top of page
Summer Dip_edited.jpg

More About My Background and Approach:

Annabelle Frazier, Ph.D., LPC-S

What is it like to work with me?

Water Ripples

The building blocks of expertise

Since 2011, I've worked in many high-stress, high-stakes roles, including:

  • ​Coordinating efforts to protect vulnerable families from losing custody of their kids to the state.

  • Helping adults with disabilities avoid and exit institutionalization.

  • Guiding first responders in handling calls involving young kids who witnessed a parent's overdose.

  • Helping people who have recently left incarceration to establish and sustain full lives on the outside.

  • Supporting indigent defense lawyers in navigating termination of parental rights, civil commitments, guardianship and losses of individual rights, as well as juvenile court cases.

My core credentials:

  • M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and

  • Ph.D. in Applied Psychology & Prevention Science

I'm trained in using multiple tools and approaches:

  • ​Eye movement desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT)

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

  • Motivational Interviewing (MI)

  • Post-conviction Advocacy / Mitigation (NASAMS)

  • Tele-mental health (with MS credentialing)

  • Clinical Supervision of Counseling Professionals

Need dates and details?

How this experience will be different

If you've ever worked with a therapist, or know anything about the counseling profession, you might be surprised by the principles that guide my work:

Water

A healthy working relationship, first.

Some conventions in the human services can defeat the purpose of helping people reach the very goals for which they sought help in the first place... For example, how often do you share your most private problems with strangers? Never? Good! I expect trust to take time, and work to build in clear, predictable boundaries and pacing for our interactions, so you can do the work in the context of a healthy, safe working relationship. If relationships are hard for you, or if some of your relationships have gone off-track, this should be a good role model.

Water

We always start with the end in mind.

You wouldn't be here if it weren't for a current, practical problem. I want to use the tools at my disposal to help you solve the problem and move on with your life. Said differently, I prioritize addressing tangible, present-day needs and concerns, and skill-building for the future. You don't have to fix every past mistake, gain immaculate awareness, or heal every hurt you've suffered to make the future better, calmer, or more balanced. Instead, we'll focus on using the power you have today to make new, practical choices for tomorrow.

Water

A judgement-free zone, with accountability.

There's virtually nothing you can't say out loud here. That includes thoughts you can't share with your co-workers, and terrible, graphic descriptions of things you've seen (sometimes you just need to tell someone!). I intentionally work to remove any barriers to your ability to be authentic and honest, and I'll work hard to protect your privacy, so you can speak openly. But, I'll also challenge you to consider new perspectives, let things go, and build the capacity to cope with whatever you face.

Water Ripples

Frequently asked questions about working with me:

1.

Are there any specific categories of adults that you won't work with?

No. I specialize in working with people whose job is to help others (like lawyers, therapists, and medical professionals), as well as those who are in the midst of a personal crisis (a contentious divorce, a significant loss, or legal trouble). There are a broad range of human beings within these groups, and I welcome them all. I am especially committed to helping those people who have received less-than welcoming care within mental health service systems because of how they look, any diagnostic labels that have been applied to them, or their personal backgrounds.

2.

Are you a full-time therapist? Do you have a clinic somewhere?

I am a full-time university faculty member. Because I was trained as a scientist-practitioner (and was a long-time practitioner before I ever became a scientist), I maintain "Emerge Calm" as a small, part-time clinical practice, with no physical office. If you're curious about my academic life, you can check out my research at  www.AnnabelleFrazier.com.

3.

Confidentiality and privacy are really important to me. How do you protect the privacy and confidentiality of the people you work with?

Most of the people I work with wouldn't be able to engage meaningfully without strong privacy and confidentiality protections. I have multiple carefully-designed policies meant to safeguard clients' information (including their identities). As you may know, different states have varying standards of protection for counselor-client privilege. Because I work across state lines, I always uphold the strictest of these standards. You can review privacy and confidentiality notices provided to counseling clients here. Likewise, I have specific standards for contract supervision, which apply to clinical consultation as well. If your interest is primarily in consultation or evaluation for legal matters, please reach out. I am happy to discuss how  Rules of Professional Conduct would apply in cases where I am asked to provide services to an attorney (or their client), in furtherance of a legal matter.

4.

I am a journalist or podcaster working on a story. How can I reach you for an interview?

Please feel free to reach out using the contact form on this website, but please keep in mind that I will only respond if it is ethical and legal for me to do so. That means I won't respond to any inquiries about

  • current or former clients, without their expressed, written permission

  • the psychological characteristics of people I've never evaluated (e.g., political figures, people accused of a crime)

  • topics that fall outside my scope of practice (or area of expertise)

bottom of page