Counselors in Atlanta & Alpharetta, GA

Since 1998, Tatiana Matthews has been sharing hope, humor, and professionalism with her clients. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) in Georgia and North Carolina. She is the clinical director of Atlanta Specialized Care.

Mrs. Matthews obtained her master of science from East Carolina University, where she majored in clinical rehabilitation counseling with a specialty in addiction and mental health. While acting as a consult liaison in the main medical hospital, she completed her clinical internship in the alcohol and addiction program and the psychiatric unit at Duke University Medical Hospital.

Following her internship, Mrs. Matthews practiced privately with East Coast Counseling in Greenville, North Carolina. In addition, she served as research director for a “Brief Intervention” study conducted through the East Carolina Injury Prevention Program at Pitt Memorial Hospital in Greenville.

In 2000, Mrs. Matthews moved to north Georgia and worked on a contractual basis for Ridgeview Institute’s mobile assessment team in Smyrna. She was one of the founding partners of North View Counseling & Recovery, Inc., where she practiced for almost 10 years. After retiring from North View in August 2010, Mrs. Matthews began practicing independently in Alpharetta.

Mrs. Matthews addresses the mind, body, spirituality, family systems, vocation, and hobbies. When requested by a client, she can integrate a Christian perspective into the therapy process. She is client-centered and develops a series of interventions that are challenging without being shaming.

Mrs. Matthews provides individual, family, and group therapy to adults and adolescents. She has extensive experience in the areas of addictions, co-dependency, trauma, mood regulation, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and learning disabilities.

Mrs. Matthews has specialized training in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), as well as dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). EMDR is a therapeutic technique used to address trauma, while DBT teaches emotional regulation.

Mrs. Matthews is also the author of Fred the Fox Shouts “NO!”, an adult’s guide to speaking to children about sexual abuse prevention. Fred the Fox helps parents and caregivers introduce the concepts of “private parts” and safety with people we know. With the help of illustrations by Allison Fears, Fred the Fox helps children learn to recognize and avoid sexual abuse and helps protect them by teaching them what to do.

Fred the Fox Shouts “NO!” is available for purchase at Amazon.com.

Theresa Westfall, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), received her Master of Science from Mercer University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. Mrs. Westfall completed her clinical internship at New Life Community Ministries in Decatur, Georgia, where she aided in the coordination and development of New Life’s counseling and case management program. She also assisted in Dr. Jagan Chilakamarri’s psychiatric practice with research on pediatric bipolar disorder.

Beyond her degree, Mrs. Westfall is trained in specialized trauma treatments, including the use of brainspotting, internal family systems, and progressive counting. Each of these therapeutic techniques are designed to help children and adults deal with traumatic experiences and loss. She is also trained in dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and facilitates this therapy in individual and group sessions.

Additionally, Mrs. Westfall is trained in collaborative and proactive solutions (CPS), a model used to work with children and adolescents experiencing behavioral challenges and/or explosive outbursts. The approach improves communication, empathy, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills as the child and the parent work together as a team. Family communication is strengthened and improved through this model.

Mrs. Westfall is the lead therapist for Atlanta Specialized Care's Executive Functioning Groups. She provides individual, family, and group therapy to children, adolescents, and adults. She is passionate about working in the areas of trauma, loss, executive functioning, social skills, the autism spectrum, communication difficulties, behavioral challenges, addictions, anxiety, stress management, depression, relationship difficulties, and life transitions.

Mrs. Westfall meets clients where they are in life and treats each client as a unique individual. She counsels from a holistic perspective incorporating the mind, body, spirit, family, school, work, and environment. Her therapeutic style is warm and supportive as she works with clients to reach their goals in a way that instills hope and a sense of empowerment.

Alicia Allison Porter, MS, NCC, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in psychotherapy with children, adolescents, and young adults. She received her Master of Science from Mercer University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program and is trained extensively in Play Therapy.

Her expertise is in treating anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder (social phobia). She is also experienced in working with clients dealing with depression, grief, childhood trauma, self-harming behaviors, and suicidal ideation.

Her techniques are rooted in a person-centered approach and include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness, and Child Centered Play Therapy. Her counseling process begins with teaching her clients how to “lean in” to their anxiety by offering a safe place to process emotions and learn skills to tolerate their anxiety with strength and perseverance.

Alicia is trained in SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), a program developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at the Yale Child Study Center. The technique is designed to help parents respond more supportively to their anxious child while also reducing any accommodations they have been making around the child’s symptoms.

Alicia Porter completed her clinical internship at Piedmont Hospital in the Smasky Advanced Heart Failure Center in Atlanta, Georgia where she ran the heart transplant support group for patients and caregivers. Prior to her internship, she worked with Georgia Transplant Foundation as the manager of the Mentor Project facilitating the peer-to-peer support system created to support candidates for and recipients of solid organ transplants.

A native of Atlanta, Alicia is closely tied to the community. She attended Woodward Academy, completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Oglethorpe University and earned her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health at Mercer University. Alicia has worked and volunteered for over 20 years in the Atlanta community supporting children, adolescents and their families through Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Camp Twin Lakes, Kate’s Club, and Genesis Center for Christian Counseling.

Melinda received her master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of North Texas. During her graduate program, she had the opportunity to work with a diverse clientele on a variety of issues that included trauma, depression, anxiety, addiction and grief. She completed her counseling internships in Dallas at The Family Place, the largest family violence service provider in Texas, and Nexus Recovery Center, a non-profit offering intensive, trauma-responsive services to women facing drug and alcohol addiction.

Melinda provides individual and group therapy to adolescents, adults and couples. She draws from various counseling theories, but her primary approach is to encourage her clients to recognize their value by focusing on strengths and building resilience. Melinda recognizes the importance of the client-counselor relationship and knows therapy is most effective when each individual is comfortable once a foundation of trust is established. She tailors each session to meet the unique needs and goals of every individual with empathy, warmth and optimism.

Melinda moved to Atlanta a couple of years ago with her husband and two teenage sons. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, traveling, volunteering, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.

Neitcha Thomsen, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP), received her Master of Social Work from the University of Georgia and her undergraduate degree in Social Work from the University of Texas. Mrs. Thomsen has extensive experience working with young adults and adults with mood disorders, psychotic disorders, anxiety, OCD, grief, and insomnia. She works with individuals on the autism spectrum providing individual support for executive functioning skills. She is certified as an Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist. She is a mental health advocate in the Atlanta community and is passionate about empowering and supporting families and individuals impacted by mental illness through their journey of recovery, ending stigma, and identifying community mental health resources. Mrs. Thomsen uses a variety of modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing, psychoeducation and Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP) based on the needs of the client. She is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) which is considered the gold standard for the treatment of insomnia. She empowers clients in their journey through a framework of the recovery model along with focusing on individual strengths. Through the treatment process, she aids individuals to discover their personal strengths and qualities, and to tap into ability to not only heal but thrive in life. She works from a client-centered framework focusing on education, protective factors, values, connection to others, and developing skills while focusing on each client’s personal goals for therapy. Mrs. Thomsen has experience in both the inpatient and structured outpatient psychiatric program settings. She has worked as a program therapist and program director. She has served on the board of NAMI Northside and currently is on the board of PLAN (Planned Lifetime Assistance) of Georgia. Before embarking on her work in the field of mental health she worked as a Spanish interpreter and cultural liaison in the school system along with facilitating community outreach work. She has lived in Mexico, Japan and Australia and loves to travel and learn about new cultures.

Erin Mills, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), received her Master of Social Work from Kennesaw State University with a specialty focus in substance abuse. She completed her clinical internships at DeKalb Drug Court; a judicially supervised drug treatment and alternative sentencing program offered by DeKalb Superior Court, and Mothers Making a Change; an inpatient/outpatient treatment facility for mothers working with the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) to regain custody of their children. During her internships, she discovered her passion and aptitude for working within the area of substance abuse treatment.

Erin was also the Lead Counselor at Caron Treatment Center’s Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program in Dunwoody. There, she completed assessments and made recommendations for appropriate levels of care, facilitated several outpatient groups for adolescents, young adults, and their families, and facilitated individual and family therapy. Erin believes that incorporating family participation in adolescent therapy is imperative to long-term success and enjoys working with clients and their families to provide these services.

Erin is trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Erin works with adolescents, young adults, and adults struggling with a range of issues, including substance use/abuse, trauma, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, communication issues, lack of coping skills, relationship conflicts, and executive functioning.

Erin believes that each client is an individual with specific needs that is capable of change and growth with the right supports in place. She is passionate about working with her clients and offering them encouragement, support, and insight while working together to realize their goals.

A native Atlantan, Natalie Stadnick-Uhl holds a Master of Divinity from Duke University and a Master of Rehabilitation Counseling from Mercer University. Natalie provides individual and group therapy to pre-teens, adolescents, and adults. She has experience in the areas of trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and executive functioning.

Natalie completed her counseling internship here at Atlanta Specialized Care. While interning at ASC, Natalie co-lead ASC’s Adult Executive Functioning groups alongside Theresa Westfall. Further, Natalie honed her skills working with a neurodiverse client population under the direct guidance and supervision of ASC’s Director, Tatiana Matthews, LPC, CRC.

In her work, Natalie takes to heart that positive outcomes in therapy are correlated with a good counselor-client relationship. To that end, acceptance and warmth are hallmarks of Natalie's counseling style. As appropriate for each individual client’s needs and goals, Natalie draws from a variety of counseling theories such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Choice Theory.

Natalie’s MDiv internship was completed at Partners In Caring, a Duke University Hospital affiliated program providing spiritual care, case management and assistance for people living with HIV. As a graduate of Duke Divinity school, Natalie is trained in pastoral counseling and, if desired by the client, spirituality can be incorporated into client sessions.

As a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Natalie further specializes in counseling individuals and caregivers of those with chronic illness and physical or psychological disabilities. Further, Natalie is a member of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) and an associate member of the Sandplay Therapists of America.

As an Advanced Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Katie Butler specializes in prescribing and managing medication for clients with anxiety, depression, mood disorders, ADHD, and substance abuse.

Since receiving her Family Nurse Practitioner degree (Summa cum Laude) from Georgia State University, Katie has worked in a variety of settings including Augusta’s VA hospital, in pediatric oncology, and in private practice.

Katie grew up in Sandy Spring and is married with two grown children. As a former collegiate athlete, running both cross country and track at SMU, Katie stays active with traveling and hiking. She slows down with a book or engaging in her yoga practice, and she is certified to teach yoga as well as Yoga of 12-steps.

Bre Curtin completed her Bachelor’s degree at Everglades University with a degree in Alternative Medicine. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree from East Carolina University in the Counselor Education Program. With her background in alternative medicine, Bre’s approach to therapy is humanistic and person-centered. Balancing the academic knowledge she has gained, Bre strives to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere. A spiritual perspective can be integrated upon the request of a client.

Bre is happy to be working so closely with the community, as she is a native of Atlanta. Her hobbies include hiking, drawing, cooking and meditation.

Megan McKinney, a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), received her Master of Social Work from Boston College. Megan completed her clinical internships at Stone Rehabilitation; a skilled nursing facility, and Klarman Eating Disorders Center at McLean Hospital, a residential eating disorder facility that specializes in the treatment of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder for women ages 18-26. It was during this time that she became passionate about helping adolescents and young adults of all genders heal their relationships with food and body and lead a more fulfilling life.

Megan further gained experience as a Primary Therapist at Clementine Atlanta, an eating disorder treatment center, where she walked beside adolescents and their families in their recovery journey. Here she provided individual psychotherapy, group therapy, completed assessments, and helped clients navigate the varying levels of care.

Megan uses a holistic, strengths-based approach to therapy drawing from theories such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Solutions-Focused Therapy. She works with children, adolescents, and young adults who are seeking help with eating disorders, body image concerns, anxiety, depression, and relationships. Megan seeks to create a space that is nonjudgmental, empathetic, and collaborative. She believes that the individual is the expert on their own experience, and there is always a chance to create meaningful change. Megan is passionate about supporting clients as realize their strengths and create the life they wish to live.