Meet Our Therapists
Looking for a therapist in North Carolina? Our counselors provide a range of therapy approaches as well as life coaching in Charlotte, NC.
Nicole Saunders, MSW, LCSW
Individual Therapy for Overwhelm, Feeling Stuck, Relationships & Life Transitions in Charlotte, NC
Nicole Saunders is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and founder of Therapy Charlotte, providing in-person therapy for adults in Charlotte, NC, and virtual therapy throughout North Carolina. With more than 15 years of clinical experience, she works particularly well with capable, motivated adults who feel overwhelmed, stuck, or dissatisfied in their personal or professional lives.
Many of Nicole's clients are accustomed to managing demanding careers, relationships, families, and responsibilities. Although they may appear successful on the outside, they can struggle with overthinking, chronic stress, perfectionism, difficult decisions, or a sense that something in their lives isn't quite right.
What It's Like to Work With Nicole
Nicole's therapeutic style is direct, conversational, and collaborative. Sessions are interactive and often include humor, honest feedback, thoughtful questions, and opportunities to consider familiar problems from a different perspective.
She believes therapy should offer more than a place to talk about problems. Her goal is to help clients better understand themselves, recognize patterns that may be keeping them stuck, and develop practical ways to move forward.
Nicole frequently helps clients sort through overwhelming situations, identify what genuinely matters, and recognize expectations or responsibilities they may be able to let go of. She encourages clients to build on their existing strengths, develop confidence through manageable changes, and create lives that feel more balanced and fulfilling.
Nicole's Therapeutic Approach
Nicole takes a person-centered, psychodynamic, and integrative approach to therapy. She believes that understanding present-day challenges often requires looking at the bigger picture, including childhood experiences, family dynamics, relationships, developmental patterns, identity, and values.
She helps clients explore how these experiences shape the way they see themselves, relate to others, and respond to life's challenges. This deeper understanding can reveal patterns that have persisted over time, including beliefs and expectations that may no longer serve them.
Nicole combines this exploration with practical, evidence-informed strategies drawn from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness. Her work often focuses on helping clients establish healthier boundaries, build confidence, develop greater tolerance for discomfort, and make choices that reflect their values.
She also considers the broader factors influencing emotional well-being, including physical health, relationships, lifestyle, and everyday habits. Her approach is tailored to each client rather than relying on a single therapeutic method.
Background and Experience
A North Carolina native, Nicole grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina before earning her bachelor's degree in psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill and her Master of Social Work from UNC Charlotte.
After working in the nonprofit sector, she founded Therapy Charlotte in 2011 to offer a more personalized, practical, and collaborative approach to mental health care.
Common Questions About Working With Nicole
Can therapy help if I'm successful but constantly overwhelmed?
Yes. Many of the adults I work with are capable, responsible people who are used to handling a lot. But being able to manage everything doesn't necessarily mean you should have to.
I usually start by giving clients space to get everything out, then we begin organizing what's contributing to the overwhelm. We look at what genuinely matters, what aligns with their values, what needs immediate attention, and what might not need to be addressed at all.
I also look for an easy win or a manageable starting point. Sometimes addressing one problem helps resolve another or creates a natural next step. The goal is to make the process feel less overwhelming while building skills and confidence along the way.
What if I feel stuck in life but don't know what needs to change?
When someone feels stuck but can't identify exactly what's wrong, I start by exploring the different areas of their life, including work, relationships, friendships, family, self-care, and personal goals.
We look at what they value and whether those values are reflected in their everyday lives. Sometimes an important need isn't being met, or there's something they've always wanted to pursue but haven't. Other times, their expectations about what life should look like may be contributing to their dissatisfaction.
I also help clients explore how ambition, social comparisons, and the pressure to constantly improve can affect their perspective. Sometimes the answer involves making a change. Other times, it's recognizing that they don't necessarily need to change everything to feel more satisfied with their lives.
How do you help adults with high-functioning anxiety?
Many adults with high-functioning anxiety are ambitious, driven, and accustomed to setting high expectations for themselves. But constantly pursuing the next accomplishment can reinforce anxiety and make it difficult to relax or feel satisfied.
I help clients recognize these patterns and become more comfortable with calm, quiet, and stillness. We also explore ways to diversify where they invest their time and energy.
That doesn't mean giving up ambition. It might mean pursuing a personal project, exploring a new interest, developing friendships, or setting goals in different areas of life.
We spend time identifying what clients genuinely value and how those values show up in their daily lives. The goal is to develop a stronger sense of identity and fulfillment that isn't dependent on success in just one area.
Can therapy help me set boundaries and stop feeling responsible for everything?
Boundaries are something I talk about frequently in therapy, especially with clients who feel responsible for other people's feelings, decisions, or problems.
We explore how clients learned their boundaries, where they've established healthy boundaries in the past, and what makes setting or maintaining them difficult. We also look at guilt, fear of disappointing others, and beliefs about what they're supposed to do.
Sometimes, by constantly stepping in or compensating for others, we unintentionally prevent those people from developing their own confidence or learning from their experiences.
I help clients recognize which responsibilities genuinely belong to them and which ones they may be taking on unnecessarily. We work on establishing boundaries that allow them to care about others without feeling responsible for everything.
How can therapy help me build confidence and become more comfortable with uncertainty?
I don't believe confidence requires eliminating anxiety or becoming comfortable with every situation. Often, confidence develops as we learn that we can tolerate discomfort and still do the things that matter to us.
I help clients explore what feels uncomfortable, examine the thoughts and expectations contributing to that discomfort, and develop ways to respond differently.
We work on reframing anxious thinking, developing coping skills, and practicing acceptance of feelings that may not disappear entirely.
The goal isn't to force someone into uncomfortable situations. It's to help them develop the confidence, skills, and perspective to pursue meaningful goals without needing to feel completely comfortable first.
Can therapy help me make difficult decisions about relationships, careers, or major life changes?
When clients are struggling with a difficult decision, I often start by helping them identify what really matters to them and what their needs actually are.
We explore when they've felt most like themselves, what was happening during those times, and whether their current relationships, work, or circumstances allow them to experience those same feelings.
From there, we look at what's possible. Sometimes meaningful change involves making a concrete adjustment to a relationship, career, or living situation. Other times, it involves changing expectations, developing greater tolerance for discomfort, shifting perspective, or adding something new that creates more balance and fulfillment.
My role isn't to tell clients which decision to make. It's to help them better understand themselves, recognize their options, and make choices that reflect their values and the life they want to build.
Angie Vandenberg, LCSW
Angie Vandenberg, LCSW is a clinician with over a decade of experience in the field of social work. In 2009, she graduated from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and practiced therapy at a local non-profit in Charlotte and it's surrounding areas. She relocated to our beautiful coast in 2012. She currently lives in Wilmington where she holds a leadership position at UNCW School of Social Work. She teaches graduate students best practice in clinical social work, and also serves as the field education coordinator.
The client relationship is very important to Angie, and therefore she is grounded in a person centered and strength-based approach. This means she believes each of us has our own set of strengths that we bring to the table and she looks to honor the resilience within her clients. It is important to her that clients feel safe and supported in sessions so they may explore thoughts, feelings, speak their truth, and practice congruence so they may navigate the ups and downs and plot twists that are a natural part of life. She has received formal training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy through the Beck Institute, and she often utilizes this modality as well as Solution Focused Therapy and Motivational Interviewing during sessions.
She is excited to be part of Therapy Charlotte because the Queen City will always hold a special place in her heart, as well as the many clients and clinicians she worked with while living there! Since she lives in Wilmington, sessions with will Angie be done via telehealth. To learn more about telehealth and see if it is right for you, please check out this article on The Benefits of an Online Therapist!
Elizabeth Pinard, MSW, LCSW
Elizabeth Pinard, MSW, LCSW is a virtual therapist in North Carolina with over 10 years of clinical experience. After working in the banking industry for over a decade, she left her job in capital markets structuring and selling foreign exchange derivatives to pursue a career which aligned with her passion to help others. Elizabeth returned to graduate school, completed a Master of Social Work Degree, and obtained her Licensed Clinical Social Worker Certification. She worked for a local non-profit for over eight years in various roles including therapist and clinical supervisor.
Elizabeth uses a person-centered approach to assist clients in identifying and achieving their goals for therapy. She guides them to greater self understanding and self compassion in a safe, non-judgmental environment. She believes strongly in the mind-body connection and empowers clients to work toward their own integrated mind-body awareness for improved health and healing. Elizabeth works with individuals to address challenges associated with depression, anxiety, perfectionism, self worth, relationship concerns, and life transitions.
She has received formal training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and often uses this modality in addition to Solution-Focused Therapy and principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Somatic Experiencing.
Since Elizabeth specializes in virtual therapy and counseling, she can work with adults all across North Carolina. To learn more about telehealth and see if it is right for you, please check out this article on Why You Should Try Online Counseling & Coaching!
Gwyn Mohler, MSW, LCSW
Gwyn Mohler, MSW, LCSW, is a therapist in North Carolina offering in-person appointments. Gwyn started her career in the field of education, serving both as a K-12 educator and nonprofit manager. Over time, she found that her favorite part of work was when she was providing one-on-one support to students, peers, and teachers, helping them build confidence and meet individual goals. To follow this passion, Gwyn went to graduate school at UNC Chapel Hill to become a licensed therapist.
Gwyn considers it an honor to join with her clients on their therapeutic journeys. She is aware of the tremendous amount of courage and vulnerability required to begin work with a new therapist, and she brings this awareness into sessions by prioritizing an environment that feels safe, empowering, and connected. Using a Person-Centered and Trauma-informed approach as a foundation, Gwyn works with her clients to create individualized experiences that allow clients to explore and reach their unique goals. Gwyn practices with the Whole person in mind and has experience integrating a variety of evidence-based techniques and theories into treatment, including Polyvagal Theory, Attachment Theory, Mindfulness-Based approaches, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Gwyn is especially passionate about helping clients uncover and address the root cause of current issues, and she enjoys supporting clients address concerns related to anxiety, depression, complex trauma, attachment wounds, self-esteem/self-worth, perfectionism, and major life transitions.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Gwyn lived in New Mexico and South Carolina before settling in North Carolina in 2011. Gwyn currently lives in Charlotte with her husband and small children.
Gwyn offers in-person appointments in her Elizabeth Neighborhood office!
Ready to Make a Change With The Best Charlotte Therapist Near You?
Jen August, LCMHC
Jen August, LCMHC, is an independently contracted clinician with Therapy Charlotte who has more than 20 years of counseling experience. Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, Jen also oversees an advocacy center for survivors of interpersonal violence at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Jen has particular expertise in applying Polyvagal Theory to counseling. She helps clients better understand how the nervous system influences their emotions, relationships, stress responses, and sense of safety. Through this nervous-system-informed approach, clients can learn to recognize their patterns, respond to themselves with greater understanding, and develop practical ways to feel more grounded and regulated.
For Jen, being a counselor is more than a job; it is a privilege to accompany clients on their path toward healing and growth. It can take tremendous courage and strength to share one’s innermost thoughts, feelings, and vulnerabilities with someone new, and Jen is honored each time a client invites her to participate in their therapeutic journey.
Jen recognizes that people are the experts on their own lives and circumstances. She works collaboratively with her clients to help them access their inner strength and navigate life’s challenges in the ways that work best for them.
Jen believes the client-counselor relationship is the most important element in creating meaningful progress in counseling. While her work is informed by Polyvagal Theory, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy, she primarily practices from Person-Centered and Strengths-Based perspectives.
Noell Rowan, Ph.D., LCSW, LCAS, CCS, ACSW
Noell Rowan, Ph.D., LCSW, LCAS, CCS, ACSW is a clinician with more than three decades of experience in the field of social work. She has practiced in hospital, community, and private practice settings in Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, and provides clinical supervision for MSW students in North Carolina. After practicing for more than a decade, she returned to further her education and earned a Ph.D. in social work and has since authored more than 40 publications and participated on many teams of grants to expand her ability to focus on wellness in the areas of mental health, addictions, and spirituality. She has served in several university leadership roles building social work degree programs, was recruited to UNCW School of Social Work to join their leadership team and has resided on the beautiful coast of North Carolina since 2013. She teaches graduate students about practice skills, oversees the graduate addictions certification program, and enjoys making meaningful connections with people and fostering growth toward the highest potential.
Noell considers it a high honor to work with people on their life journey, and seeks to collaborate and honor each person's path and way of viewing the world to navigate their concerns, process thoughts and feelings and recognize their strengths and solutions along the way.
Noell offers clinical therapy services solely via virtual telehealth. She is enthused to join Therapy Charlotte to offer her presence from a supportive clinical social work stance. She has had formal training from the Beck Institute on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and often focuses her work from trainings on Motivational Interviewing/Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Brief Solution Focused Therapy, Person-Centered, Strengths Based, and Insight-Oriented Therapy
Amy Van de Motter, LCSW
Amy Van de Motter, LCSW moved from Ohio to North Carolina in 2000. She earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education, teaching public school for three years. During this experience, she realized her passion for making personal connections with her students and their families, which led her to pursue her masters degree in Social Work.
As a licensed clinical social worker, Amy has spent more than a decade working therapeutically with individuals and families from a wide array of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. She lived and practiced therapy in Tennessee and Massachusetts, before returning to North Carolina in 2014, which she is happy to call home. She now works as a full-time faculty member in the School of Social Work at UNCW, primarily teaching graduate students, and also works part-time with an adoption agency.
Amy's practice philosophy is grounded in one of the core social work values: the importance of human relationships. She recognizes and honors the trust and courage it takes for clients to enter into a therapist-client relationship, and works in partnership with her clients to establish that foundation of safety and support. Clients' individual needs, preferences, and beliefs are honored and respected throughout their work toward change and personal growth. She enjoys working with individuals struggling with relationship issues, life transitions, stress management, anxiety and depression, and other experiences that challenge our ability to cope and adapt in the way we normally do. Amy's practice incorporates concepts and techniques from Person-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Oriented Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, as well as ideas from mindfulness-based approaches.