Book a therapist or psychiatrist in Matthews, NC covered by Cigna

I have experience in several treatment settings, including inpatient and outpatient. I work with adults navigating anxiety, depression, and various addictions, as well as seniors experiencing challenges unique to their life phase.

I'm Joellen Rhyndress, LCSW, and I specialize in working with veterans, first responders, and executives — and I genuinely love this work. I'm trained in EMDR and have spent years as a trauma expert, particularly around critical incidents and life-disrupting events. I've worked with over 250 clients and I understand your world, your culture, and what it takes to finally ask for help.

I am offering immediate appointment slots and flexible rates during this difficult time. Are you struggling with anxiety and depression due to COVID-19? Do you feel uncertain about how to move forward during this difficult time? You may feel trapped or hopeless, but I can help you with proven coping skills and by working with you to create a new perspective. My life experience provides a solid foundation upon which I have built my techniques and interventions. In addition to my work with adults, I have experience with teens and young adults, and enjoy connecting with them and helping them navigate life and family challenges.

I spent 25 years in corporate America before earning my master's degree in professional counseling. This experience has given me insight into the stresses in the workplace. Having been a long time sufferer of anxiety, I can empathize with the weight of this emotion while also sharing techniques that have helped me live a better, more enjoyable life.

We are living in uncertain times and COVID fatigue has made daily life even more difficult to manage. It can feel overwhelming, but I will work with you to re-train your brain so that your automatic thought patterns are encouraging instead of fearful.

I believe every individual has the capacity and courage to learn, grow, and make positive choices for their present and future. Throughout my career, I have worked with people to strengthen mental health, improve academic and professional performance, and build skills for long-term success. I continued to be humbled by the determination people have to tackle challenges and hardships to improve their quality of life.

I work with adults who are ready to engage deeply in their healing and personal evolution. Many of my clients have spent much of their lives in caregiving roles: parents, adult children caring for aging family members, partners, healthcare professionals, teachers, therapists, or those who naturally take on the role of “the strong one.” While meaningful, these roles can also lead to overwhelm, burnout, and a pattern of overfunctioning that leaves little room for your own needs.

You may have already experienced therapy and are now seeking something more integrative; an approach that moves beyond coping into clarity, embodiment, and empowerment. Often, my clients come in recognizing that they’ve been conditioned to prioritize others, and are ready to explore the patterns, beliefs, and internal narratives that have shaped that way of being.

In our work together, you are met with compassion as we uncover these patterns and begin the process of reconnecting you with your own needs, values, and inner authority. This is not about becoming someone new, but about returning to yourself.

I provide psychotherapy using a personalized, trauma-informed approach that integrates somatic practices, nervous system regulation, shadow work, ecotherapy, transpersonal hypnotherapy, guided meditation, breathwork, reflective writing, and ritual-based practices.

This is a space where your growth, healing, and wholeness are honored...a journey of uncovery, discovery, and love.

My home base is North Carolina. I serve clients in NC, NJ, VA, FL and CA.