Tammy Whitten, LMFT, CFLE
Creating Happy Relationships, Kids, and Lives.
My specialty is working with women who are experiencing stress and anxiety. I work with them one-on-one in individual therapy, or with their spouse/partner for couple therapy, or with their families for family therapy. I offer sessions Monday-Thursday in the afternoons and evenings, mostly between 3:00pm and 9:00pm. I also have some Saturday sessions available in the mornings and mid-day.
All sessions are available in 15 minute increments of time. This is different from other local therapists, who tend to only offer 50 minute sessions (often ranging from $100-$200- definitely not my rates). You get to determine the length of our sessions, whether it’s 30 minutes, 45 minutes, an hour or even longer! I let my clients choose the lengths because you know your time and financial demands best. This allows you to get support in a way that doesn’t add more stress to your life. For example, we can schedule a session between the time you get off work and the time you have to pick up the kids from day care or soccer practice- meaning you don’t have to spend extra on a babysitter. Or, if you know that you can only spend $100 a month on therapy, we can work together on a plan that allows us to have weekly contact with each other to give you the support you need, while staying within your budget.
In my practice, I strive to be real. No stiff atmosphere. No hiding behind a clip board taking notes. No phony, trite phrases that you’ve heard over and over from others.
When you walk in to the office, the waiting room looks much like a living room, except there’s no TV! The rooms that we work in are also similar to what you’d see at home: lamps and comfy chairs (I made sure of that) and little homey touches throughout. For instance, most of the artwork inside the office has been done by our family members.
You’re invited to slip your shoes off and nestle between the couch cushions for our sessions! I try to avoid wearing shoes as much as possible, so I’ll join you in taking off my shoes!
During our sessions, we’ll laugh. We may even share a few tears together. It’s a mutual “conversation”- so don’t be shy! If you feel differently about something, I want to hear it! You’re the expert on your life, and together we’ll work to find what best meets your needs.
I also strive to end each session on a good note. You’ll have your own personal “cheat sheet” of what to do between then and our next session. That “cheat sheet” is a guide during the hard times. So if you find yourself waking up with a pit in your stomach, the cheat sheet has the things we talked about during our last session that will help you to know what to do. Then you can share how that worked and we can tweak it so you have your very own personal plan that’s just for you.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Education/Training
BS in Family & Community Services from East Carolina University
MS in Marriage & Family Therapy from East Carolina University
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist #1307 (North Carolina)
Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) by the National Council on Family Relations
Tammy has worked with children and families in home, school, hospital, and agency settings for over 10 years. She has worked with Family Support Network of Eastern North Carolina providing support to parents who have children with special needs, born prematurely, or who have experienced the loss of a child. In addition, she helped to open the local office Easter Seals North Carolina prior to their merger with UCP. There she supervised services to individuals and families who have developmental disabilities in their homes and in the community to help them to maximize their full potential.
Following graduate school, Tammy taught full time in the Dept. of Child Development & Family Relations at East Carolina University for three years. Tammy is a Certified Family Life Educator with the National Council on Family Relations, offering trainings, seminars, and consults in 10 substance areas such as family resource management, sexuality, interpersonal relationships, and parenting. She is also certified to give premarital and marriage enrichment through the PREPARE/ENRICH program, utilized by many churches and couples across the United States.
Bio
Deciding to work one-on-one with someone can feel pretty nerve wracking. And finding someone that you feel you connect with is very important to the process. In fact, the research actually agrees! Over and over, researchers have found that the single most important indicator of how helpful this type of work can be in your life depends on one crucial factor: the connection you feel to the professional you’re working with!
TV shows and movies often portray therapists as distant, constantly taking notes on a clipboard, and full of nods and “a-huh’s.” Here’s how I’m different from what you may have seen:
■I’m real and down to earth. I get excited with you. I share in your pain, too.
■Because I truly believe that our connection does play a vital part in the work that we do, I offer several ways for you to get to know me. You can follow on the page for great information on specific stress-related topics. You can sign-up for the free e-course so you can hear my voice and experience how we start small and build up to more challenging changes with 7 Surefire Stress Busters for Women. You can converse with me on Facebook or Twitter and where I post my famous “Stress Tips of the Day.” You can watch my bio video on the page to get a feel for my personality. And you can also email or call me to schedule a free, 20 minute consult where you and I can chat a little about what’s going on in your life and how I can best help you.
■You’re going to receive support every step of the way. While we’re working together, we’ll start implementing the processes so that you can not only make the changes, but also help the changes to stay in place. We’ll determine the best way for you, not what works for someone else. Together we’ll implement the things that actually will work in your life.
If this sounds like what you’re looking for, I encourage you to take the next step that feels right for you!
Memberships
National Council on Family Relations (NCFR)
Payments Accepted
Cash, check, credit cards
Hours:Mon.-Thurs. 3:00pm-9:00pm
Cost/Session
$35 for 30 minutes; email and longer sessions available.
License:Lic. # 1307, NC
Helpful Links
Practice Areas/Issues Treated
 Therapy
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Loneliness
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Anger Management
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Marriage & Family Therapy
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Anxiety and Panic
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Marriage Counseling
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Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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Body Image Issues
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Online / Teletherapy
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Caregiver Issues
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Pre and Postpartum Mental Health
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Chronic Illness
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Relationship Issues
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Couples
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Self-Esteem Issues
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Depression
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Seniors and Elder Care Issues
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Divorce
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Stress Management
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Eating Disorders
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Trauma and PTSD
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Grief and Loss
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Work and Career Issues
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Life Transitions
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Licenses/Certifications
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Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
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