MY PRACTICE
Angela Bethea-Walsh, Ph.D.Licensed Psychologist
In 2012, I opened my health-focused practice to offer a range counseling, evaluation, and consulting services to help people get unstuck and achieve emotional and physical wellness. Over time, my own personal experiences have helped to shape the scope of my practice today.
The joy of therapy is to cross paths and partner with people to explore how deeply rooted old ways of feeling, thinking, and being (once helpful to survive) may still help them feel safe or protected in relationships with others. However, old ways of experiencing the self, others and the world may also hamper the ability to reach their true potential, maintain a healthy lifestyle, or meaningful connections with others.
I love being with people. Together, we hold the searchlight in the darkness to discover where their motivation to change lies. I allow space for “stuckness” and silence. We talk about change, not changing, and where either path might lead them. I want people to feel heard within a holding environment that provides warmth and support. I provide a space that empowers people to consider whether change is in alignment with what’s important to them, their goals and values.
I really enjoy working with people struggling with depression, anxiety, grief and loss, substance use, trauma, chronic illness and weight management.
I also enjoy working with women struggling with infertility and individuals/couples considering family-building. I know first-hand how stressful it can be to experience pregnancy loss and undergo fertility treatment fraught with unexpected twists, turns, and setbacks. After 3 years of trying to conceive (unsuccessful attempts at conventional conception, 2 surgeries, and assisted reproductive technology), my husband and I finally conceived our daughter with IVF. None of this journey was a part of my reproductive journey, however over time I accepted that the way we conceived our daughter was the journey meant for me.
Research describes the psychological symptoms of infertile women equivalent to that of patients with other chronic medical illness including hypertension, HIV, and cancer. Infertility can be such an isolating experience. Connection with others is critical. I provide a space to support others who are struggling to start or grow their families, with a focus on where in the infertility journey can they find a sense of control. I also support clients to feel empowered in their relationships with medical providers, so that the infertility journey doesn't just feel like it's just happening to them. I provide therapy for pregnancy loss, postpartum depression, and individuals in fertility treatment.
I conduct consultation for Intended Parents receiving IUI, IVF or working with Gestational Carriers (GCs). I conduct screenings with GC candidates, egg donors, sperm donors, and embryo donors. I am a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), Mental Health Providers Group (MHPG). I also have an athlete wellness arm of my practice.
I enjoy engaging collegiate and elite athletes in conversations about change, motivating them toward personal change, mental wellness, and optimal performance. I provide evidence-based, culturally-sensitive treatment and psychological evaluations with collegiate and elite athletes presenting with problematic substance use, substance use disorders, and other concerns about mental wellness.
Finally, have been training healthcare providers for almost 15 years. I provide workshops and consultation for healthcare providers feeling stuck in motivating patients to change. I work with healthcare providers to find different ways of relating to patients to help their patients cultivate their motivation to change, even when it seems impossible.
Request a free discovery call today!
(404) 654-3614.
MY QUALIFICATIONS
Education
HOWARD UNIVERSITY
B.S., Psychology
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
M.Ed., Counseling Psychology
LEHIGH UNIVERSITY
Ph.D., Counseling Psychology
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS, MOUNT SINAI ST. LUKE’S-ROOSEVELT HOSPITAL CENTER
3-year Clinical/Research Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Health & Addiction Psychology