Support For Individuals, Couples, & Families
Life should feel good. The right help can make a huge difference.
Individual Therapy
If your mental health is suffering from too much stress, anxiety, depression, body image issues, abuse, trauma, codependency, or postpartum depression, I can help.
Couples Therapy
Whether you’re in a good relationship and want to keep it that way, or are in a relationship that’s in need of repair, I can help you with the insights and skills to strengthen your bond.
Family Therapy
Are you in a family in heed of healing? Have you considered family therapy? In our sessions we’ll address long running issues and work towards a healthier and more loving dynamic.
Hello! I’m Lori
Licensed Therapist & Clinical Social Worker
Hi. My name is Lori Brinkley. I’ve lived in Wilmington for over 30 years and I love it here. I’ve been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for 18 years. I consider myself very lucky to be able to make a living doing something that I love. I am fortunate that people allow me to be such a close part of their personal journeys. I realize what a risk it is to trust and to let someone in, and I honor each and every one of my clients for their courage to undergo what is, at times, difficult work.
The issues I feel passionately about and have extensive training in are: Postpartum Depression, sexual abuse and trauma, body image issues, weight and health management, depression and anxiety, relationship issues, codependency, working with adult children of alcoholics, parenting, pain management, sexuality and wellness. I am a Child Forensic Evaluator for Chapel Hill’s Child Medical Evaluation Program. I have 15 years of experiencing evaluating and treating children who have been sexually abused.
I have been trained by Karen Kleiman in the field of Postpartum Depression and by Donald Altman in the area of mindful practice and mindful eating. I have my Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work and a PhD in Human Sexuality. I work with children, adults, families and couples.
I Help With…
Stress, Anxiety, & Depression
We live in the age of stress, anxiety, and depression. All three conditions change the way we see the world and prevents us from living life to its fullest. If you’re suffering from stress, anxiety, and/or depression, I can help. Please reach out. You’ll be glad you did.
Abuse/Trauma
Trauma can make you question what you know about yourself and the world around you. It can change your perception of safety and your ability to trust others in your life. The feelings and thoughts that come after experiencing a trauma can be overwhelming and difficult to manage. I can help you to develop strategies to address these issues to improve your life.
Adult Children of Alcoholics
Therapy can help you discover your real identity and learn to accept yourself. It can help increase your self esteem and ability to experience real intimacy, and decrease your fear. You can learn to have fun and play. The need to people please will gradually go away and healthy boundaries will become easier to maintain. Fear of failure and success will subside. You can choose to love people who love and can take care of themselves. You can learn to expect the best and as you realize you deserve the best, you will be able to accept the best!!!
Child Family Evaluation
Do you have concerns about your child’s behavior? Is it overwhelming? It may be time for a child family evaluation.
Parenting Support
Overwhelmed? I can help. In our sessions you’ll gain important insights and learn new skills to help your children reach their potential.
Postpartum Depression
Postpartum Depression is the most common complication of pregnancy. It’s a real medical condition and is very treatable. Early intervention is key!
Couples Counseling
Relationships are hard. You don’t have to work through issues alone. In our sessions you’ll find a safe place to repair and strengthen your bond.
Codependency
Codependency is a problem with unhealthy boundaries that can have a devastating effect on your mental health. I can help you learn the techniques to sustain healthier relationships and improve your sense of value.
Sexuality
Sex plays a huge role in our overall health and happiness. It’s connected to physical and emotional well being, self esteem and relationship satisfaction. Developing a healthy attitude about sex and improving your sex life can enhance your overall quality of life. So…..let’s talk about it and begin the journey (to increased knowledge, and greater comfort, awareness and pleasure). We can remove biases and lifestyle challenges that keep you from having the sex that you want and deserve!
Mindful Eating
Mindfulness is based in Buddhist meditative practices. It’s paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment without judgment. It is an emotionally non-reactive state. You ACCEPT whatever arises, observe it and allow it. We’ll apply this principle to achieve success in our 12-week mindful eating program.
Wellness
Wellness is an interactive process of becoming aware and making conscious choices towards a healthy, successful, balanced and fulfilling life. If you have concerns on how things are going for your right now, make an appointment for a wellness assessment.
Getting Started is Easy
Free 20 Min Chat
Do you have questions for me? Would I make a good therapist for you? Let’s chat and find out.
Book Appointment
Are you ready to book your session? Reach out and schedule your appointment.
1st Session!
I’m currently offering 20% off your first session. I want to make it easy to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I need therapy?
Sometimes people have a sense of loneliness or sadness even when surrounded by people. They may suffer from feelings of worthlessness, have a low opinion of themselves, and engage in defeating self talk routinely. Therapy can help with depression and issues of self esteem. You may feel that you struggle with or have conflict in your interpersonal relationships (with your boss, partner, friend and/or children). Communication patterns may have broken down or you may lack the skills to assert yourself and get your needs met adequately. Therapy can help you learn new skills or tweak old skills to make them more effective. You may find yourself trapped in unhealthy habits (unhealthy relationships, a poor relationship with your body or food, substance abuse, sexual acting out, shopping excessively, etc). Therapy can help you break the relationship to the old and replace it with new adaptive alternatives. If you have difficulty disciplining your children, maintaining limits that you set, or allowing more autonomy as they grow and change therapy can help with this. Basically any life transition or issue (past or present), however minor or major, can be addressed in therapy.
Are there risks to therapy?
Yes. There are risks as well as benefits to engaging in therapy. You may find that you feel differently about some people in your life or about some relationships as a result of therapy. As therapy helps you gain greater self respect, assertiveness, and new communication skills some people in your life may not appreciate your new awareness. They may prefer the old version of you. Additionally, therapy may bring up intense feelings or difficult thoughts that will require attention. These are all fairly common and, as your therapist, I am available to discuss and process all of your concerns.
Do you accept insurance?
I accept most insurances, both in network and out of network. I recommend you call your insurance carrier and find out about your specific benefits, as there is much variation among companies and policies. Discuss the following questions with your carrier: Do I have mental health benefits? What is my deductible and how much of it has been met? What is my copay? How many sessions do I have per year? What is my copay and deductible for an out of network provider? I am also available to assist in this process. I accept cash, check and credit cards as payment.
How many sessions will it take?
There is no preset number of sessions. Goals for therapy are set on a case by case basis. Some goals take longer to accomplish and others require less time. It depends on the issue and your personality and approach to therapy. If you’re dealing with life long issues or patterns of behavior you can expect therapy to take longer than if you are coming in due to an acute issue (death of a loved one, loss or transitional issues). Healing significant trauma from childhood or recovering a severely damaged sense of self will require more time in therapy.
What benefits can I expect?
It’s often helpful to know someone is listening and understands and can validate your process. Therapy can provide a fresh perspective on an difficult situation. It can help you deveolpe a better relationship with yourself and teach you how to create joy and meaning in your life. Therapy can help you develop better skills required for more satisfying relationships. You can learn skills to cope with anxiety, stress, depression, challenging people or circumstances. Therapy can help you eliminate behaviors that keep you stuck and help you move forward to a healthier, more productive self.
Is therapy confidential?
Typically the information you share with your therapist is strictly confidential. Your written consent is required before any information can be shared regarding your care. This means if a family member, friend or physician calls the office to discuss your case, I will not acknowledge that I know you. However, there are several exceptions to this rule:
1. If a minor child, elderly person or dependent adult is at risk of being abused a clinician is required to make a report to the appropriate agency to protect the individual.
2. If you present an imminent risk of serious injury to yourself, your cliniciam must take action to protect you from harm.
3. If you threaten serious harm to someone else, the clinician is required to take action to protect the threatened person. This typically involves contacting law enforcement and the threatened person.
4. When a release of record is court ordered.
In all cases when confidentiality must be breached, by law, the clinician will release only as much information as necessary to meet the stated goals of disclosure.
Contact Lori Brinkley
Ask a question or book an appointment below.
For emergencies call 911 or visit your nearest hospital.
