About

Andrea Abbott, MSW, LCSW, RPT

I have worked with children and families within the community for several years and I love to help parents and children feel confident again.

I started Healing Hearts Therapeutic Services because I saw a need in the community for more therapists trained specifically to work with children and families and wanted to help!

I would love the opportunity to assist you and your family get back on track and feel confident about the future again. I help children feel better so that they can behave better. I love to help parents feel confident in their parenting again.

I know what it is like to have a challenging child and it’s scary to reach out and ask for help. I pride myself on creating a supportive and encouraging environment, where families can express their needs in a judgment-free zone. My goal is to provide children with the coping skills they need now that will last them a lifetime.

If you feel your child is struggling, then please contact me today for a free phone consultation.

Tina Berrien, MSW, LCSW

Tina has experience working in the school system as a School-Based Mental Health Counselor, including knowledge in the Individual Education Plan (IEP) process. She specializes in anger management, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), grief, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to trauma, autism, oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), anxiety, conduct disorder (CD), and self-esteem with individuals and groups. Tina is also working to become a Registered Play Therapist (RPT).

Kelly Freeman Driscoll, MA Ed; NCC, LCMHCA

Kelly is a licensed clinical mental health counselor associate with her master’s in clinical mental health counseling from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. “I see the counseling relationship as a partnership and my role is to assist people and guide them to find the solutions to the problems in which they seek help for. I strive to help clients identify patterns and themes that may exist in their lives. Are you ready to recognize and build on your strengths, take responsibility for your thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and make productive and positive decisions about your life? One thing in life is constant, and that is change. Whether changes in your life are positive or negative, I am here to be active in your growth as an individual. You CAN learn to accept these changes and evaluate steps you can take in order to adjust in a healthy manner. I strive to be that someone to help others realize that they are somebody. They are the somebody that can make the biggest difference in their own life.” Kelly specializes in mood disorders, addictions and family conflict. She has 12 years of experience in the mental health field working with adolescents and adults in a variety of settings which include schools, homes and private practice. She is trained in CBT and IFS and is interested in becoming fluent in trauma focused therapy and play therapy.

Ellen Hanley, ATR, LCMHCA

Ellen is a Registered Art Therapist (ATR) with her Master of Science in Art Therapy and Counseling from Eastern Virginia Medical School. She is also LCMHCA through the NCLMHC board. Ellen is working toward taking the board exam through the Art Therapy Credentials Board to become ATR-BC.

Ellen is a clinical mental health therapist working with individuals, both children and adults, and has experience working with groups and families. Ellen’s goal as an art therapist is to hold a safe space for vulnerability and self-expression while fostering acceptance and trust in the therapeutic relationship, family relationships, and the client’s relationship with their Self.

Ellen uses an integrated approach and specializes in self-esteem, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, grief and loss, trauma, and identity. She has extensive experience working with people living with eating disorders and varying comorbidities, and actively practices LGBTQIA affirmative therapy. Ellen continues to pursue specialized trainings within the field of mental health and Art Therapy practice.

Susan Helms, LCMHC

Susan is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Registered Art Therapist. She has been practicing counseling for 14 years. Throughout her career Susan has worked with ages 2-75 in individual, group, family and couples counseling. Susan utilizes various modalities with clients including, Art Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Theraplay and Sandtray and Play therapeutic techniques. These interventions are used to treat clients dealing with anxiety, depression, marital and family conflict, behavioral problems, adjustment disorders, sexually reactive behaviors and PTSD resulting from, sexual, physical and emotional abuse, military trauma and grief and loss.

Susan believes in individualized approaches that build on client’s strengths and treats each client with integrity while exploring the source and resolution alongside her clients. She believes that her role in therapy is to help her client’s shed light on their path to wellness and healing.

Elzetter Norris, LCMHCA, LCAS-A

Elzetter is a licensed clinical mental health counselor associate (LCMHCA) and licensed clinical addictions specialist associate (LCAS-A) with her master’s in clinical mental health counseling with a certification in addictions from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP) while also earning her national certified counselor (NCC) recognition. As an addictions fellowship recipient from the National Board for Certified Counselors she also received a year of advanced addiction specific training during her final year in the graduate program. Experience providing individual and group outpatient counseling services to youth and adults for the past year in higher education and in private practice setting.

When working with transitional-aged youth her therapeutic approach has a holistic framework and Family Systems foundation, integrating techniques to promote Whole-Person Wellness within each of the eight Dimensions of Wellness; Emotional, Environmental, Financial, Intellectual, Occupational, Physical, Social, and Spiritual. In this way, she can provide them with individualized care to meet their unique needs while recognizing that they function as part of a larger system. Some integrated techniques are from Motivational Interviewing to assess motivation to change and address any ambivalence towards change, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy to help address the negative, faulty, or irrational thoughts and self-talk messages, and Existential to help externalize problems and redefine meaning and purpose. For children, her therapeutic approach is attachment-based, understanding the family unit dynamics, relationship with caregivers, and relevant history. With all age groups she works from a trauma-informed perspective, with the understanding that there are different forms of trauma from conception to present. “While we as counselors are key, I also believe that the therapeutic relationship is the pathway to the healing process that can take place in sessions that begins with my belief in you.”

Ages 2 to 26, her counseling services address concerns, or issues including, but not limited to:

• Substance intervention and prevention (individuals, family, group)
• Depression, anxiety, adjustment issues, anger and stress management, behavioral concerns
• Self-esteem, self-concept, self-harm, suicidal ideations, grief, loss, and trauma
• Couples and family concerns such as: conflict resolution, boundary setting, intimacy, attachment, and communication difficulties
• Oppositional defiant disorder, disruptive behavior disorder, and ADHD

“I am passionate about working with children and transitional aged youth from underserved populations. I will be attentive and persistent in my efforts advocating on behalf of those I serve with multiple intersecting identities and layers of oppression. Across my lifespan, mentors have inspired me to rise above poverty and oppression while pursuing my dreams. I hope to help empower those I serve to rise above the struggles life has rendered them, advocate for them, and above all, believe in them.”

Tiffany Pearson, MA, LCMHC

Tiffany is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor with her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Webster University. She graduated in 2019 with Graduate Academic Honors with a final GPA of 3.98. She has worked with children and adolescents for over 12 years, beginning her journey as a tutor and mentor for underprivileged children and adolescents throughout North Carolina. Her passion for working with the younger population led her to become a Science Teacher for 5 years, serving the families of Cumberland County, NC. Forming collaborative relationships with her students, learning about their lives, and seeing how their experiences growing up shaped who they were becoming, ignited her determination to become mental health counselor. “I believe that life experiences impact who we become, how we handle stress, and how we view the world. With compassion, promotion of self-efficacy, creative expression, and education; I commit to help you, your family, or your child, foster the most needed virtue that humans need: Hope. Hope for healing, hope for overcoming, and hope for positive change.”

Tiffany specializes in working with clients who have severe emotional and behavioral diagnoses, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, PTSD, Autism, and psychotic disorders. She has experience with those struggling with substance abuse, trauma, problematic sexualized behaviors, and grief. She will be working to become a registered play therapist, as she believes that early intervention and healthy communication generates prosperity in children.

Zydet Short, MSW, LCSW-A

Zydet is a licensed clinical social worker associate (LCSW-A). She is a veteran of the United States Air Force with 7 years of military experience. Zydet graduated from Fayetteville State University with a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. During her time at FSU, she was inducted into the National Social Work Honor Society as a result of her high GPA of 3.852. Zydet has one year of experience as an intern working at Healing Hearts training to be a Registered Play Therapist and is currently enrolled in the Play Therapy Certificate Program at the University of North Carolina Pembroke.

Zydet believes that children make sense of their world through play. As a therapist, she aims to help children express their feelings and cope with their experiences in a safe non-judgmental space. Her goal is to continue to receive specialized training and clinical supervision specific to Play Therapy and ultimately become a Registered Play Therapist (RPT).

Chris Abbott

Chris Abbott retired after 20 years of Active Duty service at Fort Bragg, NC, as a Civil Affairs Engineer. In December of 2018 he graduated from Campbell University with a Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security. Chris is currently enrolled at Fayetteville Technical Community College in the Medical Administration, Billing, Coding, and Auditing Program. Chris is part of the Healing Hearts Therapeutic Services billing and administration team.