Our Team

Trauma therapists serving Nashville, TN

We are a collective of social workers and trauma-informed therapists who provide professional support and practical suggestions to help you live a happier, more fulfilling life.

Education

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University of Tennessee

Master’s Degree, Social Work

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Belmont University

Bachelor’s Degree, Social Work

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Lizzie Harrigan, LCSW, PMH-C, RYT

Owner and Clinical Director

Lizzie is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in the treatment of trauma, addictive disorders, intimacy disorders, relationship issues, and borderline personality disorder. She has over fifteen years of field experience in these specialties and utilizes a variety of treatment models including Imago Relationship Therapy, fully-adherent Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based Therapies, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), EMDR, Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Informed Yoga, and Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy. She is a trained drug, alcohol and behavioral interventionist and a clinical supervisor for social workers seeking their licensure in the state of Tennessee.

In addition to her clinical work with individuals, couples, and families she has focused on improving systems of care through program design and administration both in private facilities and in local government. She provides workshops and training on a variety of topics ranging from clinical issues to corporate wellness and leadership. For seven years, Lizzie instructed and authored undergraduate students in Social Work at Belmont University. Lizzie has served as a volunteer legislative advocate for Moms Demand Action, on the executive board for the National Association of Social Workers-Tennessee Chapter (NASW-TN), and on the executive board for The Rooted Bridge a non-profit focused on maternal mental health. Lizzie recently co-founded the Mental Health Active Response Team, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes networks of volunteer mental health professionals to meet the pressing needs of Tennesseans.

Specialties

Addictive Disorders, Intimacy Disorders, Traumatic Stress, Relationships, Borderline Personality Disorder, Perinatal Mental Health, Anxiety

Anne McKenzie McEntire, LMSW

Clinical Therapist

Anne McKenzie is passionate about helping her clients embody their values. She is down to earth, genuine, and extremely comforting. She’s especially adept at working with nervous clients, calming their nerves, and bringing laughter into the room. And while Anne McKenzie has a special gift for being welcoming and approachable, she is also a no nonsense person who strives to teach, support, and empower her clients. Anne McKenzie loves to work with clients who struggle with anxiety, depression, substance use disorders, low self esteem/self compassion, and histories of trauma. She doesn’t believe clients need to “find their voice.” Instead she teaches her clients how to use their voice so others will listen. When not at work, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and their dog Henry, traveling, painting, trying new things in the kitchen and of course Netflix like everyone else.

Anne McKenzie is a Licensed Master Social Worker who specializes in the treatment of trauma, adolescent girls/women’s issues, anxiety, relationship issues, addiction and co-occurring disorders, and stress reduction for professionals. She utilizes a variety of models including, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing, Art Therapy, Trauma Informed Yoga, and Interpersonal Therapy. Anne McKenzie works with clients aged 12 and up. She is a current member of the Nashville Psychotherapy Institute.

Specialties

Addiction, Trauma, Women’s Issues, Young Girls, Self Esteem and Identity, Anxiety, Stress Reduction for High Performing Professionals

Education

E

University of Tennessee

Master’s Degree, Social Work

E

Sewanee: The University of the South

Bachelor’s Degree, Art History

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Education

E

University of Tennessee

Master’s Degree, Social Work

E

University of Tennessee

Bachelor’s Degree, Psychology

Contact

Maria Matty, LCSW

Clinical Therapist

Maria is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in the treatment of trauma, addiction and co-occurring disorders, LGBTQIA+, anxiety, depression, and relationship issues. She is trained in a variety of models including, fully adherent Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based Therapies, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), attachment- and somatic-based Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR II), and Motivational Interviewing. Maria utilizes an eclectic approach to therapy with the purpose of meeting each client’s individual and unique needs. As a social worker, Maria believes in dismantling oppressive systems and advocating for social justice and systemic change in our communities.

Maria is a person-centered therapist and strongly believes that the individual is both the expert on their own experience and their greatest resource for healing. She has a holistic approach in her work with clients, addressing and affirming the whole person and guiding them to reconnect with the inner wisdom and resiliency. She is both down to earth and energetic. She identifies as queer, cisgender, and uses she/her/hers pronouns. She is LGBTQIA+ affirming, sex positive, and supportive of all humans who desire growth and change. As self-care, Maria enjoys reading novels, hiking, swimming, and spending time with her rescued greyhound, Rudy. Maria works with clients aged 18 and up.

Specialties

Trauma, Addiction and Co-occurring Disorders, LGBTQIA+, Anxiety, Depression, and Relationship Issues

Stephanie Berglund, MA
Master’s Level Counselor
Stephanie is a compassionate, vibrant, and experienced counselor. She loves helping her clients feel gentler towards themselves, and assists them in embodying their healthiest self. She believes strongly in the power of healing relationships. Stephanie uses a strengths-focused, client-centered approach. Stephanie works with adults experiencing relationship issues, intimacy disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, substance use disorders, and trauma. Stephanie is trained in Brainspotting and uses a Rogerian model of client-centered counseling. Stephanie has helped clients in a variety of settings including hospitals, in-patient facilities, and substance use disorder treatment centers.

Aside from her credentials, specialty training, and experience, Stephanie really “walks the walk” and allows her decades-long personal healing journey to inform her work in the therapy room. Her clients sense her authenticity right away and trust her. Her clients often tell her that she’s the “first person who could reach them, allow them to open up, and to truly be themselves.”

Specialties

Relationship Issues, Codependency, Intimacy Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, and Life Transitions

Education

E

Lipscomb University

Master’s Degree, Clinical Mental Health Counseling
E

Belmont University

Bachelor’s Degree, Sociology

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victoria-bear-nashville-therapist

Education

E

Trevecca Nazarene University

Master’s Degree, Marriage and Family Therapy

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Belmont University

Bachelor’s Degree, Marketing and Business Administration

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Victoria Bear, LMFT-Temp

Clinical Therapist

Victoria is passionate about helping her clients find satisfaction and contentment in all their relationships, and she uses a very calming and genuine approach in therapy. Her clients’ report feeling comfortable with her right away. Victoria loves to work with clients who feel unsatisfied or stuck in their relationships, and with clients who struggle with anxiety, low self esteem and/or self compassion, and depression.  Victoria creates a safe and open space for her clients to work through whatever has brought them to therapy. She is kind, empathic, and always happy to listen to her client’s with the utmost compassion. Victoria’s goal is to guide her clients in creating meaningful change in their lives, and to allow them to share and process their experiences in an environment where they feel safe, secure, and truly known. 

Victoria is trained in Brainspotting (phase I & II), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Art Therapy. She incorporates Expressive Arts, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Internal Family Systems Therapy into her practice. She is a member of the American Counseling Association, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and Chi Sigma Iota. In her spare time, Victoria enjoys playing and writing her own music, practicing yoga, spending time out with friends, and playing with her Yorkie Poo puppy, Bear.

Specialties

Children, Adolescents, Individuals and Families, Relationship Issues, Codependency, Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, and Life Transitions
Chelsea Nixon, LMSW
Therapist and Practice Manager
Chelsea Nixon-LMSW-bright-horse-counseling-nashville-tn
Chelsea is a licensed social worker with a passion for helping others experience transformation by learning to tap into and express their most authentic selves. Her clinical interests include challenges related to pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting experiences, trauma and abuse, spiritual wounding, grief, and family or relationship conflicts.

Chelsea views her role as a therapist as that of a fellow traveller bearing witness to your story of pain and resilience while offering support, curiosity, openness, and humor as tools for you to explore new ways of thinking and feeling. She believes that the key to sustaining change is focusing on here-and-now strategies for coping and accepting life’s difficulties while also going beyond the surface to explore the underlying belief systems and formative experiences that keep us rooted in unhealthy patterns of behavior. Chelsea utilizes an integrative approach to therapy informed by experiential techniques, Internal Family Systems, Compassion-Focused Therapy, and Cognitive-Behavioral theories and interventions with the goal of helping you realize the self-healing power that has always been inside of you.

She has also completed Birth Doula training through DONA International and is a practicing full-spectrum doula, which influences her therapeutic style. She has additional training in Trauma-Informed Care, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, Transformational Systemic Therapy, and Perinatal Mental Health. Chelsea is also the Office Coordinator, providing support to our clients and therapists by answering phone calls and emails, providing superbills, and scheduling appointments.

Specialties

Relationship Issues, Codependency, Intimacy Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, and Life Transitions
Chelsea Nixon-LMSW-bright-horse-counseling-nashville-tn

Education

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Loyola University Chicago

Master’s Degree, Social Work

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Eastern Michigan University

Bachelor’s Degree, Social Work

Contact

kara connor bright horse counseling

Education

E

Middle Tennessee State University

Bachelor’s Degree Social Work
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Middle Tennessee State University

Master’s Degree Clinical Social Work

Contact

Kara Conner, LMSW

Clinical Therapist

kara connor bright horse counseling
Kara is a clinical therapist who enjoys working with clients who feel othered – whether that’s feeling more than, less than, or simply different from those around them. Kara approaches each client with curiosity, compassion, and levity, and she honors their unique perspectives while uncovering their untapped abilities. Kara helps her clients transform through difficult experiences and looks forward to celebrating her clients’ successes. She incorporates aspects of Experiential Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Mindfulness.

Kara has spent the past seven years working in in-patient settings with clients who struggle with substance abuse and mental health concerns, focusing on anxiety disorders, trauma, borderline personality disorder, life transitions, self-esteem, and body image issues. Kara is a self-care advocate and recharges through cooking, journaling, listening to music, and taking walks.

Specialties

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Addictive Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Trauma

Jourdan Pace, MA

Clinical Therapist
Jourdan-Pace-MA-Bright-Horse-Counseling-Clinical-Therapist

Jourdan is passionate about working with clients facing anxiety, eating disorders, negative body image/self-worth, trauma, and emotional instability. She aims to walk alongside her clients as they seek a deeper understanding of themselves and build their “life worth living.” Jourdan believes in forming authentic relationships with clients and in remaining the same person inside and outside the therapy room to foster these relationships. Her therapy style is warm, direct, validating, and candid, with an evidence and strengths-based approach to supporting client healing.

While Jourdan excels in helping clients feel welcome and encouraged (aka, she will be your biggest cheerleader!), she is also the person who will compassionately “call out” the issues and challenge you to continue moving closer to living your values and reaching your goals. She utilizes a client-centered approach to counseling and views the client as a partner in the counseling process. To support clients, Jourdan practices through a trauma-informed lens and leverages mindfulness-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Jourdan has lived in Nashville for 14 years and is an Enneagram 4 who relishes good music, a great book, watching Gilmore Girls, and drinking a good cup of coffee. She also enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and dog “niece,” Lucy.

Jourdan is currently working toward LPC-MHSP licensure in the state of Tennessee and is supervised by Jen Biddle, LPC-MHSP, #3043.

Specialties

Individuals (18+), Anxiety, Eating Disorders, Body Image, Self-Esteem/Self-Worth, Emotional Instability, Borderline Personality Disorder, Relationship Issues, and Trauma.
Jourdan-Pace-MA-Bright-Horse-Counseling-Clinical-Therapist
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Trevecca Nazarene University

Master’s Degree, Clinical Mental Health Counseling
E

Belmont University

Bachelor’s Degree, Music Business

Contact

Katy-Roberts-Bright-Horse-Counseling-Client-Care-Coordinator
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Loyola University Chicago

Master’s Degree, Social Work

E

Eastern Michigan University

Bachelor’s Degree, Social Work

Contact

Katy Roberts

Client Care Coordinator

Katy-Roberts-Bright-Horse-Counseling-Client-Care-Coordinator
Katy enjoys supporting our prospective and new clients by matching and scheduling them with the right services and helping them find a therapist that will be a perfect fit. For anyone who reaches out to us thinking about beginning therapy, Katy is the warm presence on the other end walking you through the process with compassion and humor. She has spent much of her career helping people in a myriad of ways, mainly working as a Child Life Specialist in pediatric hospitals in Indiana, Tennessee, and Georgia. When not working, she stays busy with her three teenage daughters, 1 dog, 6 chickens, 2 ducks, and 1 bunny. She also loves to volunteer for the Make A Wish Foundation and Ronald McDonald House, considers herself a mediocre gardener and obsessive house plant owner, and can often be found enjoying an outdoor concert with her friends and family.

Are we a good fit?

At Bright Horse Counseling, we acknowledge that our style might not be the best fit for everyone. To see if our practice is the right one for your personality type, take the quiz.