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Kristen Harrell
About
Hello and welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. My name is Kristen Harrell, and I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor currently based in South Carolina, where I’m licensed, as well as in North Carolina. I’m passionate about helping people who feel like they have to “hold it all together” on the outside while feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or emotionally drained on the inside.As your therapist, I strive to create a space where you can take the pressure off and just be yourself with no judgment and no expectations. I believe you deserve to feel heard, supported, and understood, especially in the areas of your life that may feel the heaviest. Whether you’re navigating anxiety, relationship challenges, life transitions, or past experiences that still impact you today, I’m here to walk alongside you.My approach is warm, collaborative, and practical. I don’t just listen! I help you make sense of what you’re feeling and give you real tools you can use in your everyday life. Together, we’ll work toward helping you feel more grounded, confident, and in control of your emotions and relationships. You don’t have to figure it all out alone because I’m here with you every step of the way.
My passion for working with autistic and neurodivergent clients comes from a deep respect for the way your mind works, not as something to be “fixed,” but as something to be understood, supported, and honored. I’ve seen how often neurodivergent individuals are misunderstood, overlooked, or made to feel like they have to change who they are to fit into the world around them. That never sat right with me.I chose this path because I want to create a space where you don’t have to mask, over-explain yourself, or feel like you’re “too much” or “not enough.” I’m genuinely inspired by the insight, creativity, and resilience I see in neurodivergent individuals, and I believe those strengths deserve to be recognized and built upon.My goal is to support you in a way that actually fits you! Whether that means helping you better understand your needs, navigate relationships, manage overwhelm, or build systems that make life feel more manageable. Together, we’ll focus on helping you feel more confident, regulated, and empowered to move through the world in a way that feels authentic and sustainable for you.
I approach our work together from a place of affirmation, compassion, and deep respect for who you already are. I don’t see you as a set of problems to fix. I see you as a whole person with strengths, insight, and resilience that we can build on. My role is to help you recognize those strengths, understand how your mind works, and use that awareness to create a life that feels more aligned and sustainable for you.In our sessions, I focus on helping you feel safe enough to be your full, authentic self. I listen closely, validate your experiences, and make sure you feel truly seen and understood. From there, we work together to identify what’s already working for you and expand on it. Whether that’s your ability to adapt, your self-awareness, your creativity, or the ways you’ve learned to cope and navigate life so far.As a Black woman, I also understand how identity, culture, and lived experiences can shape the way you move through the world and how you’ve been treated in different spaces. I’m mindful of the layers that can come with that, especially for those who have felt misunderstood, overlooked, or pressured to mask parts of themselves. My goal is to provide a space where you feel affirmed in all aspects of who you are.Together, we’ll focus on helping you feel more confident in your identity, more connected to your needs, and more empowered to show up in your life in a way that feels true to you that's not forced or performative, but real and fulfilling!
