggling. Challenging teen behaviors or poor academic performance can be frustrating for the parent, but also may signal that your child is not at their best. I enjoy working with adolescents to help them better understand and manage their struggles, while also helping to build the bridge of communication with the family, fostering a stronger parent-child relationship.

For Families in distress…
Family can be a source of strength, joy, and companionship, but can also feel tense, uncomfortable, and broken when not functioning at its best. It is extremely common to feel "stuck" in the same patterns of behavior. Families often are great solvers of their own problems, but when it feels like you’ve tried everything, often therapy can help family members learn to relate in new and more rewarding ways.

For Couples in distress…
Ever feel like you have the same arguments with your partner over and over again? Do you worry that you’ve tried everything and feel like you keep getting the same outcome? While these feelings of being "stuck" can be highly stressful, there is hope. Therapy can help couples identify new, positive interaction patterns towards a more fulfilling relationship.

As a therapist, Michelle is committed to supporting her clients as they identify the changes they would like to make. With your personal goals in mind, she will work with you to discover the best positive solutions to the challenges you are facing. Michelle believes that counseling is not just about talking out problems and crisis issues, but about building self-confidence, resilience, and meaning.

Stress just. won't. stop. and “work-life balance” seems like an impossible feat. Your stress has been building for FAR too long; you can't remember the last time you weren’t so overwhelmed or anxious. You can't stand how irritable you’ve become, especially around those you love. Your go-to de-stressors just aren't cutting it anymore - or it's a struggle to use them, and you’re growing tired of your own procrastination, rumination, and withdrawing from others. You want to be more present in your life & relationships. You want to feel like your old self again - or a new, calmer self - on a path of continued growth and success. You want more for yourself and are ready for change.

I can help by co-creating a brave & safe space and validating you - especially when it feels like no one understands. With Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), we can help you feel quick relief from prior traumas and distresses, eliminate triggers, and move forward feeling lighter and calmer. We'll rebuild coping skills for relief now & prevention later. I'll challenge you (with care), offer accountability, and use your strengths to help you meet your goals. Ideally, we'll also laugh together and connect as humans.

You're struggling now and contacting therapists only to then wait for responses is frustrating. Skip the waiting and take another step toward relief now by scheduling a brief phone consult directly on my website!

My goal is to help every client be the truest, healthiest version of themselves. Career challenges, stage of life transitions, relational conflict, and social circumstances can all be sources of stress and produce feelings of inadequacy and isolation. Addressing these challenges not only increases self-awareness; it bolsters self-esteem, fuels empathy and increases our capacity for healthy interpersonal connection. Ultimately, these are the elements that allow us to weather the challenges life sends our way and to thrive in both personal and professional settings.

Samantha earned her Master of Health Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Catawba College. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor through the NC Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors (#17770) and a Licensed Professional Counselor through the SC Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (#10262). Samantha is also a Certified Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist, a Nationally Certified Counselor, a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, a Certified Addictions-Informed Mental Health Provider, a Certified Sex Offender Treatment Professional, and a Registered Child Forensic Interviewer. Additionally, Samantha is trained in Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy, and Somatic Experiencing.

Samantha has had the opportunity to work with patients with a variety of mental health concerns in school-based, college mental health, and outpatient settings. Her clinical focus is on severe and persistent mental health concerns, with a concentration on mood disorders. Samantha utilizes an integrative approach, combining Cognitive Behavioral, Interpersonal, and Psychoanalytic techniques. Therefore, during sessions, she commonly assists in identifying and challenging self-limiting patterns, healing from past experiences, and gaining insight into how the unconscious influences behavior. Her research interests include the intersection of mental health and the criminal justice system, the development of neurodevelopmental disorders, and genetic links between schizophrenia and associated comorbid conditions.

Telemental Health
Serving clients with Trauma, Complex Trauma, PTSD, Bipolar D/O, Anxiety, Depression and Gender issues

If you’re still struggling to find that inner peace and don’t know what else to do, that’s when I come in. I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist who is passionate about working with those who want to find themselves again – or maybe find themselves for the first time.

If you have one speed and that speed is go-go-go, let me help you slow down and be more present. We can work on turning off that autopilot and take control of your life again.

Together, we will work on all those experiences that were pushed aside, those accomplishments you felt you didn’t deserve, that feeling that life is just passing you by, all the times you powered through because you had no option, yeah, we’ll get into those!

Let’s figure out how to get you where you want to be. Let’s find that inner peace you’ve been searching for.

Together we’ll laugh, talk about the good and the bad, but most of all we will get you to a place where you can feel just a bit lighter than you did before.

Rachel Hilker is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist providing Telehealth therapy services to clients residing in Virginia. Rachel specializes in providing Gottman Method Couple Therapy to married and premarital clients and trauma-informed individual therapy for women.