Harvard-Trained Psychotherapist - Individual Therapy in Durham, NC & Online Statewide

For those ready to look at what's actually happening.

The Space Between Stories

You probably didn't wake up this morning thinking "I need therapy." More likely, you've been circling the same thoughts for months-maybe years. The relationship that keeps playing out the same way. The anxiety that shows up uninvited. The peculiar grief of having everything you're supposed to want.

I don't pathologize these experiences or rush toward thin solutions that set you up for psychological whack-a-mole. The more useful questions: what are they protecting? What are they asking for? Sometimes the most profound shifts come from discovering that your symptoms were solutions-brilliant ones, often-to problems you've outgrown. Then begins the more interesting conversation: who might you be when you're not protecting yourself?

What Brings People Here

While every story is singular, certain threads appear often:

The successful professional who can't shake the feeling they're performing their life rather than living it. The person navigating loss-not just of people, but of futures they'd imagined. The one whose anxiety has become so familiar it feels like personality. People in relationships who've become expert at having the same fight in different costumes. The human being who simply suspects there's more available to them than what they're currently accessing.

You don't need a diagnosis or a crisis to begin therapy - a place where you can think out loud with someone who's genuinely listening.

How I Work

I'm trained in the psychodynamic tradition and completed advanced clinical training at Harvard, which means I believe the past lives in the present-not as destiny, certainly, but as something more interesting than pattern. We'll notice what you do when you don't know what you're doing. We'll track the stories you tell yourself and examine whether they're still true, if they ever were.

But this isn't archaeological work for its own sake. It's practical: understanding why you do what you do is the beginning of choice. My style is direct, engaged, occasionally irreverent. I'll offer observations, not prescriptions. Questions, not answers you could have googled.

The office itself-midcentury furniture, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, good light-is designed for conversation, not clinical assessment.

Beginning

First sessions are exploratory. You talk, I listen, we both notice what emerges. No intake forms that ask you to rate your sadness on a scale of 1-10. No treatment plans that pretend we know where this is going.

If we decide to work together, we'll meet weekly-because meaningful change requires consistency, and you're interesting enough to warrant the time.

"I came to Carolyn because I was going through an enormous life/career change. At that time I was anxiety ridden and could not stop replaying and brooding over recent events. From my very first appointment I was impressed at how carefully Carolyn listened to my underlying concerns and how empathetic she was regarding what I had just been through. Carolyn is wicked smart, down to earth, and has a great sense of humor. These qualities made it easy for me to open up to Carolyn and provided me with a great resource for both ideas and self-examination... Read more testimonials"

- former client

"Carolyn has worked with me through a difficult divorce, becoming a single-parent, having a child with ADHD, and also my own depression and anxiety. Having her in my life dramatically changed things when I was at my lowest point. She has helped help me to become a better person, parent, partner, etc. It is always difficult to open up to someone, especially someone that you don't know. I have always felt immensely comfortable with Carolyn... Read more about what clients say"

- former client

"My sessions with Carolyn were very helpful! They enabled me to think more productively about the issues I'm dealing with. I'm handling my anxiety in a healthier way, and I was able to reduce it significantly. I'm now able to look at situations in a more positive way, which helped me work through difficult things more easily. Overall, my anxiety and depression are much lower than when I began."

- former client

"I have counseled with Carolyn in 2008-2009 and again in 2020-2021. I was thrilled she was still available for this most recent time frame. Her style is warm and understanding. She has helped me through alot of emotional issues and promotes needed self reflection. I had more than a few 'Aha' moments about patterns and people in my life. She has helped validate my struggles and has helped me with boundary issues. After reaching out to her for the second time in 2020, it felt like no time had passed. I feel like she is rooting for me!!"

- former client

(See other testimonials)