Compassionate Client-Led Counseling in North Carolina

In-Network Insurance Coverage

  • BCBS NC (Commercial, PPO Plans)

  • Aetna (PPO and State Health Plan)

  • United Healthcare

  • Not in-network with Medicaid or Medicare

  • We also offer superbills for out-of-network reimbursement and private pay options for those seeking greater flexibility.

A person in gastonia, NC with dark hair wearing glasses, a beige sweatshirt, and a black watch sitting on a concrete ledge by a calm lake, looking out over the water reflecting on therapy online and in-person in NC with trees in the background.

We Believe You’re Not Broken — You’re Carrying a Lot.

At Journey Counseling PLLC, we know what it’s like to wake up every day already tired. Tired of pretending. Tired of holding it all together. Tired of feeling like you're "too sensitive," "too much," or just... not enough.

You’ve likely been functioning on the outside—getting things done, showing up for others, keeping the mask on. But inside? You’re unraveling. Whether you're carrying trauma, navigating anxiety or depression, working through neurodivergence, or re-adjusting to life after military service, you don’t have to keep doing it alone.

We're here to help you feel safe, seen, and supported.

A woman with short curly hair, glasses, and layered necklaces smiles while looking at her laptop in a cozy room.

What Therapy Looks Like with Us

We believe therapy should be a collaborative journey, not a clinical transaction. Sessions with us are spacious, real, and intentional. We hold room for your questions, fears, resistance, and hope.

We integrate a variety of evidence-based approaches depending on your needs:

EMDR Therapy in Charlotte & Gastonia NC

We use EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to help clients process trauma that’s stuck in the nervous system. This work helps reduce emotional reactivity to distressing memories and restores a sense of safety in the body.

Somatic Therapy & Body-Based Healing

For clients dealing with trauma, stress, or neurodivergence, we support healing through the body — not just the mind. This may include breathwork, grounding practices, movement, or inner bonding work. We help you reconnect with your internal cues and build trust with yourself again.

Client-Led, Culturally Sensitive, Spiritually Inclusive

We tailor sessions to your values. If your faith is a source of strength, we hold space for it. If you’re exploring deconstruction, we meet you with compassion. This is your space, and we honor your story.

trauma-informed therapist working with client in Charlotte NC

Journey Counseling PLLC was founded to offer something more profound.
We’re here to support deep, sustainable healing. We believe therapy isn’t just about symptom management or surviving the week. It’s about reconnecting with who you are underneath the exhaustion, the expectations, and the survival strategies you’ve carried for too long.

We offer a space to come home to yourself — gently, at your own pace, with real tools and therapists who truly understand the layers of what you’re carrying.

We provide therapy that’s:

  • Trauma-informed

  • Neurodivergent-affirming

  • LGBTQIA+ affirming and inclusive

  • Spiritually sensitive — faith-friendly and deconstruction-aware

  • Grounded in nervous system and somatic awareness

  • Relational, creative, and culturally responsive

Whether you’re navigating complex PTSD, anxiety, depression, relational wounds, family conflict, identity questions, or the overwhelm of being a late-diagnosed neurodivergent adult — we’re here.

We work with teens, adults, couples, and families throughout Gastonia, Charlotte, and across North Carolina. Therapy with us isn’t about fixing you — it’s about honoring your story and helping you heal in a way that feels true to who you are

Why We Exist

An African American with curly hair embracing a mixed race man with glasses and a shaved head, outdoor setting in North Carolina considering couples therapy with a stone wall and distant landscape in the background.

We specialize in therapy for adults, teens, couples, and families navigating:

  • Trauma and PTSD

  • Anxiety, panic, and chronic stress

  • Depression, disconnection, and emotional fatigue

  • Neurodivergence (ADHD, Autism, Sensory Processing)

  • Religious, spiritual, or faith-based trauma

  • Identity exploration, including LGBTQIA+ support

  • Life after military service or major transitions

  • Generational, relational, and attachment wounds

  • Burnout, perfectionism, and people-pleasing

Whether it’s your first time in therapy or you’re coming back after a not-so-great experience, you are welcome here. We’re ready to meet you with compassion, curiosity, and care.

Who We Work With

Invest in Your Healing, Your Way
Paying out of pocket gives you the freedom to choose the therapist, approach, and pace that truly fit you—without the limitations of insurance. Your care stays private, your treatment stays personalized, and together we focus fully on your healing, not your diagnosis.

Private Pay Rates

Individual Therapy for Adults & Adolescents

When your mind won’t quiet down and your energy is always in overdrive or empty, therapy can offer a reset—a steady space to come back to yourself. We work with teens and adults navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, neurodivergence, grief, identity exploration, family stress, and life transitions. Whether you're in survival mode or ready for deeper healing, we’ll meet you where you are—with care that’s collaborative, inclusive, and paced to fit your needs. For clients wanting extended support, self-pay intensives are available: $225 for 90 minutes or $300 for 2 hours (not covered by insurance).

Intake Appointment $195 | Individual Therapy 55 mins $190 |

Schedule Now: Begin Your Journey

Couples & Family Therapy

Your relationships deserve more than quick fixes. We offer trauma-informed therapy for couples and families navigating disconnection, conflict, or big transitions. Whether you’re feeling stuck, preparing for commitment, or trying to parent through stress, therapy can help.

Who We Support:

  • Couples and partners feeling distant or overwhelmed

  • Families managing teen stress, transitions, or communication issues

  • Premarital couples wanting a strong foundation

Who Provides Care:

  • Isley Bell, LCMHCA – Couples & Family Therapy

  • Deborah Lee, LCSWA – Family Therapy & Parent Support

  • Rebecca Waters, LCMHC – Premarital Counseling Only

Mornings, evenings, and weekend appointments available
55 mins | $200 (Primarily Private Pay, Sliding Fee Application Availability for Need-Based Consideration)

Betrayal Trauma Recovery (Upon Individual Screening)

Betrayal cuts deep. Whether it’s infidelity, spiritual abuse, or emotional manipulation, the wounds can impact every part of your nervous system. We offer one-on-one betrayal trauma care for clients seeking a safe space to unpack and rebuild. Sessions are paced with compassion, consent, and care.

60 mins | $200

Group Therapy

Small, intentional groups offering a safe space for shared healing and genuine connection.
You weren’t meant to heal alone. Our small, intentional therapy groups help you feel less isolated and more seen. Whether you're exploring identity, working through trauma, or just longing for connection, group therapy can offer powerful breakthroughs.

Are you interested in joining our neurodivergent support group for adults? Click here to fill out the interest form

90 mins | $120

Invest in Yourself.