Meet Grace, our amazing licensed intern at The Grove Counseling & Wellness Center. Grace completed her undergrad studies at Vanderbilt, and recently received a Master of Science in Counseling from Southern Methodist University where she worked at SMU’s Center for Family Counseling and the Resource Center. Under the direction of therapist Ashley Rogers, she currently works with adults, couples, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, offering support for clinical and interpersonal concerns.  

Here is a recent conversation with Grace: 

What are you passionate about lately? I'm passionate about helping couples and adults of all orientations and genders navigate relationship difficulties, depression, gender and/or sexuality questions, trauma, and stress. I enjoy creating a warm and non-judgmental environment with each of my clients, because it creates a therapeutic foundation allowing clients to explore and understand their distress in a more compassionate, holistic, and contextual way resulting in healing, change, and relief. 

Currently Reading: Reading is one of my favorite hobbies, so I love getting lost in an interesting and engaging book. Currently, I'm reading  The Seven Principles for Making a Marriage Work  by Dr. John Gottman and The Gift of Therapy  by Dr. Irvin Yalom.  

Currently listening to: My recent jams are Maggie Rogers, Jacob Banks, and John Mayer. My favorite podcasts are The Armchair Expert, Where Do We Begin with Esther Perel, and TED Radio Hour.

Why do you love being a counselor? Being able to watch my clients discover their own insights, understand and transform their life story and enact changes to achieve their goals inspires and motivates me as a counselor. It is an honor to be part of my clients' journey towards healing, and while it's a challenging process, I love how it's also creative, fun, and rewarding.

Do you have Fur babies and who are they? Yes! I have two rescue pups. Ellie is a 3-year-old pit, heeler mix who is 100% full of love. Skylar is our one and a half, silly German Shepherd with one beautiful blue eye. They're best friends and such sweet, fun girls!

Deep dark secret: I usually have (at least) one bite of chocolate after every meal, sometimes even breakfast!