LGBT therapists in Cookeville, TN

Hi! My name is Amanda, I graduated with my Masters in Family Therapy from Drexel University in 2016. Since then, I have worked with a variety of individuals, couples, and families. I am trained in family systems therapy, collaborative problem solving, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and emotion-focused therapy, as well as several other treatment modalities.

If you’re carrying trauma, anxiety, or depression, you’ve found a warm and steady place to start. I’m a seasoned Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and mindfulness has been a deeply important part of my own life and my work for nearly 30 years. Over the years, I’ve completed intensive meditation training in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the United States, experiences that have profoundly shaped how I understand healing, presence, and the connection between mind and body. I’d be honored to bring all of that to you.

I’m a therapist based in Memphis who works with high-achieving women navigating anxiety, burnout, identity transitions, and complex relationship dynamics. Many of my clients are successful on the outside and exhausted on the inside. They are often the responsible one, the strong one, the reliable one — and quietly overwhelmed.

My work is grounded in Internal Family Systems (IFS), an evidence-based model that helps clients understand and heal the different “parts” of themselves — the driven part, the critical part, the anxious part, the part that feels unseen. I am Level 1 trained in IFS and integrate attachment-informed and trauma-responsive care into my practice.

Hi, I'm Dr. Deborah DeFrieze, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 15 years of experience helping people work through anxiety, stress, trauma, grief, depression, and life's hardest transitions. If anxiety or overwhelm has been running the show lately, I'm here to help you take the reins back — with a warm, honest, and practical approach.

My path to this work has been a rich one. Alongside my social work career, I spent 33 years in public education — as a teacher in both regular and special education, an assistant principal, a principal, and an assistant professor — and I served as a missionary in Africa for 18 months. Those experiences taught me to meet people where they are, across every walk of life and stage of change. I hold a Master of Social Work from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a doctorate in education from the University of Georgia, and I'm also a Licensed Massage Therapist, which deepens my appreciation for the mind-body connection in healing.

I draw on evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), EMDR, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, tailoring our work to what will help you most.

I’m a person-centered therapist with more than ten years of experience helping people navigate grief, anxiety, depression, addiction, relationship struggles, family conflict, heartbreak, abuse, and trauma. I work with a broad range of clients and bring specialized training in EMDR and trauma-focused care to my practice. I know what it is to struggle, and I believe healing begins when you no longer have to face that struggle alone. My role is to meet you where you are, help you imagine where you want to be, and walk alongside you as you find the courage to get there.

I’m the kind of therapist who shows up as a real person first. I’m warm, honest, and deeply committed to helping you feel safe enough to be yourself. I have experience working with people navigating stress, relationship challenges, emotional ups and downs, and life transitions. My goal is to create a space where you feel seen, heard, and genuinely supported.

I help men who feel stuck, behind in life, or disconnected from themselves. If you find yourself overthinking, avoiding things you know matter, or struggling to stay consistent, you’re not alone. Together, we’ll understand what’s keeping you stuck and build a path forward that feels clear and manageable.

Let’s get UNSTUCK. Therapy doesn’t have to feel overwhelming, and healing and growth don’t have to come through more pain.

You may understand exactly what's causing a certain feeling or response and yet it still happens. You know you're safe but your mind/body responds as though you are not. You know you are capable but something keeps getting in the way.

I work with adults, teens, and children navigating trauma, anxiety, fears and phobias, guilt, shame, fear of judgement, grief, life transitions, perinatal experiences, and performance-related stressors. I also work with people who recognize something is getting in the way of how they'd like to be and are interested in accessing and perhaps expanding their potential.

Many of the people I work with have already put a lot of thought and effort into feeling better and gaining insight. You don’t have to have it figured out before you get here. My clients tend to be curious, motivated, and open to coloring a little outside of the lines. They often appreciate an active therapeutic process focused on creating clarity and change.

Sometimes the goal is deep relief from something painful. Sometimes it’s greater confidence, freedom, or the ability to show up more fully as yourself.

I’m a Rapid Resolution Therapy Certified Specialist and a National Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, with additional training in Brainspotting and other experiential and strength-based approaches.

I’m so excited that you found me and we get to do this journey together! What a privilege to walk by your side as you courageously take those first steps towards health, healing and wholeness. I’ve been a therapist for almost 10 years and have practiced in a variety of clinical settings. I’ve held space for clients and therapists experiencing the crushing pain of trauma and taught them skills to restore hope. I would love to join you as we learn how to do hard things together!