Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
Gallatin Site Director
AAMFT Approved Supervisor Candidate
Mandy Middleton, LMFT
-Maya Angelou
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.”
Couples Counseling
Discernment Counseling for Couples
Individual Counseling
Religious Deconstruction/Restructuring
Life Adjustment Support & Care (new baby,
break up/divorce, loss of purpose, etc)
Areas of Focus
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Mandy is currently under mentorship of Joanna Dixon, LMFT as an AAMFT Approved Supervisor Candidate and is accepting new post-graduate MFT Supervisees.
Mandy has a natural ability to combine warmth, depth and humor as she journeys with clients during some of their toughest times. Mandy takes a holistic approach by exploring the emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual aspects of her clients.
Mandy will utilize a mixture of techniques and trauma-informed models within a talk therapy structure. In addition to working with those who experience depression and anxiety, Mandy also offers support for religious wounding/faith deconstruction, attachment and abandonment injuries as well as life adjustment care (think new baby, breakup/divorce, loss of purpose).
When Mandy isn’t working she can usually be found running from one thing to the next or sitting at home in her most comfortable clothes doing very little. Mandy has yet to find middle ground in her free time.
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Education & Specializations
EFT-Emotional Focused Therapy Externship
EFT-Core Skills 1 & 2
Bachelor's Degree
Trevecca Nazarene University
Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy
Trevecca Nazarene University
Couples Counseling: As a couples therapist, I find that perspective matters so much. If you don’t believe that your partner understands you, you may find yourself feeling frustrated, hurt or isolated. If left unresolved, these feelings can lead to resentment and persistent disconnection from your partner. I want to help you explore these different perspectives.
Unfortunately many of us were never allowed and/or taught how to identify and express what is going on inside of our minds and bodies (the folks who raised us probably didn’t know how to do this either, by the way). Therefore, I encourage each partner to become more aware of their own thoughts, feelings and experiences while also learning how to become more attuned to their loved one(s). Understanding more about ourselves often allows us to understand more about others, including our partners.
Discernment Counseling: If you or your spouse are considering divorce but are not completely sure that’s the best path, you are in a tough spot. Discernment Counseling is designed for situations just like the one you are experiencing. It’s a chance to slow down, take a breath and look at your options for your relationship.
The goal of Discernment Counseling is for you to gain clarity and confidence about a direction based on a deeper understanding of your relationship and its possibilities for the future. The counselor emphasizes the importance of each of you seeing your own contributions to the problems and the possible solutions. This will be useful in future relationships even if this one ends. Mandy will help provide new perspectives as you and your partner decide whether to try to restore your marriage to health, move toward divorce or take a time out and decide later.
**Discernment Counseling is short term--a maximum of five counseling sessions.
The first session is usually 2 hours and the subsequent sessions are about 90 minutes.
Discernment Counseling is NOT Suited for these situations:
Individual Counseling: I believe that working with the various parts and beliefs that we have about ourselves and the world around us is very important in living our best life. In individual therapy, I work with people to identify places where pain and false beliefs have contributed to loss of connection with loved ones and, perhaps most importantly, with self. So often wounds that are almost as old as we are can lead to things like chronic shame, poor self-image, anxiety, depression and fear of further abandonment and/or rejection. Along with a lot of compassion and empathy, I offer very practical exercises and techniques to challenge false, unhelpful beliefs and regain a more accurate and steady sense of self.
Religious Deconstruction and Restructuring: Religion is often deeply connected to who we are and how we see ourselves. Because of this deep connection to our identity, faith deconstruction may come with a large amount of emotional distress. It’s very common for questions like, ‘who am I if I don’t believe _______ anymore?’ or what does it mean about me if I believe _______ now?’ to come up. My work in this area includes the opportunity to safely explore your questions and concerns as well as support you as you restructure your belief system.
Life Adjustment Support & Care: I have a deep understanding of the delicate process of adjusting from one chapter in life to the next. These moments can be devastating, exhilarating and frightening all at the same time. Maybe you are expecting a baby and you wonder how to stay connected to your partner during the early weeks of having a new human in the mix. Maybe you just found out that your partner is unhappy and wants to leave the relationship. Or maybe you’ve been agonizing over the decision to leave your relationship (or career. or friendship. or…) for months. I will give you the space and time to process these aspects of your life while also helping you uncover who you are and how you want to show up in the world going forward.
Unfortunately many of us were never allowed and/or taught how to identify and express what is going on inside of our minds and bodies (the folks who raised us probably didn’t know how to do this either, by the way). Therefore, I encourage each partner to become more aware of their own thoughts, feelings and experiences while also learning how to become more attuned to their loved one(s). Understanding more about ourselves often allows us to understand more about others, including our partners.
Discernment Counseling: If you or your spouse are considering divorce but are not completely sure that’s the best path, you are in a tough spot. Discernment Counseling is designed for situations just like the one you are experiencing. It’s a chance to slow down, take a breath and look at your options for your relationship.
The goal of Discernment Counseling is for you to gain clarity and confidence about a direction based on a deeper understanding of your relationship and its possibilities for the future. The counselor emphasizes the importance of each of you seeing your own contributions to the problems and the possible solutions. This will be useful in future relationships even if this one ends. Mandy will help provide new perspectives as you and your partner decide whether to try to restore your marriage to health, move toward divorce or take a time out and decide later.
**Discernment Counseling is short term--a maximum of five counseling sessions.
The first session is usually 2 hours and the subsequent sessions are about 90 minutes.
Discernment Counseling is NOT Suited for these situations:
- When one spouse has already made a very final decision to divorce
- When one spouse is coercing the other to participate
- When there is danger of domestic violence
Individual Counseling: I believe that working with the various parts and beliefs that we have about ourselves and the world around us is very important in living our best life. In individual therapy, I work with people to identify places where pain and false beliefs have contributed to loss of connection with loved ones and, perhaps most importantly, with self. So often wounds that are almost as old as we are can lead to things like chronic shame, poor self-image, anxiety, depression and fear of further abandonment and/or rejection. Along with a lot of compassion and empathy, I offer very practical exercises and techniques to challenge false, unhelpful beliefs and regain a more accurate and steady sense of self.
Religious Deconstruction and Restructuring: Religion is often deeply connected to who we are and how we see ourselves. Because of this deep connection to our identity, faith deconstruction may come with a large amount of emotional distress. It’s very common for questions like, ‘who am I if I don’t believe _______ anymore?’ or what does it mean about me if I believe _______ now?’ to come up. My work in this area includes the opportunity to safely explore your questions and concerns as well as support you as you restructure your belief system.
Life Adjustment Support & Care: I have a deep understanding of the delicate process of adjusting from one chapter in life to the next. These moments can be devastating, exhilarating and frightening all at the same time. Maybe you are expecting a baby and you wonder how to stay connected to your partner during the early weeks of having a new human in the mix. Maybe you just found out that your partner is unhappy and wants to leave the relationship. Or maybe you’ve been agonizing over the decision to leave your relationship (or career. or friendship. or…) for months. I will give you the space and time to process these aspects of your life while also helping you uncover who you are and how you want to show up in the world going forward.
Rates
Post Graduate/Pre-Licensed MFT’s:
1 Hour Supervision Session: $100 (May be shared in a dyad $50/hr each)
Prospective Clients:
1 Hour Individual Therapy Session: $130
1 Hour Couples Therapy Session: $150
