I am a Licensed Master Social Worker with a Master of Social Work from Kennesaw State University. I work primarily with adults and couples, focusing on anxiety, trauma, relationship concerns, and life transitions. I also see teens and young adults navigating anxiety related to family, peer, academic, and career-related pressures. Before joining Awaken, I worked in high-acuity outpatient settings, providing individual, couples, family, and group therapy to adults with substance use disorders and a wide range of mental health concerns.

Anxiety is a core focus of my practice, including generalized, social, and situational anxiety. I enjoy working with high-functioning adults who appear to “have it all together” while privately struggling with overthinking, panic attacks, perfectionism, self-doubt, people-pleasing, or difficulty slowing down. For some, coping with anxiety or stress may involve relying on alcohol or other substances. I work with clients across this spectrum, from those navigating substance use disorders to those who are “sober-curious” or simply questioning their substance use. My approach is influenced by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), helping clients become less controlled by anxious or self-critical thoughts and move toward what matters even when anxiety is present. I also draw on my experience teaching Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills in both group and individual therapy settings, helping clients manage intense emotions, tolerate distress, and improve their relationships.

I especially enjoy working with individuals navigating seasons of change, whether related to parenting, relationships, career, or identity. As our lives evolve, what once felt meaningful or fulfilling may shift, leading us to reevaluate our priorities and what matters most. I understand how daunting it can feel to change direction later in life, having returned to school after years in the corporate world to pursue an entirely new career as a therapist.

I work with couples navigating communication or intimacy difficulties, parenting and career demands, significant breaches of trust, or simply feeling disconnected from one another. My approach is informed by attachment theory and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), which encourages partners to look beneath recurring conflict, interrupt painful cycles, and communicate the emotions and needs driving those patterns.

Trauma and inner-child work have been a significant focus throughout my clinical experience. I work with clients processing trauma associated with a single event as well as complex trauma resulting from repeated or prolonged exposure to traumatic circumstances, such as abuse or neglect. While understanding the source of a reaction can be valuable, insight alone doesn’t always change the emotional or physical response.

This is one reason I became a practitioner of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), a trauma-focused therapy, similar to EMDR, that uses eye movements and image replacement to reduce distress associated with painful experiences. ART is a brief therapy that can often address a specific concern in one to three sessions and can be incorporated into ongoing therapy or used on its own. I compare ART to a record player with a stuck needle: the goal isn’t to erase what happened, but to move the needle so you’re no longer pulled into the same distressing response.

Caroline is under the supervision of Kristen Hiro, LCSW.

More About Caroline:

Outside the therapy room, I’m a wife and mom of two. I enjoy Pilates, traveling with my family, our pug, Niles, and cheering on my kids at their sporting events. I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi and will forever be an Ole Miss Reb!