Stephanie Townsend is a Licensed Master Social Worker in Georgia with a background in private practice and community mental health, treating issues such as PTSD, Disordered Eating, Body Dysmorphia, Depression, Anxiety, and Anger. Stephanie believes that she is a healed person today because of her own therapeutic experiences. Stephanie’s driving force in working with clients is to help guide them to the other side of trauma. Stephanie is a survivor of traumatic experiences herself and is able to see the benefits of the treatments she uses with her clients every day.

Stephanie has extensive experience in treating trauma, varying from sexual abuse to combat veterans. Through her experience, she is able to see that trauma is a lifetime incident that usually leads to unexpected struggles later in life and understands the loneliness, anger, and depression that can come from feeling as though no one understands or can relate. She understands the client that feels down, or irritable, who has nightmares, fears of abandonment, and the client who struggles to trust themselves, much less other people. Stephanie helps her clients who struggle with trauma to make peace with the past and gives her clients the tools and space needed so that they live the life that they so often dream of.

Stephanie also works with clients who struggle with eating disorders and body dysmorphia. She recognizes that struggles such as these are not healed by a one size fits all approach. She has heard the comments of “just eat” or “portion control” and understands the damage and shame that goes along with a poor relationship with food and self. Stephanie understands how eating disorders and body dysmorphia can be all-consuming and she works with her clients to guide them towards reclaiming their lives through health, education, and self-paced recovery.

Stephanie believes in treating the entire being instead of throwing coping skills at negative behaviors. Stephanie tailors her approach to each individual, utilizing Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Schema Therapy, Inner Child Work, and Solution-focused interventions. She has further education, certification, and training in how nutrition and meaningful movement are powerful and positive tools that cannot be understated when working to heal all aspects of self.

Stephanie’s ultimate goal for her client is to heal, not just survive or maintain. She promotes and encourages her clients to rediscover who they are and claim that for themselves while in session and out in the world. She wants all of her clients to know that their hurt does not define them and can absolutely be a memory with no control over them or their lives.

Stephanie is also an Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) Practitioner, which allows for relief from traumas, phobias, anxiety, depression, disordered eating, OCD tendencies, grief, poor self-image/self-worth, and much more within 1-5 sessions. ART is a therapy that utilizes relaxing eye movements and image replacement therapy to allow individuals to lose the strong negative emotions tied to their traumas. As the client moves through this process, they remain in control of the entire session and experience more emotional regulation and positive feelings towards life and their future.