Katie Vines, LPC, MEd

Katie Vines, LPC, MEd Individual, adolescent, and family therapy at Vines Counseling LLC

Attn: College Students! If you’ll be home over Thanksgiving break and you want an in-person appointment, hit me up!
10/03/2025

Attn: College Students! If you’ll be home over Thanksgiving break and you want an in-person appointment, hit me up!

I had a big group of seniors graduate this year.  And over the last month they’ve slowly been leaving for various colleg...
09/19/2025

I had a big group of seniors graduate this year. And over the last month they’ve slowly been leaving for various colleges all over the country. It’s been exciting, but also bittersweet having watched them mature and grow over the years.

And today I had my last session with the last one to leave. And it really got me in my feels.

I love teenagers. I love how raw and brave and honest and emotional they are. I love how complex and interesting they are as people. And I love watching them grow and gain insight and understand themselves on a deeper level. This job is truly a gift.

To all my college freshmen…

You’ve! Got! This!

and I will miss you.

Everything truly worth having in life will require us to get uncomfortable. And pushing outside of where we are comforta...
01/17/2024

Everything truly worth having in life will require us to get uncomfortable. And pushing outside of where we are comfortable is where we develop new skills, create new neural pathways, break old patterns, and find new strength. What will you be brave enough to discover about yourself this year? See what you are capable of!

Journaling! Some love it and some hate it. I hope this post gives you some fresh ideas and perspectives on the practice....
01/13/2023

Journaling! Some love it and some hate it. I hope this post gives you some fresh ideas and perspectives on the practice. Let me know your thoughts!

Dropping some Oprah wisdom on you this dreary Monday morning. What are you resisting in your life that is a constant sou...
08/22/2022

Dropping some Oprah wisdom on you this dreary Monday morning. What are you resisting in your life that is a constant source of struggle for you? A work issue? A parenting issue? How can you shift into a place of acceptance of what IS and let go of how you want it to be? How can you shift to view the situation differently? Or is there a way to come to this with a different energy? Getting creative with our responses or shifting our perspective even slightly can often have big impact!

Going off to college is exciting but also super intimidating.  You're leaving all you've ever known. While most of you a...
08/15/2022

Going off to college is exciting but also super intimidating. You're leaving all you've ever known. While most of you are anxious to be independent, you're understandably nervous about finding your people, getting in a groove with classes, and of course, who you'll sit with in the dining hall ;)

You often hear that the friends you make in college are the friends you have for life. It’s true for many of us. But you have to find them! Up to this point, most of you have made friends by proximity (who you go to school with, who lives in your neighborhood, or who you do extracurriculars with), but for the first time in your life you have to really work at connecting with people and sorting out who is right for you. There’s a learning curve to it and it takes time. Don’t get discouraged. Remember that the skills you’ll build seeking out, creating, and nurturing new friendships are skills you’ll need for life. They will help you in job interviews, in the workplace, and in your own relationships down the road. Check out the slide on social tips for more.

As for roommate stuff, remember that having discussions and anticipating issues beforehand can help avoid unnecessary tension and conflict down the road. Check out my slide on common roommate issues.

As for the academics, some kids take off and some kids struggle for a bit. Both are normal. There’s so much change and so much going on that it takes a bit more effort for some kids to get in a groove. Parents please be patient. I struggled my first semester, my last 2 years I had a 4.0. I’ve included a slide with some study and time management tips as well.

Lastly I just want you all to keep in mind that while being a very exciting time, this is a very hard time as well. There is SO much to adjust to and so much to manage all at once. Some kids are well prepared, others are not. You can all do it, just take one day at a time and remember to take care of yourself! Connect with your people, have down time, exercise, and prioritize sleep.

I can’t wait to hear how it’s going!

The new vinescounseling.com is live! Go check it out! And leave some feedback while you’re there!
06/24/2022

The new vinescounseling.com is live! Go check it out! And leave some feedback while you’re there!

Always stay on top of that self talk y’all! So important!
01/21/2022

Always stay on top of that self talk y’all! So important!

I often find that clients who have a strong history of avoiding are also the clients who feel the most distance in their...
01/10/2022

I often find that clients who have a strong history of avoiding are also the clients who feel the most distance in their relationships. They get along with others, but they don’t feel close to them. They want greater connection with people in their lives and they want more meaningful friendships. They just don’t know how to put themselves out there.

No one knows how to do this perfectly. And we can’t know until we practice it. We will never get it 100% right, but what matters is that we show up and say “I don’t really know how to say this, and this is hard for me, but I owe it to you to tell you how I feel…” What matters is that we value connection over our own comfort.

Over time we get better and better at this. I watch it unfold on the daily and I love it!

I like to think of vulnerability as the opposite of avoidance. It’s saying “here I am. I am scared but I’m putting myself out there because I care enough about you to be honest.” And as we know from , the more we increase our capacity for vulnerability, the more fulfilled our lives become!

Due to the rapid increase in COVID cases in our area, I've decided to do virtual-only sessions for the next few weeks un...
01/01/2022

Due to the rapid increase in COVID cases in our area, I've decided to do virtual-only sessions for the next few weeks until we know how things are looking. The rise in hospitalizations and deaths typically doesn't come until 2-4 weeks after the initial spike in cases, so I would like to wait and see exactly how this wave is going to play out. While most of us are vaccinated and boosted, and would likely have mild illness, we would still be able to pass COVID on to loved ones. Omicron is harder to detect via rapid tests and many folks aren't testing positive until days into their symptoms. I fear passing COVID on to my loved ones who are high risk for complications or more severe illness.

I am not at all happy about going back to virtual sessions - even if for a brief time. If COVID taught us anything, it's that therapy is MUCH more effective in person! I really appreciate you all being so understanding of my need to be cautious right now. We are all fatigued with this and I feel I am constantly trying to strike a balance between keeping my sanity and trying to keep my staff and family safe. There will come a time in the future where we won’t feel like we are constantly making risk calculations, and I can’t wait for that day to come!

Keep an eye out for additional emails with updates as well as social media posts. We will be constantly assessing and updating as things progress. If you have an appointment in the next couple of weeks, you will be receiving an email with instructions for your virtual session.

If you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

More 4:00 spots and Wednesday morning slots are now open! Yay!
09/12/2021

More 4:00 spots and Wednesday morning slots are now open! Yay!

Address

2204 Lakeshore Drive, Suite 302
Birmingham, AL
35209

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm

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