Connie Kretchmar (LPC)

Welcome to counseling! I look forward to meeting you and assisting you in identifying and accomplishing your goals in a safe, supportive setting. I have 18 years counseling experience, have a BS in Human Development, a Master of Arts (MA) in Counseling from East Tennessee State University, and am licensed in North Carolina (LCMHC) and Tennessee (LPC-MHSP). I enjoy working with women and men, families, adolescents, all races, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations. My treatment approach is cognitive behavioral, acceptance/commitment, person-centered, solution-focused, and I have found that working with a client usually leads us to a therapeutic approach which can be satisfactory and successful for the client. Taking the first step to come to counseling can give you a wonderful opportunity to clarify what has meaning to you, what may be lacking in the present or is holding you back from a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Once we identify these issues, we can address them positively, learn to use coping skills that may have been absent or forgotten, and have the opportunity to feel relief and momentum toward an improved present and future. It’s my personal belief that everyone benefits from counseling, whether they may be suffering from (and want to lessen) symptoms of depression, anxiety, trauma from the past or the present, grief, behavioral problems, parenting or relationship challenges, communication or self esteem issues. Working with a client in the counseling setting, I believe in the importance of building a caring, empathic, non-judgmental relationship by meeting a client where she/he is in life. I believe in the strength, courage, and resilience inherent in all people and that most people who seek out counseling come because they are temporarily stuck, not sick.