Acea Starks, LPC, LCMHC

Acea Starks brings an unconventional, holistic perspective to mental health care, blending life experience with formal training to support clients across a wide range of concerns. With 11 years of clinical experience, she holds credentials as an LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor - and an LCMHC - Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor. She is licensed in Georgia, Alaska, South Dakota, Vermont, and Florida and draws on this breadth of experience to work with diverse populations.

Acea’s path to therapy was nontraditional. She began college as an English major and retains a deep love of language and writing, sometimes using colorful or uncommon words and inviting clients to ask for clarification when needed. After exploring nursing, she returned to study psychology, completing an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree, and a master’s degree in mental health counseling while working. Those years of balancing study and employment inform her practical, empathic approach.

She is open about a distinctive personal style - piercings, tattoos, and purple hair - and identifies with goth aesthetics. Acea describes her therapeutic stance as eclectic and client-centered; she values goal setting, accountability, and providing concrete tools to help people navigate stress, trauma, relationship and intimacy issues, mood disorders, addictions, and identity concerns including LGBT and kink-affirming work. She emphasizes self-care and work-life balance, and she often steps away from screens to recharge by spending time outdoors.

Approaches and Online Support for Individual Needs

Acea Starks incorporates client-centered therapy to create a collaborative space where the client’s goals and values direct the work - this approach focuses on empathy, active listening, and supporting the person to find their own solutions and strengths. She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help identify and modify unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns, an approach that is useful for anxiety, depression, stress, and many everyday challenges. In addition, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills are offered to build emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness - tools that can help with mood instability, relationship difficulties, and impulsive behaviors.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the therapeutic process. Acea works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences, adapting techniques over time as progress and challenges unfold. Licensed professionals and therapists often combine approaches to match a client’s unique situation.

Online therapy with Acea is designed for flexibility and accessibility. Sessions can take place by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, allowing people to engage from home, on a break, or while traveling. This range of options makes it easier to maintain continuity of care and to find formats that suit different communication styles and schedules.