In-person and online therapy for anxious adults with religious childhoods in Tennessee
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with Mental Health Service Provider designation (LPC-MHSP) in Tennessee (License #6044).
I provide:
Online therapy to adults physically located anywhere in Tennessee at the time of sessions
I work with adults ages 20–40.
Outpatient, trauma-informed therapy for adults navigating religious trauma and faith deconstruction, available via telehealth across Tennessee.
Primary Fit
I work best with adults (20s–40s) experiencing anxiety tied to growing up in conservative or high-control religious environments, especially those now deconstructing beliefs or processing religious trauma.
Many of my clients are also neurodivergent (ADHD, Autistic, Highly Sensitive) and/or LGBTQIA+ and want an affirming, depth-oriented space to make sense of their experiences and move forward with clarity. I have experience working with people in academia, tech, and science-related fields and can “keep up” with them if they need to talk about work-related concerns.
Practical Details
I am a private-pay (self-pay) practice and do not accept insurance.
HSA/FSA cards are accepted.
I do not offer payment plans.
Session fees: $135 (45 min) / $290 (90 min Deep Work sessions)
I offer extended therapy sessions and therapy intensives (“Deep Work sessions”) for clients wanting more spacious, focused support around religious trauma, anxiety, identity shifts, and deconstruction. These sessions are often a strong fit for high-functioning adults who feel stuck in long-standing patterns and want deeper emotional processing and nervous system-focused work.
Availability: Weekdays only unless wanting to schedule a weekend intensive (prices for this start at $730 for one 3-hour weekend Deep Work session)
Typical response time: within 2 business days
Session format: Weekly or 2–3x/month for extended sessions
Location note: You must be physically located in Tennessee during telehealth sessions
The Clients I Usually Work With
Most of the people I work with are smart and competent individuals who currently feel stuck in their careers and/or relationships even though they’re in roles where others depend on them.
They may have gone to therapy before but haven’t worked much or at all with the impact of their conservative religious upbringing. Some folks reach out to me because they’ve been hearing the phrase “religious trauma” and feel like it might apply for them. Some folks reach out to me because they’ve started deconstructing religious beliefs and they need a safe space to ask questions and feel validated and understood. Many are looking for more than surface-level coping strategies. They want space to deeply process grief, fear, identity shifts, chronic anxiety, or self-trust struggles connected to conservative religious conditioning. Extended therapy sessions and intensives can provide more room for this kind of focused, depth-oriented work.
I work with high-functioning anxious adults recovering from religious trauma, conservative religious conditioning, and faith deconstruction. Many of my clients spent years feeling responsible for being good, agreeable, emotionally contained, or spiritually certain—and now feel disconnected from their own instincts, identity, or sense of self. They want clarity about what’s going on and how to move forward, relief from increased anxiety/panic, healing from past trauma, and to access self-trust and their authentic selves.
The Services I Offer
I provide therapy for neurodivergent and queer adults experiencing career and/or relationship challenges because of their conservative religious past, whether that’s showing up as belief deconstruction or as religious trauma.
If you’re here because you’re wanting a safe place to explore faith/belief/identity deconstruction, start here: Therapy for Deconstruction.
If you’re here because you have experienced religious harm, spiritual abuse, or religious trauma, start here: Therapy for Religious Trauma.
Therapeutic Approach and Style
I am a deeply empathetic and intuitive person, and I put effort into helping clients feel truly understood. I pay attention to small details and have my therapy office intentionally arranged to be as inclusive and comforting as possible. I try not to take myself too seriously, and really enjoy being able to laugh with clients. I ask for feedback often, and work hard to receive and integrate it well. While I only take on clients who I believe I can do good work with, I believe therapy should be flexibly adapted to folks’ life situations, neurotypes, and preferences as much as possible. I enjoy having deep and existential conversations with clients though I don’t pressure people to go deeper than they want to. I’m direct and won’t waste your time—I’ll gently challenge patterns that aren’t serving you. In therapy, I often reference books, poetry, TV shows/movies, music, memes, various branches of science, current events, and more.
Strong Match Indicators
You’re likely a strong fit if:
You feel anxiety, guilt, or fear tied to religious beliefs you’re questioning or leaving
You find yourself overthinking, people-pleasing, or struggling to trust your own decisions
You grew up in a conservative or high-control religious environment and are now re-evaluating your identity
You want a therapist who is affirming of LGBTQIA+ identities and neurodivergence
You’re interested in depth-oriented therapy, extended sessions, or therapy intensives focused on religious trauma, deconstruction, anxiety, identity shifts, or rebuilding self-trust.
You want to make changes in your life, even if you’re not sure yet which ones to make
You can commit to traditional 45-minute sessions weekly or Deep Work (90 minutes plus) sessions 2-3 times per month
The People for Whom My Work is NOT a Good Fit
This is an outpatient, private-pay practice. I’m not the right fit if you need a higher level of care or ongoing between-session support.
This includes people who are:
Experiencing active suicidality, recent suicide attempts, self-harm, or urges to harm others
Unable to consistently attend sessions due to severe depression, fatigue, or functional impairment
Currently unstable in housing, safety, food access, or other basic needs
Actively struggling with substance use that interferes with daily functioning
Needing eating disorder treatment involving restricting, purging, or medical risk
Requiring court-mandated therapy, insurance-based care, or crisis support
If this is you, you deserve support that matches your needs—higher levels of care, community-based services, or specialized programs may be more appropriate.
Why People Trust and Refer to Me
I have specialized training in complex trauma and religious trauma, and regularly consult with other clinicians to ensure high-quality care.
I have 6 years of experience working with clients navigating belief deconstruction, shame, and identity shifts after conservative religious upbringings.
I also bring lived experience with religious trauma and years of personal therapy, which helps me understand this process from the inside as well as clinically.
I grew up in the South, in the Bible Belt, and have lived in Tennessee for 12 years now, so I understand Southern and specifically Bible Belt culture. I also have knowledge of many different Christian and other religious traditions, not just the one I was raised in. I provide secular and spiritually neutral therapy, but can talk comfortably about theological or spiritual concerns if clients want to bring them up.
The Modalities I Incorporate Into Therapy
How I Help (Therapeutic Approach in Practice)
I help clients reduce anxiety and untangle religious conditioning by combining:
ACT to defuse from fear-based thoughts and build values-driven action
Compassion-focused work to reduce shame rooted in religious messaging
Trauma-informed, parts-based, and somatic approaches to process deeper experiences safely
I tailor these based on your nervous system, identity, and goals based on what helps you most:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): I focus on helping you live a meaningful life—not become an “idealized human.” We work on defusing from distressing thoughts and balancing acceptance of what can’t change with committed action toward what can.
Compassion-Focused Therapy: We build self-compassion to quiet shame. This is especially important for clients from high-control religious environments, where inner shame voices tend to be strong.
Trauma-Informed Stabilization Therapy: A parts-based, somatic approach for complex trauma and dissociation. We treat all parts of you as protective and meaningful, working to understand and support them rather than override them.
Somatic techniques: I help you move beyond just thinking about your experiences by incorporating body-based techniques that access emotions and nervous system responses directly.
Narrative therapy: This approach centers you as the expert of your life and helps you reframe your story in ways that support agency, clarity, and self-trust.
Feminist therapy: I use an egalitarian, non-pathologizing lens that names the impact of identity and systemic forces, while supporting your ability to create meaningful change in your life.
Plain-Language Summary
I’m a Tennessee-licensed therapist who works with anxious adults (20s–40s) who grew up in conservative or high-control religious environments.
I help people navigate belief deconstruction, heal from religious trauma, and reduce anxiety—especially those who are neurodivergent and/or LGBTQIA+.
My approach is depth-oriented, trauma-informed, and flexible, and I offer online therapy across Tennessee.
I’m a strong fit for clients who are stable enough for outpatient therapy and looking for insight-driven work, and not a fit for those needing crisis support, structured/worksheet-based therapy, or insurance-based care.
Where to Go Next
If you’re here because you’re wanting a safe place to explore faith/belief/identity deconstruction, start here: Therapy for Deconstruction.
If you’re here because you have experienced religious harm, spiritual abuse, or religious trauma, start here: Therapy for Religious Trauma.
If you want to learn more about me, Karen Chambless, start here: About Karen
If you’d like to explore whether working together makes sense, you can schedule a consultation below: book a free 15-minute consultation call HERE.