Marj Adams

Welcome! Many of the people I work with have spent years in survival mode—feeling like they're living with their hair on fire, constantly waiting for the next crisis or trying to hold everything together on their own. Whether you're navigating trauma, ADHD, executive functioning challenges, anxiety, identity exploration, relationship concerns, substance use recovery, or healing from harmful religious experiences this space is here for you. My approach is collaborative, compassionate, and trauma informed. I integrate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), somatic approaches, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, tailoring treatment to each person's unique strengths, goals, and nervous system. Along with understanding what's happening internally, I also like to zoom out and explore the larger systems influencing your life. I believe therapy is about more than reducing symptoms. Together, we'll identify what's sustaining you, what's keeping you stuck, and develop practical skills that help you move toward the life you want. I provide LGBTQ+ affirming and neurodiversity-affirming care for adults, older adults, children, and adolescents. Alongside my clinical training, I also bring lived experience as a queer, neurodivergent woman who has navigated healing from harmful religious beliefs. While your journey will always be your own, I know how powerful it can be to work with someone who understands what it feels like to question old narratives, redefine your identity, and learn to trust yourself again. ABOUT ME: Before joining Asheville DBT & Trauma I worked as an outpatient clinician at a community mental health center in Marion specifically with the substance use population. I received my master's in social work at Western Carolina University. Outside of the therapy room, I recharge through watercolor painting, scrap art, cooking, tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, and video games. Creative pursuits remind me that there is rarely only one solution to a problem. I love helping clients discover new perspectives, experiment with different approaches, and find creative ways to move from surviving to truly living. If we work together, you'll find warmth, authenticity, humor, and gentle accountability. Whether we're building emotional regulation skills, processing trauma, or navigating life's inevitable obstacles, my hope is to help you become the main character in your own story. And if you're a fellow gamer, don't be surprised if we occasionally talk about building your skill tree, upgrading your armor, and preparing to face life's next boss with a few more tools in your inventory. Wherever you are in your journey, I'd be honored to walk alongside you as you rediscover your strengths, write a new chapter, and create a life that reflects who you are rather than what you've survived.