Galina Olivera-Celdran, PhD, LCMHC-S

I am here to help you with figuring out the best ways to overcome depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma, PTSD, marriage or relationship difficulties. In our first session, I will take time to listen to your story, explore your goals for coming to counseling and the best ways to reach them. TRAUMAS AND PTSD If you are seeking therapy for post traumatic symptoms or PTSD as a result of childhood trauma, or recent traumatic events like car accidents, relationship breakups, workplace bullying, or emotional abuse in your marriage, I hope to provide a safe place for you to move from merely coping to truly healing by addressing the impact of trauma in a safe, supportive space. Using tools like EMDR and IFS, we will work to reprocess past traumatic events with the goal of gaining new insight, calming the nervous system, restoring a sense of safety and inner stability. ANXIETY If you are seeking counseling for anxiety, we will identify the mental loops that keep you stuck and develop skills like mindfulness, grounding, and cognitive restructuring to reduce anxious thoughts and physical symptoms of panic or worry. OCD If you struggle with OCD, I can help you understand the cycle of OCD, and learn to interrupt it using evidence-based techniques like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) that can lead to increasing freedom from rigid patterns, obsessive thoughts and compulsions, and greater engagement with life in more meaningful way. DEPRESSION If you are seeking counseling for depression, we will use such tools as CBT, behavioral activation and values-based exploration to identify what is keeping you stuck and help you move toward renewed energy, emotional balance, and a sense of purpose. MARRIAGE COUNSELING AND RELATIONSHIP ISSUES If you are seeking marriage counseling, I will support you in rebuilding trust, improving communication and reconnecting emotionally. Whether you are navigating conflict, betrayal, or just feeling distant, I use the Gottman Method and Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) to help you create stronger, more fulfilling relationship. I have experience in helping couples that are going through the affair recovery. I also help individuals to improve their relationships by learning how to communicate better, how to have a secure attachment, and how to be best self in the relationships.

For those clients that desire to integrate faith and Christian practices into their healing process, I offer an integrative approach that combines proven psychological insights with Biblical truths. I am passionate about what I do, and my desire is to support you and equip you, so that you can experience the abundant life, loving relationships, and purpose that God desires for you. While taking an integrative approach, I welcome all people who seek counseling, regardless of religious background. I provide in person counseling in Charlotte, as well as online counseling across North Carolina and South Carolina.

I have over 19 years of post-graduate counseling experience in helping and my areas of expertise include: - counseling for depression - counseling for anxiety - counseling for OCD - trauma counseling (PTSD, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, workplace bullying, domestic violence, combat, etc.) - marriage counseling for couples - relationship counseling for individuals - premarital counseling. I hold a PhD in Counseling from UNC at Charlotte and MA in Christian Counseling from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. I am trained in Gottman Method to Couples Therapy, EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples), Prepare-Enrich (marital and pre-marital counseling), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), IFS (Internal Family Systems), CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy), substance abuse counseling, career counseling, Christian Counseling.