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85 licensed therapists & providers in Florida—9 in Jacksonville. Available as soon as today, in person and online
Our providers work with individuals, couples, families, & teens for anxiety, depression, grief, & more
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94% of clients feel truly understood by their provider. 3 out of 4 see improvement in depression & anxiety symptoms within 3 months
Discover how starting grief & loss counseling can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.
My approach is to get patients on the most effective but shortest amount of time possible on medications, get them stabilized to b...
About
My approach is to get patients on the most effective but shortest amount of time possible on medications, get them stabilized to be able to achieve the goals they have for themselves.
Getting the right psychiatric medication can be life-changing and finding someone who truly takes the time to understand you makes all the difference. I specialize in medication management for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD, working with adults navigating everything from career stress and academic pressure in their 20s to the demands of family and professional life in their 30s, 40s, and beyond. I hold a Doctor of Nursing Practice in lifespan psychiatric-mental health from the University of Florida and bring both clinical rigor and genuine curiosity to every client.
I take a whole-person approach to medication management: evaluating sleep, diet, movement, work, relationships, and physical health alongside relevant routine labs. Medication, when indicated, is used thoughtfully to stabilize during an episode, then tapered when clinically appropriate. My goal is your long-term wellness, not lifelong medication.
If you've been wondering whether medication might help you feel like yourself again, you're not alone. I'd love to help you find clarity and a plan that truly fits your life. When you're ready to take that next step, I encourage you to schedule an appointment.
Education and training
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Having worked with a wide variety of children and families, I understand that each child, sibling, and parent is on their own uniq...
Having worked with a wide variety of children and families, I understand that each child, sibling, and parent is on their own unique journey that requires a tailored approach to bring them closer to healing.
Raina Smith is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 2 years of experience in the mental health field. She is passionate about helping children, teens, parents, and families address their unique challenges and help them live more fulfilled lives. Raina specializes in autism, anxiety, anger, behavioral issues, and parenting struggles.
Raina Smith completed her Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Jacksonville University. Raina utilizes different treatment approaches including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness, and cinema therapy. Cinema therapy allows clients to learn more about themselves and gain a whole new perspective by exploring storylines and connecting to characters.
Life brings about challenges that can be difficult to manage. Raina is confident that she can support you and your family while creating a safe and unique space tailored to your needs and goals. If you are ready to take the next steps, schedule an appointment with her today.
Helping families navigate through their struggles and finding effective approaches based on their needs is a priority for me as a ...
Helping families navigate through their struggles and finding effective approaches based on their needs is a priority for me as a mental health professional.
Goulnissa Outechova is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with 17 years of experience in the field. Goulnissa works with clients of different ages and her main focus is helping families and children cope with their challenges, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, stress, interpersonal relationships, communication skills, and parenting.
Goulnissa Outechova was educated in Russia and obtained her master’s degree in education and psychology. She continued her studies in the U.S. to meet the educational criteria for Licensure in Mental Health in the state of Florida. Goulnissa got licensed in the state of Florida in 2013.
Goulnissa will work with you on achieving your therapeutic goals by providing the necessary tools and skills.
As a survivor of abuse and a conqueror of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, I understand the complexities o...
As a survivor of abuse and a conqueror of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, I understand the complexities of these disorders but have done the work not to allow anything to control or define my day or my life.
Kesha Sterling is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern with over 4 years of experience. She specializes in assisting adults who have a range of concerns including depression, anxiety, panic disorders, relationship issues, and addiction, as well as mood and personality disorders. Kesha has expertise in working with the addiction population, women, and couples.
Kesha received her Master of Science in Psychology from the University of Phoenix and is pursuing her doctoral degree. She utilizes a variety of clinical approaches that are personalized for client-specific needs including cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoeducational therapy, mindfulness-based methods, and motivational interviewing.
Kesha is committed to partnering with clients and helping them navigate their mental landscapes and address emotional disorders that affect their lives. She believes that we are only limited when we limit ourselves. If you are ready to begin, schedule an appointment with Kesha today!
As a clinician with lived experience balancing caregiving, resilience, and rebuilding, I understand the deep need for safety, comp...
As a clinician with lived experience balancing caregiving, resilience, and rebuilding, I understand the deep need for safety, compassion, and a place to breathe.
I am a registered mental health counselor intern (RMHCI) with 1 year of experience supporting adults navigating trauma, chronic stress, burnout, relationship challenges, and major life transitions. I often work with individuals who feel overwhelmed, stuck in survival mode, or disconnected from themselves, as well as high-functioning clients who have spent years prioritizing others and are seeking clarity, balance, and emotional grounding.
I earned my master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Capella University. My clinical background includes work in outpatient, community, and school-based settings. I use a trauma-informed, nervous-system-aware approach that integrates mindfulness-based practices, parts work, and somatic awareness to support emotional regulation and insight.
You do not have to navigate this alone. I strive to create a safe, compassionate space where you feel heard, supported, and empowered to understand your patterns, process unresolved experiences, and build healthier relationships with yourself and others. When you are ready, I invite you to take the next step toward the care you deserve.
As a nonjudgmental therapist, I understand we all try our best to get through life’s challenges with the tools and skills we have ...
As a nonjudgmental therapist, I understand we all try our best to get through life’s challenges with the tools and skills we have available at the current moment. However, I am confident we can work together to enhance your strengths and develop new strategies for growth and healing.
Sam Nelson is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern with over 3 years of experience in the mental health field. She has worked with children, teens, and adults with a range of clinical concerns including anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, borderline personality disorder, behavioral addictions, and trauma.
Sam received her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of North Florida. She draws from evidence-based therapy modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, exposure and response prevention, motivational interviewing, play therapy, EMDR, and expressive arts techniques.
Sam believes the first step to feeling better lies in accepting ourselves as we are in this moment so that we can identify areas for growth and make positive changes. Everyone faces challenges and deserves the support to get through them! Sam would appreciate the opportunity to walk alongside you on your journey toward healing.
My goal is to help you feel supported, valued, and empowered as you take steps toward healing and growth....
My goal is to help you feel supported, valued, and empowered as you take steps toward healing and growth.
I am a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with 2 years of experience in the mental health field. In my practice, I provide care for individuals facing a range of challenges, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mood or behavioral health concerns. I am dedicated to offering compassionate, evidence-based support to help clients improve their mental well-being and achieve lasting change.
I earned my Master’s in Nursing from Florida State University, where I strengthened my clinical expertise and commitment to delivering individualized care. My training emphasized evidence-based treatment approaches, which I continue to integrate into my practice to provide effective and meaningful support for clients.
I view therapy as a collaborative journey and strive to create a safe, welcoming environment where clients feel heard, supported, and empowered. My goal is to help individuals explore challenges, build resilience, and develop strategies that foster emotional health and personal growth.
As a therapist who also serves many non-professional roles; wife, mother, sibling, and teacher, and who has experience with person...
As a therapist who also serves many non-professional roles; wife, mother, sibling, and teacher, and who has experience with personal grief and loss, I validate and empathize the ups and downs that life throws at us on our journey. With full understanding and compassion, I am here to help you navigate those twists and turns so that you can become the best version of yourself.
Lisa Maddox is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has been working with kids and families in education since 2006 and working in the counseling field since 2020. She is passionate about helping people process and work through grief and major life changes. Lisa believes it takes a village to help a family prosper and enjoys working with all parts of the family unit (kids, adolescents, parents, couples, and family therapy) to help them grow and thrive.
Lisa completed her Bachelor of Science (BS) in Psychology, her Bachelor of Science (BS) in Social Science Secondary Education at Florida State University, and her Master of Science (MS) in Mental Health Counseling at Jacksonville University. She worked as a public high school teacher for 15 years and Lisa is ready to “teach” you and your family the tools and skills you need to succeed in your unique situation. To do this, Lisa utilizes treatment approaches including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), solution-focused therapy, and client-centered therapy.
In a world that is tough and constantly changing, Lisa challenges you to pause for a few minutes a day and begin the journey to making your life more than just about survival. If you are ready to learn who you are and how you have made it this far in your journey, Lisa will work closely with you in this discovery, and provide you with new tools to support your ever-growing strength to overcoming life's challenges. If you are ready to get to know the most important person in the world, yourself, schedule an appointment with her today!
You deserve dedicated time with a mental health professional — it can be life-changing.
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Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
Ricky: My preferred approach for helping people in grief & loss counseling is compassionate support while helping clients navigate the complex emotions and challenges associated with their loss. In grief and loss counseling, I prioritize creating a safe and supportive environment while normalizing the grieving process. I help clients explore the nature of their loss, process their emotions, and address unresolved issues. Encouraging self-care, building coping skills, and fostering meaning-making are integral parts of my approach. I support clients in adjusting to life without their loved ones and provide ongoing support as they navigate their grief journey.
Elizabeth: My go-to approach for helping people facing grief and loss is to provide empathy, education on grief and loss, and to just sit with them in the feelings they are going through. I find the best benefit in education and validation because people often do not understand what grief is, how they experience it, or give themselves permission to grieve. They question whether their feelings are "normal" or think they should be grieving on a specific timeline. Countering some of these myths can go a long way towards feeling better.
Ricky: I teach the following tools in grief & loss counseling:
Elizabeth: I teach coping skills, permission, myth-busting, and self-care. Exploring existential beliefs often helps, too.
Ricky: I know a client is making meaningful progress in grief & loss counseling when they demonstrate emotional expression, coping skills development, the integration of loss into their identity, functional improvement, finding meaning in their grief journey, increased self-awareness, resilience and adaptation, reduced distress, engagement in life, and having positive feedback about their counseling experience. Overall, progress in grief therapy is characterized by holistic improvement in the client's well-being as they navigate their grief journey toward healing and adaptation.
Elizabeth: I know a client is making meaningful progress in grief and loss counseling when he or she reports improved daily functioning. Often grief and loss can be crippling, and it is okay to just do nothing. However, people often want to see symptoms decrease so they can enjoy life more. Symptoms that interfere with functioning could look like low energy, irritability, excessive guilt or regret, lack of motivation, lack of ability to enjoy activities, etc.
Ricky: Clients can supplement their time in grief & loss counseling by engaging in various supportive activities outside therapy. I encourage journaling, joining support groups, mindfulness practices, physical activity, memorializing rituals, and practicing self-care. These supplemental activities can provide valuable support and enhance the healing process as clients navigate their grief journey.
Elizabeth: With grief and loss, it is important to find or create a support system. The therapist can provide resources that enable the client to gain the support systems they need, outside of counseling.
Ricky: Preparing ahead of time for grief therapy can help you make the most of your treatment experience. I would suggest that you:
Elizabeth: There is no right or wrong way to come to therapy! Come as you are, no need to prepare.
Grief and loss counseling helps people grieve difficult losses including the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship. It helps people navigate their grief process and eventually accept, understand, and move forward from their loss. Thriveworks grief therapists in Jacksonville, FL have specific experience, training, and skills that enable them to best support grieving individuals.
Grief and loss counseling isn’t one-size-fits-all, but it involves sharing about your loss and then working with your counselor to acknowledge and accept your new reality in its wake. Your provider at Thriveworks in Jacksonville, FL will design your treatment plan around your unique needs and goals for therapy, applying the counseling techniques that best support them.
If you have recently experienced an event like the death of a loved one, a breakup or divorce, the loss of a job, or another major life change, then you may want to seek grief and loss counseling. Grief can be caused by many experiences and events, so if you feel that you are having trouble moving on from a certain event or find that it is still impacting your life and functioning, grief and loss counseling can help you process it more effectively so that you can move on and once again find fulfillment and satisfaction in your life.
There are many counseling theories for treating grief, one of the most frequently used being the dual process model of grief which helps people acknowledge who or what they’ve lost through rumination while also adjusting to the new roles and identities that this loss has now placed on them. There are also many commonly used therapy approaches used in grief and loss counseling, including Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and traumatic grief therapy.
Grief & loss counseling at Thriveworks is conducted both in person and online by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
For many, grief and loss counseling lasts for about 6 months. For others, it may last shorter or longer, depending on the severity of their loss and their grief.
If you are in the Jacksonville, FL area and you recently lost a loved one, consider working with a grief counselor or psychologist at Thriveworks Fort Lauderdale. You can schedule your grief counseling appointment today by calling (904) 507-6712.
If you are struggling, reach out to Thriveworks Jacksonville to work with a grief counselor, who can help by:
Here at Thriveworks Jacksonville, our grief counselors will consider your lifestyle, as well as your culture, to best design treatment and help you through your loss. They’ll keep these ever-important factors in mind during each session.
If you’ve recently lost a family member, a friend, or a beloved pet, consider working with a grief counselor or psychologist. Thriveworks Jacksonville has you covered. We have grief counselors who are not only skilled, experienced providers, but those that truly care about their clients.
You can schedule a grief counseling appointment today. Book online just call (904) 507-6712.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Jacksonville is located in the Genna Trace office park, near the intersection of Sunbean Rd with Craven Rd, off Interstate 95; by the St Johns River and across the street from the Foundation of Community Hospice&Palliative Care. The office is in a recently renovated one-story office complex with attached parking. Enter through the front door to access Suite 6.
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85 therapists available in Florida, including 9 in Jacksonville
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