Book a therapist or psychiatrist in Maine covered by Cigna

My name is Wanda Barnes, I am a licensed mental health therapist LMHC in Florida and a licensed professional counselor (LPC), in the State of Maine. I started working in substance abuse at 17 years old driving the bus that took clients to AA/NA. Many years later I am still passionate about working with those who struggle with addiction of any kind or those who love them. I also worked 9 years with children and families in schools and foster care. Later I opened and operated a mental health clinic in Florida.

So far in my career, I've worked in a residential setting with female survivors of trafficking and exploitation, community mental health, private practice, support lines, and in insurance. Each setting brings different needs, but all have shown me how resilient people are and how anyone can change their life when they're ready.

I am here to listen. We all face mental health challenges at some point in our lives, and sometimes we need help reaching the other side of them. My path to this work has been a long one: I served as a first responder for 10 years and then spent more than 25 years as an emergency room nurse, with the past decade focused specifically on psychiatry in the ER. In those settings, I met people during some of the hardest moments of their lives, and I learned how much of a difference it makes to feel truly heard. Now, as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I bring that same steadiness and compassion to helping you achieve your goals. If you have found me, chances are you have already tried everything you know and nothing has worked yet. That takes courage, and it tells me you are exactly the kind of person I can help.

Welcome! I'm a licensed therapist who has worked with children, adults, and families, including in correctional settings. I believe the systems around us shape how we feel inside, and I hold that context in every session. My approach is grounded in trauma informed care and CBT, but what matters most is you: your goals, your pace, your story. If you're looking for a warm, open-minded space to start, I hope you'll reach out.

Are you navigating grief, chronic illness or a rare disease, or a major life transition? Maybe you grew up in a family impacted by addiction, conflict, or instability, and want to explore how those experiences are showing up in your life today. These experiences can shape your boundaries, self-worth, and sense of responsibility for others—often influencing relationships, personal growth, and even physical health. In therapy, we’ll explore how your past and present connect, process what you’ve been carrying, and begin to shift patterns that no longer serve you—so you can move forward with greater clarity and self-trust.

You're the one people call when things fall apart. You're good at it — steady, competent, the person who knows what to do. And somewhere along the way you stopped having anywhere to put your own stuff.

So you can run the meeting, hold the crisis, answer the phone at 2 a.m. — and still not be able to make yourself open the mail. Competence and collapse live together far more often than anyone admits out loud.

I work with adults carrying that particular load: substance use and recovery, emotions that arrive at full volume with no dimmer switch, thoughts of self-harm or not wanting to be here, and the specific erosion that comes from caring for other people for a living. Helpers, clinicians, parents, first responders — people whose exhaustion doesn't have an obvious place to go. I work with teenagers too, often the ones in families like these.

My style is direct, warm, and collaborative. I'm not going to nod quietly for fifty minutes. We'll find what's actually driving things, build skills you can use on a Tuesday afternoon when it counts, and I'll tell you honestly what I'm seeing. You set the pace. I'll bring the structure.

I'm Dr. Cheri Carter, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a PhD in Family Studies.