Gwendolyn Downing
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
About Gwendolyn
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Alabama, with 36 years experience. I worked in a public agency for several years and have been in private practice for 17 years. I have helped individuals who have been referred through Self-referral, Employee Assistance Programs, and family court systems. I have had the privilege of helping people with Depression and Anxiety, Chemical and Process Addictions, Trauma and abuse issues, Family and Life issues, as well as other challenging situations.
I utilize several therapeutic strategies, including Motivational Interviewing, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Trauma-focused Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy. The strategies utilized are determined by the unique needs of the person with whom I am interacting. I believe each person is unique and presents with unique needs and unique strengths for addressing the identified concerns.
My focus is on people, not labels or statistics. I make it my practice to encourage and elevate people to be the success they were meant to be.
It requires courage and commitment to reach out for help, and I would be honored to be part of your journey. I look forward to working with you!
What Gwendolyn helps with
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Parenting issues
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
Show 51 more areas
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Traumatic brain injury
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
How Gwendolyn works
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Gottman Method
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
What clients say
- “Gwendolyn is fantastic”
- “Gwendolyn Downing is such a pleasure to speak with. She is very understanding, makes you feel very comfortable, listens and provides very helpful feedback. She has helped me so much! I enjoy therapy with her.”
- “So far mrs Downing is wonderful”
Show all 15 reviews
- “Highly recommend Mrs. Gwendolyn she’s. A good listener and is very understanding I would recommend her to everyone”
- “She listens to my concerns without judgement. I feel I can share my feelings and she understands my true concerns. She validates my thoughts even when I doubt myself.”
- “I am just getting started really so, I can only say that she responds in a timely manner & truly seems like she wants to help people.”
- “She’s great! No matter what off the wall thoughts or ideas I discuss she keeps me on track and she makes it all make sense to me.”
- “Gwen is great!”
- “She is very nice and listens very well.”
- “Gwendolyn is very professional and personable.”
- “She is an absolute godsend”
- “Gwen has been great! In just a few sessions, she's helped me to gain perspective and given me some tools to help when I'm struggling.”
- “She was very kind and attentive and great first session!”
- “She does a great job at letting you get all of your grievances out and listens very well and responds respectfully and with strategies to really get to the root of the issues. She’s great at picking up on what an individual’s best ways of dealing and changing their mental attitudes towards stressors and anxiety points and has a great positive attitude that makes having appointments such a joy to look forward to”
- “Kind, caring, compassionate, and wise. Very supportive, and creative with problem solving. She listens, advises, and has really been there for me.”
These reviews represent a few of the most recent positive reviews from the therapist's clients on BetterHelp. Some people's experience may be different.
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