Community Psychotherapy and Addiction Counseling, LLC

My Story

I grew up in a religiously conservative household with loving parents, but we were extremely poor. Consequently, I was bullied from as early as as I can remember until my late teens. People referred to me as “That Chambers Boy,” an inanimate object, a thing that is not alive. Needless to say, I developed low self-esteem and self-doubt. I truly believed my circumstances were fixed and that “Tomorrow is not going to be an better than today, so why try.” I used to say that whenever someone would tell me I never smiled. I felt and hopeless. That feeling guided me, became a primary part of my decision making process and contributed to numerous poor decisions and unnecessary hardships I endured for far too many years.

One day in the early nineties, I walked outside of the small apartment I rented on 417 Alice Street in Albany, GA, infamously known as the Mud Puddle, and a sense of well being washed over me. For the first time in years, I smiled and felt hopeful. It was the day I began challenging my negative thoughts and believing that my life had value and that my past did not dictate my future. After my experiences, I wanted to understand human behavioral and why some are able to overcome adversities and other succumb.

Years later, as I enrolled in to study study criminology and sociology, I made a deal with myself. If I passed all of my classes, I would never doubt myself, again. That semester, I made the Dean’s List. I never doubted myself, again, and my confidence grew. I graduate in three years, Magna Cum Laude. Yet, simply stated, I was not aware that my thought process was responsible for the negative and positive outcomes in my life. While at the University of Southern California, I finally understood the power of cognitive distortions and cognitive restructuring: challenging and changing unhelpful, irrational thoughts in order to manage anxiety, depression, panic, somatic symptoms reduce stress and establish a sense of wellness, hope and mental fortitude. At that moment, I became a proponent and practitioner of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Decades of empirical data show CBT is effective and even as effective as certain psychotropic medications at treating anxiety, depression, trauma-related disorders (e.g., PTSD, s*xual trauma), panic, eating disorders and so forth.

I started my practice with the goal of helping patients realize their full potential, improve their quality of life and manage their issues emotions. I am professionally trained in behaviorism, behavioral and mental health and psychotherapy. I am a licensed clinical social worker, board certified alcohol and drug counselor, masters level addiction specialist, clinical supervisor and social criminologist. Most of all, I am you. I rely on evidence-based modalities in the treatment of mental health disorders.