Barbara Kirkman

Barbara Kirkman is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 40 years of clinical experience. She draws on her long history in recovery work and community mental health to help people facing stress, anxiety, addiction, depression, trauma, grief, and anger. Her approach is straightforward and person-focused.

Barbara trained at the University of Tennessee, earning a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. Early in her career she worked in a recovery center and later supervised aftercare services to help people maintain gains in the weeks after treatment. She also spent years as an outpatient therapist at a community mental health agency, counseling people with mood disorders, anxiety, and trauma-related concerns.

Her own journey through recovery and as a survivor of domestic abuse shapes how she connects with clients. She leans on practical skills from cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness, while keeping sessions centered on each person’s goals. She views clients as the experts on their lives and offers guidance to help them find workable ways forward.

Barbara aims to be flexible with scheduling and typically holds mostly daytime hours, with some evening and weekend options. She encourages self-awareness and steady personal growth. People often come to her for help with relationships, parenting strain, sleep and eating issues, and coping with life changes.

Her work focuses on real problems and real steps toward better days. She strives to help people create lives that feel meaningful and more satisfying over time.

Therapeutic approaches and online support

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and valuing each person's experience. The therapist follows the client's lead, asks questions, and supports the person's own goals and decisions. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) centers on spotting unhelpful thoughts and testing different behaviors to reduce stress and anxiety. It often includes practical exercises to try between sessions. Mindfulness therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and improve focus, which can help with anger, anxiety, and sleep problems.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk about goals, try methods that match the person's needs, and adjust the plan over time. Clients and the therapist decide together what feels useful and realistic.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the session options before booking since formats are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They also let people practice skills between sessions in their everyday routines. Licensed professionals can adapt CBT and mindfulness exercises to an online setting so people can keep progressing even when they cannot meet in person.