Online Therapy for Burnout, Religious Deconstruction, & Identity Shifts Throughout Tennessee
Provider Identification & Licensure
Karen Chambless, LPC-MHSP (TN License #6044)
Licensed Professional Counselor with Mental Health Service Provider designation in Tennessee.
I provide individual outpatient psychotherapy via telehealth to adults ages 20–40 who are physically located in Tennessee during sessions. My practice is private pay only.
I help thoughtful, queer, and neurodivergent adults recover from burnout, navigate religious deconstruction, heal from religious trauma, adjust to a late ADHD or autism diagnosis, and move through major identity transitions with greater self-trust.
Primary Fit / The Clients I Usually Work With
I primarily help thoughtful, queer, and neurodivergent adults experiencing burnout, religious deconstruction, grief, anxiety, or major identity transitions reconnect with themselves and rebuild self-trust through trauma-informed online therapy across Tennessee.
I often work with folks who have spent much of their lives being the dependable one—the person who figures everything out, keeps going, and takes care of everyone else. Many are autistic, ADHD, AuDHD, or Highly Sensitive People, and many are navigating major identity transitions such as coming out, a late neurodivergent diagnosis, grief, burnout, or questioning long-held beliefs. They tend to be deeply self-aware, capable, and successful by most outward measures, yet feel exhausted by the constant pressure to keep pushing through.
Many of the people I work with come to therapy because the strategies that once helped them survive are no longer working. Some are untangling the lasting impact of conservative Christian upbringing, evangelical culture, purity culture, high-control religious communities, or other forms of religious trauma and faith deconstruction. Others are realizing that years of masking, people-pleasing, perfectionism, or chronic self-monitoring have left them disconnected from themselves. Many are looking for a therapist who understands autistic burnout, ADHD burnout, or what happens after years of adapting themselves to fit other people's expectations. They aren't looking for more advice or another coping strategy—they're looking for space to slow down, make sense of what's changing, and rebuild trust in their own voice, values, and way of moving through the world.
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: $140 (45 min) / $295 (90 min extended sessions)
I offer extended therapy sessions and therapy intensives 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 extended 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 Services I Offer
I provide therapy for thoughtful, high-functioning adults navigating burnout, religious trauma, grief, Queer lives, neurodivergence, and identity transitions
If you’re here for burnout recovery therapy, start here:
If you’re here for therapy after leaving Christianity or another high-control religion, start here: Therapy for Religious Trauma & Faith Deconstruction
If you’re here for LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy, start here:
If you’re here for therapy after a late autism or ADHD diagnosis, start here:
If you’re here for therapy for identity transitions, grief, and major life changes, start here:
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.
Over time, many clients find they have more compassion for themselves, greater trust in their own judgment, and more flexibility in responding to difficult thoughts, emotions, and life transitions. Rather than relying on old survival strategies, they begin making choices that feel more aligned with who they are and what matters most to them.
Strong Match Indicators
You’re likely a strong fit if:
You have spent years trying to figure things out on your own and are ready for a different way of relating to yourself.
You are thoughtful, curious, and open to exploring patterns with compassion rather than self-criticism.
You tend to be highly self-aware but recognize that insight alone hasn't created the change they're looking for.
You are recovering from burnout, questioning your faith, processing religious trauma, navigating a late ADHD or autism diagnosis, coming out, or trying to understand why years of masking and people-pleasing have become unsustainable.
You want therapy that moves beyond problem-solving to include emotional processing, nervous system awareness, and rebuilding self-trust.
You appreciate a therapist who is warm, collaborative, genuine, and who occasionally laughs or swears in session.
You can commit to either weekly therapy or extended (90-minute to 3-hour) sessions that provide space for deeper, more integrative work.
The People for Whom My Work is NOT a Good Fit
This approach is not the best fit if:
You're currently in a mental health crisis or need a higher level of care than outpatient therapy can provide (for example, active suicidal thoughts with intent, recent suicide attempts, active self-harm, psychosis, mania, or thoughts of harming others).
Depression, fatigue, or another condition makes it difficult to consistently attend appointments or meet your basic daily needs.
You're experiencing significant instability related to housing, safety, food, or other essential needs that would be more urgent to address first.
Substance use is currently your primary way of coping or is interfering with your ability to engage in therapy.
An eating disorder or disordered eating behaviors are active enough that they require more specialized treatment.
You need frequent support between sessions, crisis availability, or ongoing communication outside of scheduled appointments.
You're looking for a highly structured, skills-based approach with regular worksheets, homework, or coaching.
You need to use insurance or are seeking court-ordered therapy.
My practice is best suited for adults who have enough stability and support to engage in depth-oriented outpatient therapy. If it seems like your needs would be better met by a different level or style of care, I'm happy to help point you toward resources that may be a better fit.
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 received training and education from the Religious Trauma Institute, Dr. Janina Fisher for her Trauma-Informed Stabilization Therapy model, PESI for CBT and exposure therapy-based approaches, and more.
I have 6 years of experience working with clients navigating religious trauma, faith deconstruction and identity shifts after conservative religious upbringings, in addition to anxiety, grief, and burnout.
I have been fully licensed in Tennessee since December of 2023 and was provisionally licensed starting in April 2022.
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. I am a Queer and neurodivergent person myself.
The Modalities I Incorporate Into Therapy
I help people recover from burnout, loosen the grip of religious conditioning, reconnect with themselves, and make values-based decisions by combining ACT, compassion-focused work, somatic approaches, narrative therapy, and trauma-informed parts work.
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 individual adults navigating burnout, grief, anxiety, religious trauma, and identity transitions.
I help thoughtful, queer, and neurodivergent adults recover from burnout, heal from religious trauma, navigate faith deconstruction, adjust to late autism or ADHD diagnoses, and reconnect with themselves during major identity transitions.
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
Resources for getting started: Start Here
If you want to learn more about me, Karen Chambless: About Karen
Find answers to some frequently asked questions about therapy: FAQs
If you’d like to explore whether working together makes sense, you can
book a free 15-minute consultation call HERE.