Helping you find your way back to yourself with compassion, clarity, and support.

Sometimes you’re the person everyone depends on. You keep going, hold everything together, and show up for everyone else, even when you’re exhausted. Over time, that can leave little room to slow down, process what you’re carrying, or ask yourself what you truly need.

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I’m Dr. Denise Hawkins, a licensed professional counselor, and I provide a warm, supportive space for adults navigating burnout, anxiety, grief, family stress, identity concerns, and life transitions. My goal is to help you feel genuinely seen and understood while creating space to reconnect with your strengths, emotions, values, and sense of self.

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I bring more than 20 years of experience in counseling and mental health support, including extensive work in school-based settings. I have walked alongside individuals and families through many of life’s challenging and meaningful moments, and I believe therapy is most effective when it is grounded in trust, respect, curiosity, and authentic human connection.

A Creative Approach to Online Therapy

I integrate evidence-based therapeutic approaches with creative and experiential techniques based on each client's needs and goals. When appropriate, I incorporate online sand tray therapy, a creative therapeutic approach that can help clients explore emotions, relationships, identity, memories, and life experiences in ways that may be difficult to express through conversation alone.

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Online sand tray therapy can offer a different way to slow down, reflect, make meaning of your experiences, and discover new perspectives, all within the comfort and privacy of a virtual therapy setting.

Areas I Support

I often work with clients who are experiencing:

• Burnout and emotional exhaustion

• Anxiety and overwhelm

• Grief and loss

• Depression

• Family and relationship stress

• Major life transitions

• ADHD

• Identity and self-worth concerns

• The pressure of always being “the strong one”

• A desire to better understand themselves and their relationships

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I’m especially interested in the ways our identities, relationships, cultures, and environments shape how we see ourselves and understand our experiences. My research, including Bringing Out the Brilliance in Black Girls, reflects my commitment to honoring lived experiences, recognizing resilience, and helping people recognize strengths that may have become difficult to access.

Education & Experience

I earned my Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from The University of Georgia, a master’s degree in counseling from California State University, Long Beach, and an Educational Specialist degree from Argosy University. I also hold a bachelor’s degree in Pre-Law from Chapman University.

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My professional experience has given me the opportunity to support people through a wide range of emotional, developmental, relational, and life challenges. I bring that experience into therapy while remaining curious about the individual person sitting in front of me, because no two people, and no two healing journeys, are exactly alike.

A Place to Slow Down and Feel More Like Yourself

Therapy doesn't have to be about fixing everything at once. Sometimes it begins with having a safe place to breathe, reflect, and finally put words or images to what you've been carrying.

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I believe you already possess strengths, even when they may feel difficult to access. My role is to walk alongside you, help you make sense of your experiences, and support you as you move toward greater clarity, self-compassion, and emotional balance.

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Outside of my work, I enjoy yoga, cycling, spending time with family, and finding opportunities for rest and restoration.

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If you’re ready for a space where you can slow down, be understood, and reconnect with yourself, I would be honored to walk alongside you.