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.

Malissa Truesdale-Crawford MA, LCMHCA
Malissa is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate. She is licensed in both South Carolina and North Carolina.

Malissa is most passionate about people and her motto for clients is let’s work together to become your overall “best/better” SELF!! Malissa has worked tirelessly to help children of all ages and adults feel good about themselves no matter what the past, present may look like. We work together to make “you, the client” feel whole and worthy! Malissa’s previous work stems from children and adults thus the family unit (Couples) is an area that comes naturally for her.

As we process your life path, we will use my skills in Narrative Therapy (values/importance you tell yourself), Solution Focus (where you’re heading/future self), Motivational Interviewing (why do you do what you do) and CBT (ways to change what you do). Malissa is also trained in Couples Prepare/Enrich and Brain-spotting.

I specialize in evidence-based practices, including CBT, DBT, and mindfulness-based theories, to help clients explore difficult emotions, challenge harmful thought patterns, and better manage stress and anxiety. As a proud two-time HBCU graduate (Spelman College and Howard University), I bring a wealth of experience from working in diverse settings such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, and virtually-based mental healthcare.

My expertise includes supporting individuals with eating disorders, developmental challenges like Autism and ADHD, and those navigating life’s complexities. I am especially passionate about uplifting and empowering Black women, considering it a true privilege to amplify our greatness and nurture healing and growth.

Salima received her Bachelors degree from Georgia State University in Early Childhood Education. While teaching, she recognized the importance of mental health for both the child and the family. She wanted to transition to a career where she would have the opportunity to focus on the mental health of others. She obtained her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Mercer University. During her program, Salima spent time at Manna Treatment, where she gained experience working with eating disorders in the PHP and IOP programs. She also had the opportunity to work with children, teens, and adults for various issues such as divorce, depression, anxiety, addiction, and other mental health concerns.

In addition to her internship experience, Salima also worked for Kate’s Club, where she lead grief groups for school-aged children who recently lost a family member or loved one. Salima enjoys seeing her clients progress and meet their personal goals and works with them to help foster mentally and emotionally healthy lives.

Dustin Ellis was born and raised in Marietta, Georgia. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue his bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Lipscomb University and his master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Trevecca Nazarene University.

Prior to working with GROW, Dustin spent the last fourteen years using behavioral interventions like ABA with children and families on the autism spectrum. He has made the transition into the field of counseling because he has seen the unique needs that families with children on the spectrum face.

Dustin has specialized in providing resources and meeting the specific needs of the parents/families/siblings/caregivers who have children on the spectrum. His goal is to provide a holistic approach for supporting these families to thrive in the future.

Dustin has training in Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples to better serve this population. He is a member of the Georgia Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy.

Clients describe Dustin as warm and authentic while offering hope that change is possible. His approach centers around using awareness, practicing compassion, and acceptance of deeper emotions to create connection and change.

Dustin embraces the words of Brene’ Brown, “We cannot selectively numb emotions, when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions.”

Supervisor: Dr. Wendy Dickinson

Melissa Murphy, LCSW-C, LICSW, LCSW, C-DBT, is a seasoned therapist and clinical director at Bethesda Therapy, licensed in Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia. Specializing in anxiety, depression, trauma, and OCD, she employs ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) and Inference-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT), recognized as leading treatments for OCD. Melissa's expertise extends to managing mood disorders, sexual dysfunction, and pelvic pain disorders. Her approach is collaborative and strengths-based, focusing on developing personalized strategies for each client.

As a Gottman-trained couples therapist, Melissa is adept at addressing the complexities of relationships affected by ADHD and OCD. She also treats Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) and finds profound fulfillment in supporting therapists and those in helping professions. Her work is underpinned by advanced training in both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

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.

Amelia Thomas is an Associate Professional Counselor (APC007724) specializing in working with women on anxiety, depression, trauma recovery, self-esteem, identity development, young adulthood transition, and relationship concerns (including unhealthy patterns and covert narcissistic abuse). Amelia is inspired by helping women recognize their worthiness through the healing of past wounds and the strengthening of their authentic selves.

Amelia also enjoys working with college aged and young adult women as they navigate the challenges that come along with burgeoning independence, changing relationships, and major life transitions.

Amelia has worked in many settings, including a non-profit serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence, an emergency housing shelter, and a University counseling center. Her professional and personal background has led her to develop a strong desire to assist individuals in healing from the profound pain that traumatic experiences can leave behind. In helping survivors free themselves from old, ineffective patterns, Amelia seeks to support them in cultivating resilience, connection, and meaning in their lives.

Amelia obtained a B.S. in Sociology from Appalachian State University and an M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Mercer University. As an APC, Amelia works under the Direction and Supervision of Mazi Robinson, MS, LPC, CPCS, NCC (LPC 006005, CPCS 1433) and Amy Robbins (LPC 3834, CPCS 83).

Born and raised in Atlanta, Amelia loves exploring the city, attending live music concerts, and cooking. She also enjoys going on outdoor adventures with her family, friends, and two rescue dogs.