Barbara Kirkman, LPC

Barbara Kirkman is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with four decades of experience supporting people through recovery and life transitions. She earned a Master of Counseling Psychology from the University of Tennessee, a choice shaped in part by her own journey in recovery from addiction. That personal history informs her work and gives her a deep understanding of the challenges clients face when confronting substance use and related concerns.

Early in her career Barbara worked at a recovery center and then served as an Aftercare Supervisor, helping clients maintain progress during the critical early months after treatment. She later worked as an outpatient therapist at a community mental health agency, where she counseled people managing depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, trauma, and other mental health concerns. She also has a particular interest in supporting survivors of domestic abuse, informed by her lived experience of physical and emotional abuse.

Clinically she draws on cognitive-behavioral techniques, mindfulness practices, and trauma-informed approaches to help clients build skills and resilience. Barbara describes recovery as a collaborative process in which clients are the experts on their own lives and she offers professional guidance and personal insight to help them find a path that fits.

Her schedule is primarily daytime with some evening and weekend availability, and she aims to be flexible to accommodate clients' needs. She encourages self-awareness, personal growth, and practical steps toward a life with greater meaning, joy, and satisfaction.

Therapeutic Approaches for Online Recovery and Growth

Barbara uses client-centered therapy to create a collaborative environment where the client's goals and experiences guide each session. This approach emphasizes empathy, active listening, and respect for the client's values, making it useful for people working through relationship issues, grief, identity questions, or life transitions.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is another core tool in Barbara's practice. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and teaching practical skills to change behaviors and emotional responses, which can help with anxiety, depression, stress, and coping with addiction triggers.

Mindfulness therapy complements these approaches by teaching clients present-moment awareness and stress-reduction techniques. Mindfulness can support emotional regulation, reduce reactivity, and enhance overall well-being for those dealing with trauma, mood disorders, or chronic stress.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the therapeutic process, and Barbara works collaboratively with each person to determine what fits their needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts methods over time as progress and circumstances evolve.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can occur by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging - which helps clients fit therapy into busy schedules or access care from different locations. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care and to engage in therapy in ways that feel most comfortable and manageable.