About Me
I’m Lexie, an Associate Licensed Professional Counselor (A-LPC/MHSP*) who works with 16+ individuals and couples. I’m originally from the suburbs of Chicago and am going on 11 years of living in Nashville now. My passion for counseling began in high school (but honestly probably even earlier) when I took my first psychology class and became fascinated by human behavior.
Much of my own healing journey has centered around emotional neglect, trauma, perfectionism, OCD, and codependency. I come from a emotionally dysfunctional environment where I was frequently criticized and ignored. I was first body shamed at the age of 5, and left to essentially fend for myself while my parents navigated intense legal issues and a messy divorce. I often did not feel safe, and adapted by becoming overly focused on others and what they needed, which manifested itself in me as a “good and perfect” little girl. As an adult, I struggled with perfectionism and trying to control others in relationships. Taking care of my own needs and wants was never even an option to me. I often blamed myself for things going wrong, took responsibility for things that weren’t mine to carry, and put myself in one-down positions to others.
It’s been transformative for me to get my story straight, and access my true and deeper feelings of anger and hurt over the ways I was neglected. By learning how to focus less on others, and more on myself, I’ve been able to experience more compassion and gentleness towards myself. This self compassion has allowed me to engage in healthy self care and more satisfying relationships.
I’ve been married to my college sweetheart for six years and have walked alongside him as a caregiver through his battle with cancer, the loss of our precious dog, and seasons of financial difficulty.
Today, I feel honored to walk alongside individuals and couples as they heal old wounds, grieve for the things they did not receive as a child, and begin rewriting their stories.
Some good stuff to know…
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Bachelor of Science for Middle Grades Mathematics Education, Lipscomb University
Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Lipscomb University
*As an Associate Licensed Professional Counselor - Mental Health Service Provider I practice under supervision while completing required post-graduate hours toward full licensure. Please feel free to ask questions about this during our consultation. I see clients at Cypress Counseling Group in Brentwood under the supervision of Carla Babb, Ed.S., ACS, LPC-MHSP.
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Healing Our Core Issues Level 1
Externship in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
Gottman Method Couples Therapy - Level 1
Dialectical Behavior Therapy C-DBT: Integrating DBT Skills Into Your Practice
Adult ADHD: Helping Clients Turn Intentions Into Action
Prepare Enrich Certified Facilitator
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Exposure and Response Prevention (gold standard treatment for OCD)
Emotions Focused Couples Therapy (gold standard treatment for couples work)
Gottman Method
Healing Our Core Issues - Development and Relational Trauma
Somatic Therapies (incorporating the body)
Mindfulness
Attachment Based Approaches
…and as always, providing my clients with education!
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If you’re looking for a more direct counselor, I might be the right fit for you! I’ll give you feedback, I’ll provide relevant education, and I’ll be honest. But I need you to do some work with me, too! I view my clients as the expert of their own lives, so when we’re getting started, I need you to help me understand what you want to work on, talk about, focus on. Sometimes you’ll have sessions where you’re not sure what you want to talk about, and I’ll be there to help you out! But overall I’m looking for my clients to come in with an idea of what they need and what they’re hoping to change.
If you’re curious, here’s part of my philosophy to this work.
To me, counseling is deeply sacred work. It is not simply about “reducing symptoms”, but about helping people heal from relational trauma, grow in self-awareness, and truly experience having compassion for themselves and others.
I often describe my counseling approach as working at the “intersection of faith and psychology”—the place where modern psychological research and Biblical truth meet. I believe many of the things we are discovering through today’s research about healing, relationships, attachment, and emotional health ultimately point back to God’s original design for us.
Counseling with me is also about caring for the whole person, which means incorporating the body. Our bodies carry the effects of stress, trauma, anxiety, and emotional pain, yet many of us have learned to numb what our body is communicating to us in order to cope. Because of this, our work together may also include conversations about sleep, movement, nervous system regulation, rest, and other forms of physical self-care that support emotional and spiritual wellness.
Who am I outside of counseling?
The oldest of 3 girls - that oldest daughter of emotionally immature parents to therapist pipeline is real you guys!!
Wife to my best friend Trey, and he’s a rare Nashville native!
A total homebody. Seriously - the only reason I ever travel is because my husband loves it, or I’m flying to Chicago to see my beloved sisters. I’m perfectly content staying home and cooking or baking.
As you can probably tell by the picture, I’m a total book worm. Be prepared for some book recommendations if we work together!
I view exercise as an act of self-love, and enjoy staying active through hiking, weight lifting, Pilates, and the occasional run. I also view rest as an act of self-love and find cooking and reading as ways to “fill my cup.”
I thrive during slow mornings paired with my homemade bagels & salted honey lattes. I try to spend every morning outside soaking in the beautiful sounds of nature before looking at my phone.
I’m a Real Housewives junkie. RHONJ reminds me too much of my childhood.