Addiction therapists & psychiatrists in Blacksburg, VA

Hi there, welcome! I strive to offer a safe space where you can begin or continue your therapeutic journey. A nonjudgmental space where you can freely process, express, vent, and just be. Taking an individualized approach to include exploring thoughts/feelings/behaviors, challenging negative core beliefs, and developing more adaptive coping skills.

Partner 1: “I reach for you, but it feels like you’re already gone.” I’m left wondering if I matter to you at all.” Partner 2: “When you come close, I feel the pressure to be perfect, so I pull back to protect us both.” These unspoken messages leave couples lonely and stuck. I help break this anxious–avoidant cycle so partners feel safe, seen, and deeply connected again.

“I don’t understand why I want closeness so badly, yet feel disappointed when I have it. Why do I feel lonelier than others, even when I’m not alone?” Or: “I care deeply, but people say I’m distant or hard to read. When emotions get intense, I shut down—not because I don’t feel, but because it feels like too much.”

These quiet tensions live beneath awareness for many people. Longing and self-protection pull in opposite directions. Needs feel confusing, emotions feel overwhelming or unsafe, and core beliefs quietly form—I’m too much, I’m not enough, connection costs me something.

I help people loosen these patterns, reconcile the Self with more truthful and adaptive beliefs, and move toward self-acceptance and interdependence—where connection no longer threatens safety, but deepens it.

After nine years serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, I realized my deepest fulfillment came not from fixing systems, but from walking with people. Leaving the military was not a departure from service—it was a continuation of it. I pursued social work and theological training to better support people in their most important relationships. Today, my practice is devoted to couples counseling and trauma-informed care. Drawing primarily from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and EMDR, I help couples slow conflict, understand what drives disconnection, and emotional safety. As a veteran and seminary-trained therapist, I bring structure, compassion, and steady hope—meeting clients with respect, grace, and a belief in lasting change.

I am a certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) with several years of experience treating children, adolescents, and adults. I specialize in a wide range of treatment areas including depression, anxiety, autism, oppositional defiant disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. I have worked in several different settings and enjoy providing care through telehealth, which offers access to quality care when it is needed.

Hello, my name is Benjamin Watkins. I look forward to working with you to make the positive changes you desire in your life. I have worked in the field since I was 19, starting as a Mentor. Helping others is my passion in life. I worked with children, adolescents, and parents in the foster care system, overcoming trauma and developing positive attachments. I have worked with a variety of issues.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor who focuses on treating acute and relational trauma with teens, individuals, and couples. I have been working as a psychotherapist for over 15 years. I believe that we heal in relationship to another, rather than trying to do it all alone. My style is warm, attentive and an active participant in your healing journey.

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I specialize in Anxiety, ADHD, Depression, PTSD, Panic disorder and mood disorders. I also offer ADHD testing for children and adults online and in-person. I offer both medication management and therapy.