Are you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and stressed all the time? Do you find yourself laying awake at night thinking about your to-do list, worries, or replaying events from the day? Many of my clients find themselves struggling with anxiety, OCD, stress, or burnout.

I specialize in anxiety and related disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), life transitions/adjustments, women's issues, and stress management. I provide a safe, non-judgmental space for all clients to work on their therapeutic goals, utilizing an integrative approach.

Reaching out to a therapist to connect with can be a very difficult first step. I would love to answer any questions you may have regarding my therapeutic style and discuss setting up your first appointment.

I love to foster a safe space to explore, manage, and face the daily stressors and long-term challenges of life for adolescents/young adults and women. I use my expertise, research, and personal experience to serve two special populations, anxious teenagers/young adults and moms. The weight of feeling like I can not handle what I am experiencing is overwhelming, but it does not have to feel that way forever.

To the teen or young adult girl that feels that she is walking without a map and is trying to figure out her relationship with her friends, family, body, performance, etc., you do not have to do it alone. I want to walk alongside you while we figure out how to find healthy ways to deal with anxiety, learn to live according to what matters most to you, and make peace in your relationship with yourself and others.

I also focus on working with women who are prenatal, postpartum, or have experienced infant loss at any time. As someone who has experienced the overwhelming pain and confusion of miscarriage, I understand what it feels like to be faced with seemingly insurmountable loss. This heartbreaking experience drives my passion to help women in similar situations navigate their grief, honor their child, and find hope to move forward when it feels like there is none.

Whether through writing helpful content, meeting with individual clients, and talking to groups, my desire is to cultivate safe spaces to talk about hard things. Let’s connect and see where we can grow together.

My name is Candace Nino, I am a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and a Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor. I graduated from California Baptist University with a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology. I have had the opportunity to work with the young adolescent population to provide school based therapy for the last four years. I have also gained clinical experience working with special education students who have faced emotional disturbances that impede their academic functioning. I have had the privilege of treating clients who struggled with depression, generalized anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and personality disorders. My theoretical orientation is Personal Centered Therapy and occasionally I utilize an eclectic approach to accommodate the clients individual needs and implement appropriate techniques that are most beneficial for the client. I provide therapeutic services to individuals, couples, and families looking for additional social emotional support.

I aspire to assist clients in their moments of triumph as well as defeat, self-discovery, and understanding. I emphasize clients strengths and provide a safe environment to explore areas of growth and turmoil. My ultimate goal is to set the client up for success in achieving the best version of themselves and to sustain healthy functioning and symptom management. It would be a privilege to accompany you on your therapeutic journey.

In my role as counselor I am honored to support individuals who are struggling with various aspects of life. Perhaps dealing with strong anxiety or depression, negative self talk, relationship issues, work or school pressures, unhealthy habits and poor self care. Does any of this sound like you? I will work with you to understand what is happening, design strategies to address your specific issues, and work step by step with you as we remove the barriers and build new and better ways of being you. Healthy, happy and connected to the world around you.
Encompassing compassion and practicality, I use cognitive behavioral, mindfulness, and short-term solution-focused therapies, often in my practice. I am EMDR trained, but prefer to use EFT (a cognitive somatic tapping technique), shown to help individuals integrate and heal from past traumatic events, life experience, difficult memories, present food cravings, stress, anxiety, and phobias. I also use cognitive behavioral therapy to help clients process certain issues and find solutions. My blending of cognitive and mind-body practice creates a unique healing experience for clients.
I am eager to help you thrive in all areas of your life, and will offer you the tools to make effective and lasting changes. I look forward to working with you towards the peace and health you desire. For clients who prefer speaking Spanish, I have a good command of the language. I am licensed in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Maryland and Vermont.

You want to keep moving on with your life, but something is in the way. You may feel stuck, unmotivated, depressed, anxious, scared, and so much more. Life can be so challenging, and it isn't fair that you don't get instructions. At GROW, we understand that life can throw some unexpected curveballs that you were never prepared to handle. We want to help equip you with the tools to manage the challenges and wounds life can bring to move towards healing.

Courtney Salter loves helping people move forward. She is passionate about the potential that you have in your life, and works diligently to become a safe place to find and develop the tools within yourself and heal past wounds. Courtney earned her Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Liberty University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Nationally Certified Counselor, and has extensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Courtney has worked in a psychiatric hospital with a range of disorders in the inpatient and outpatient units. Her experience extends to working with adults, teens, women, trauma, anxiety, addiction, depression, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, boundaries, communication, career, codependency, and relationships.

You are not broken in need of fixing; you may be healing and in need of care. Caring for yourself and your emotional/mental health is often a difficult thing to do. Yet unattended, the wounds and destructive coping mechanisms tear away the chance of healthy relationships, life-giving work, daily functioning, and effective parenting.

As your therapist, Courtney is determined to help you find your place in the healing process. You may wonder if you need counseling or if it will make a difference. Here at GROW, we have seen things get better. We are passionate about the potential that you have in your life. Life happens, but together we can find the next steps forward.

Dr. Bilka tailors her therapeutic approach to fit each client’s unique needs. She integrates several therapeutic approaches including cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, EMDR and relational techniques to provide comprehensive and dynamic treatment. Dr. Bilka’s clinical interests include gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender/questioning issues, adolescent and adult life transitions, relationship concerns, trauma and abuse. She specializes in treating teenagers and young adults dealing with mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and trauma. Dr. Bilka is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, which has been proven highly effective for the treatment of trauma as well as with many other issues. She incorporates warmth, empathy, humor and insight-oriented methods into her practice. Dr. Bilka views the therapeutic process as a collaborative one in which the therapist offers understanding and support, providing the client with the space to develop a deeper understanding of his or her self and the courage to work toward change.

Michael received his master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Richmont Graduate University, as well as certificates in Marriage & Family Therapy and Trauma Counseling. Michael has also pursued additional relationally-focused training through the highly regarded Gottman Institute and is a certified facilitator of Prepare/Enrich relationship assessments.

Michael works with adolescents, adults, and couples to address a wide range of needs including: anxiety, depression, life adjustment, suicidal thoughts, spiritual development, sexual identity, relationship communication, conflict resolution, pre-marital education, and family systems under duress. He seeks to create a safe and collaborative space for clients to move towards hope and healing. Michael’s approach to the therapeutic process is best expressed by the Jon Kabat-Zinn quote, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

Before his career in counseling, Michael earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Kennesaw State University and spent several years working for Apple Inc. as a manager and trainer. Throughout high school and college, Michael worked as a martial arts instructor, a pursuit that he credits with cultivating both an appreciation for mindfulness and fostering his continued enthusiasm for physical fitness.

Life can get overwhelming sometimes, and everyone has an opinion on how you should manage it. No matter what you’re dealing with, someone always suggests a quick fix— anxiety: “just calm down;” depression: “just be happy;” or disordered eating: “just eat.” The reality is, if it were that simple, we would all be perfect people and never struggle with anything in our entire lives. That’s just not human nature. So if that’s not the answer, how do we grow and change? How do we resolve the deepest, most wounded parts of ourselves?

There’s a quote by Christine Langley-Obaugh that I love, which says, “We repeat what we don’t repair.” We have to sit with those uncomfortable parts of ourselves—our anxiety, depression, disordered eating, grief—and figure out when and why it showed up. What is it trying to tell us about ourselves and our experience?

That’s what the therapeutic space is for. We put other pieces of our lives on hold for an hour, to sit and listen and process. From there, we can establish a different way for the brain and body to communicate with one another; a way that allows for expression without overwhelm. It’s a process that can take some time, but it is oh so worth it.

Cara is a Licensed Professional Counselor - Mental Health Service Provider and National Certified Counselor. Along with her licensing and training, she is certified in both the Grief Recovery Method ® and the SYMBIS Pre-Marital Assessment. Cara is a graduate of the University of Georgia. After completing her Bachelor’s degree, she completed her Master’s at Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta, GA.

Cara works regularly with individuals and couples experiencing a variety of struggles including anxiety, depression, grief, low self-worth, relational challenges, life transitions, trauma, affair recovery, emotional regulation and feelings of intense shame.

Cara believes the most important element in therapy is the relationship between the therapist and client. Because of this, she works hard to understand each individual as their unique self and create a safe and open space for growth and healing. While she works with a variety of therapeutic approaches, Cara finds most of her work centers around the Psychodynamic theory, recognizing that we all believe and inevitably behave the messages we narrate unconsciously. By understanding these beliefs and messages and how they originated, we can ultimately change and heal in all aspects of our lives.