Grief counselors and therapists in Independence, MO

Hi, I'm Tierra Kinnard, LCSW, and founder of Step by Step Healing Services, LLC. With more than 16 years of experience in the mental health field, I am passionate about helping individuals navigate life's challenges with compassion, understanding, and evidence-based care. I believe healing begins in a space where you feel safe, heard, and accepted exactly as you are. I specialize in treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Excoriation (Skin Picking Disorder), Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling Disorder), anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief and loss. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of supporting individuals from diverse backgrounds, including members of the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. I understand the profound impact that mental health challenges can have on individuals, families, and relationships, and I am committed to helping clients build resilience, find relief, and create meaningful change

I am a Christian counselor. I like to watch the Lord transform lives and bring order to the chaos in our lives. I am a grief specialist. I've been helping people walk through grief for almost 15 years. It's not 'goodbye' forever, it's just 'goodbye' for now. There is peace in knowing Jesus and that faith brings comfort in all types of struggle.

I have been practicing for 17 years, primarily seeing adults and senior citizens. I operate from a person-centered, emotionally-focused basis. You are the expert on your life, and my goal is to help you with that. I utilize experiential and psychodramatic techniques.. These methods allow for role plays and visualizations. Such techniques increase your ability to get more deeply in touch with your issues and see situations clearly. When you reenact what happens at home, in the safety of the therapy office, solutions become clear and your voice becomes strong.

My name is Vanessa Cox. I'm the Founder and CEO of Extensive Prevention Intervention Counseling Services (EPICS) LLC, a professional counseling practice, and the Founder and Board Secretary of EPICS J. R. Foundation. The driving force behind my lifework has been a personal mission to live with integrity and make a difference in the lives of others. With over 30 years of clinical and administrative experience,

I’m Dr. Pearson, and I draw on over 30 years of counseling experience helping individuals, couples, marriages, families, teens, children, and organizations work through life’s challenges. I support clients dealing with depression, anxiety, stress, anger, relationship issues, family conflict, addiction and alcohol concerns, military-related stress, and major life transitions. My background includes working with people across many stages of life, including active-duty military members, veterans, DoD staff, military families, couples preparing for marriage, families under stress, and individuals seeking healthier ways to live at home, at work, and in their relationships. I believe therapy should offer hope, practical support, and a clear path toward healthy change.

Therapy can be a powerful space for support, insight, and meaningful change. With more than 20 years of experience, I work with clients across the lifespan, including those in the "sandwich generation," older adults, caregivers, and people facing serious illness. I help individuals navigate complex family dynamics, work and health stressors, and major life transitions. A central focus of my work is helping clients communicate more effectively in the relationships that matter most-with partners, parents, adult children, and siblings-and break the patterns that keep important conversations stuck.

I am a therapist and strategic behavioral‐health leader with more than a decade of experience supporting youth, families, and adults navigating complex trauma, transition, and systems involvement. My background spans emergency shelter work, foster‐care transition programs, community‐based counseling, and clinical supervision of multidisciplinary teams.

Clients often describe me as steady, collaborative, and deeply attuned to the stories people carry. I bring a trauma‐informed lens to every interaction, honoring the resilience people develop in the face of adversity. My work is shaped by years of program development, crisis intervention, and advocacy for underserved communities — and by a belief that healing grows in environments where people feel seen, safe, and respected.

I came to train and serve as a counselor after being helped by counseling in my 40s. Sometimes reaching out for help and making changes in life is scary and overwhelming. Sometimes we need support as we navigate these changes. I love to support my clients as they make life-giving changes.