Tonya Wacker , LPC, LPCC

Tonya Wacker is a licensed counselor based in Tennessee with 14 years of clinical experience supporting people through life transitions, relationship challenges, mood concerns, and trauma. She holds the LPC and LPCC credentials - Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor - and brings an inclusive, strengths-focused perspective to her work.

She centers care on each person's individuality, believing that people from all backgrounds deserve lives marked by respect, connection, and meaning. Tonya uses a range of therapeutic approaches - including client-centered work, cognitive behavioral strategies, dialectical behavior techniques, existential exploration, and mindfulness practices - tailoring methods to fit each client's needs rather than applying a single formula.

Her practice addresses a wide variety of concerns across the lifespan, working with children, adolescents, adults, and families on issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy struggles, self-esteem, addiction, grief, parenting challenges, and identity-related matters including gender and sexual identity. She also supports those facing career stress, caregiver fatigue, ADHD, and other complex life stressors.

Tonya emphasizes collaboration in creating a therapeutic plan that feels practical and hopeful. Her approach is eclectic and creative, focusing on helping clients build coping skills, process past triggers, and reconnect with the qualities that make their lives meaningful.

Therapeutic Approaches and Remote Support

Tonya Wacker integrates client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to meet a range of needs. Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and collaboration, helping clients clarify values and build on their strengths to navigate life changes. CBT focuses on identifying and reshaping unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors, which is useful for anxiety, depression, and stress management. DBT teaches practical skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and relationship effectiveness, making it helpful for intense emotions, interpersonal conflict, and coping with crises.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Tonya works collaboratively with each person to determine what fits best based on their goals, preferences, and circumstances. She adapts techniques over time so therapy remains responsive and practical.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to engage - video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging - which can make it easier to fit sessions into busy lives or to connect from different locations. These remote options help maintain continuity of care and allow licensed professionals to deliver structured therapeutic work in formats that suit each client's daily routine and communication style.