My name is Angela Bryan, and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified EMDR Therapist at The Banyan Tree Center in Athens, Georgia. I work with adults, children, and teens navigating trauma, PTSD, CPTSD, anxiety, OCD, behavioral challenges, depression, relationship challenges, faith questions, burnout, and major life transitions. I offer therapy in English, German, and Spanish through telehealth and on a limited in-person basis.

You are not alone. Many of the people I work with have spent years taking care of everyone else, pushing through difficult circumstances, or trying to manage painful experiences without the support they needed. By the time they reach out, they often know something needs to change, but they may not know where to begin.

My goal is to make therapy feel less intimidating and more like a safe, steady space where healing and change can take place.

I work from a trauma-informed, strength-based perspective and believe that every person makes sense in the context of their life experiences. Rather than asking, “What’s wrong with you?” I am interested in understanding, “What happened to you?” Together, we explore the patterns, beliefs, emotions, and nervous system responses that may be keeping you stuck while building on the strengths and resilience you already possess.

My path to becoming a therapist is deeply personal. Early in life, I set out to overcome childhood challenges and heal from the effects of trauma. Along the way, I experienced firsthand how transformative the right support can be. That experience sparked a lifelong passion for understanding human behavior, trauma, resilience, and the remarkable capacity people have to heal and grow.

Born and raised in Germany, I have lived and worked in multiple countries and cultures throughout my life. My work began with Mercy Ships, serving vulnerable populations around the world, and has expanded over the last three decades to include counseling, executive coaching, trauma-informed care, and professional training. I co-founded Haven of Hope International, a nonprofit that trains caregivers and orphanage staff in trauma-informed care across multiple countries. Throughout my career, I have trained educators, law enforcement officers, judges, attorneys, first responders, healthcare professionals, social workers, military personnel, and organizational leaders in trauma-informed practices. In addition to training these professionals, I have also provided therapy to many of them, including active-duty military members, veterans, first responders, healthcare professionals, and other helping professionals, helping clients heal from PTSD, complex trauma, moral injury, burnout, anxiety, grief, OCD, and the cumulative effects of working in high-stress environments.

Because no two people are alike, I tailor therapy to fit the individual sitting in front of me. Depending on your needs, I may integrate EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), DBT, TF-CBT, somatic approaches, sandtray therapy, art-based interventions, play therapy, mindfulness, and other evidence-based approaches. My goal is not to fit you into a particular model but to find the approach that best supports your healing and growth.

Clients often describe my style as warm, genuine, collaborative, and down-to-earth. I believe therapy should be a judgment-free space where you can be fully yourself. You do not need to have the right words, know what to talk about, or worry about doing therapy “correctly.” There is no such thing. My role is to guide the process, help you make sense of your experiences, and walk alongside you as you move toward your goals.

While we often do difficult and meaningful work together, I also believe healing involves hope, connection, laughter, and moments of joy. Humor is an important part of how I connect with people and how many of us heal. My hope is that therapy becomes a place where you feel understood, challenged when needed, supported when things are hard, and genuinely glad you came.

Above all, I am committed to helping clients make real progress. Whether your goal is healing from trauma, improving relationships, finding relief from anxiety, supporting your child, navigating a life transition, OCD, or simply understanding yourself more deeply, we will create a plan together and work toward meaningful, lasting change.

Therapy is about creating meaningful, lasting change so you can move forward with greater clarity, stability, and self-trust—and that is the kind of therapy I strive to provide.

“What was experienced in isolation often heals in connection, something I have seen again and again in over 30 years of clinical work.”

Background and Credentials

• Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Georgia
• Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Florida
• Licensed in the EU
• Certified EMDR Therapist, striving EMDR consultant-in-training
• TBRI® Authorized Educator and Practitioner, TCU, Karen Purvis Institute at Texas Christian University
• DBT Certified, trained with supervision
• TF-CBT Certified
• IFS Level 1 trained
• ERP trained (OCD and phobias)
• Inference-based CBT trained (OCD, eating disorders, scrupulosity)
• Sandtray therapy trained
• Certified CDR Executive and Life Coach
• Non-Violent Communication trained, restorative circles
• Executive Leadership Training, Harvard University (2020)
• Leadership Coaching Certificate, Jim Knight (2025)
• MS in Counseling; BA in Family and Intercultural Counseling
• 30 years of clinical and coaching experience across 3 continents
• Therapy available in English, German, and Spanish

How I Work

• In person · The Banyan Tree Center, Athens, GA (monthly)
• Telehealth ages 13+
• In person ages 3+

Approaches: EMDR (certified) · IFS · DBT · TBRI · TF-CBT · ERP · Inference-based CBT · Sandtray therapy · Somatic approaches & polyvagal work · Motivational interviewing · Narrative therapy · Trauma-informed care · Executive coaching (CDR 360 evaluation)

What I Specialize In

Trauma and PTSD in Athens, GA

Who I work with: Clients come in carrying childhood trauma, sexual abuse, event trauma, or years of complex PTSD that has quietly shaped everything, their relationships, their anxiety, and their ability to feel safe in their own body. Some have tried therapy before and felt like they weren’t doing it right. Some don’t even have words for what happened. They just know something feels stuck and has for a long time.

What we do together: I use EMDR, somatic work, IFS, TF-CBT, and sandtray therapy depending on what a client’s nervous system needs. Trauma is often held in the body, not just the mind, so we work with whatever form of expression helps us get closer to it. I am a Certified EMDR Therapist working toward EMDR consultant status, and I bring that level of depth and precision to this work. Clients always stay in control of the pace. Nothing happens without their consent.

Children, Teens, and Families in Athens, GA

Who I work with: I work with children and teens navigating anxiety, depression, behavior challenges, self-harm, suicidality, and the lasting effects of difficult early experiences. I also work with parents and caregivers who are trying their hardest but not sure how to reach their child. Many families arrive exhausted, having tried everything, and feeling like they’re failing.

What we do together: As an authorized TBRI® Educator and Practitioner I bring one of the most research-backed frameworks for trauma-informed family work available. TBRI — Trust Based Relational Intervention teaches caregivers and clients how to recognize and respond to unmet trauma needs through safe connection, felt safety, and practical tools that build trust, regulation, and healthy attachment. I help children feel safe enough to heal and help parents understand what their child’s behavior is communicating so they can respond with confidence rather than react from overwhelm. For teens especially, I focus on building trust before anything else. We don’t even have to call it therapy at first.

ADHD, Autism, and Neurodivergent Therapy in Athens, GA

Who I work with: I work with neurodivergent clients, including those with ADHD and autism, PDA profiles, and sensory differences. A big part of my work is helping people untangle what is trauma-induced versus what is authentically how their brain is wired, because those are very different and need to be treated differently. Some clients arrive with an existing diagnosis. Others are just beginning to explore whether neurodivergence might explain a lifetime of feeling different.

What we do together: I help clients feel seen and understood. We get curious about how your brain actually works, what helps you feel regulated, and what environments and strategies actually fit your nervous system. I am ADHD and autism informed with specialized clinical training in both, and I bring that alongside a respect for neurodivergent ways of being.

OCD, Phobias, and Eating Disorders in Athens, GA

Who I work with: Most clients in this area are women dealing with OCD, OCD-related behaviors, phobias, or eating disorders that are rooted in high anxiety or trauma. I also work with clients dealing with religious OCD, known as scrupulosity, which is particularly common among faith-based clients. Many have tried other approaches that haven’t worked, and are not sure if anything can help.

What we do together: I use inference-based CBT and IFS specifically for OCD and eating disorders, alongside ERP for phobias. I pursued this training because of a personal experience in my own family, so I bring both clinical expertise and genuine understanding to this work. The outcomes I have seen with clients in this area have been really meaningful.

Life Transitions and Relationship Issues in Athens, GA

Who I work with: Some clients are navigating the end of a marriage, a career change, a major loss, or a season of life that looks nothing like they expected. Others are struggling in their relationships, not sure how to move forward or whether to stay. I also work with college students, figuring out what they want from life, and executives dealing with burnout, career stress, and unhelpful patterns that are hurting their relationships at work and at home. I am a certified CDR 360 provider. CDR 360 provides clients with a comprehensive, multi-perspective view of their strengths, stress patterns, and relational impact, helping them increase self-awareness and make targeted, meaningful changes in how they lead and relate to others.

What we do together: The work looks different for every client. Some need to talk it through. Some need somatic work. Some need practical tools and a clear plan forward. I weave in motivational interviewing, solution-focused approaches, and executive coaching skills depending on what the client needs. My executive coaching background means I can be very practical and goal-oriented when that’s what serves the client best.

Faith, Spirituality, and Religious Trauma in Athens, GA

Who I work with: Many of my faith-based clients are Christians who still believe in God but have been hurt by the church, whether through spiritual abuse, power dynamics, or sexual abuse within faith communities. They want a therapist who will honor their faith rather than dismiss it, and who understands the particular pain of being harmed by the very place that was supposed to be safe.

What we do together: I bring my own Christian faith into this work in whatever way the client finds helpful, combined with evidence-based trauma approaches such as EMDR, IFS and DBT. We process the harm, work through the grief and confusion, and help the client find their own footing again spiritually and emotionally. For clients whose faith is complicated, evolving, or absent, I hold that with equal care. I follow the client’s lead always.

A Few Things I Want You to Know

Before your first session: Just come as you are. I’m proud of you for being here. I know there are probably a million other places you’d rather be right now, and it takes real courage to walk through the door. This is a confidential space unlike any other, and I will do everything I can to make it a good experience. I never take your trust for granted.

Something I wish more people knew: Therapy is highly scientific. Your brain is an organ, and your nervous system is your body’s communication and regulation system. When something difficult happens, there is injury there, not because something is wrong with you, but because life is hard and sometimes it exceeds the brain and nervous system’s capacity to cope. If you injured your ankle you wouldn’t hesitate to see a physical therapist. Your brain deserves the same care. It’s not what is wrong with you. It’s what happened to you.

Who I do my best work with: People who are ready to change and heal. Who know that something happened to them and it’s just too much to carry alone anymore. I especially connect with people who have always felt a little out of place in the world, immigrants, adoptees, people who’ve lived between cultures, LGBTQ+ individuals, and anyone who has spent a lifetime feeling different. I know what it feels like to wonder where you belong.

One more thing: My goal is that after sessions, you walk away feeling deeply seen and understood. I will be honest with you, I will try to never waste your time, and if I think someone else at The Banyan Tree would serve you better, I will tell you that too. What matters most is that you get the right help.