Hi, I am Summer Estes, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor.
I am so glad you are here. In the therapeutic context, I believe it’s really important to find a therapist you “connect” with, so read on and see if you think we are a good match! I love what I do and consider it an honor and privilege to work with the people I do.
I share the belief, echoed by researcher Brené Brown, that connection is central to being human, and that without meaningful connection, we suffer. Compassion and relational safety are not add-ons in therapy; they are essential conditions for healing.
Many of us learned ways of coping that helped us survive difficult circumstances, but those same strategies can later limit our capacity to feel alive, connected, and fully ourselves. In therapy, we slow down and gently turn toward these patterns, and begin to relate to them with care and curiosity.
Education & Experience
I am a licensed psychotherapist, group facilitator, and the founder of Embodied Intelligence, a body of work devoted to supporting people through key thresholds of the human experience, including grief, transition, and personal transformation. I have been guiding individuals and groups for nearly twenty years, creating spaces that are grounded, relational, and attentive where people can bring what they carry and be met with presence, reverence, and warmth.
I received my B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and my M.A. in Counseling from Denver Seminary. I am a National Certified Counselor (NCC #202730) and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in North Carolina (LCMHC #6692). Early in my career, I worked in hospital-based mental health settings, including adult and adolescent inpatient and outpatient units, before transitioning into private practice in 2007. These experiences continue to inform my work with individuals navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, loss, relational challenges, and periods of significant life transition.
In addition to my clinical practice, I facilitate groups, retreats, and grief-focused offerings. I have served on faculty and as a facilitator with Kinward (formally The Servant Leadership School of Greensboro) and continue to offer learning spaces that support embodied inquiry, grief tending, and presence based practices. I am deeply influenced by Francis Weller’s teachings on grief and communal healing, particularly his articulation of the Five Gates of Grief, which informs my seasonal rituals and group work.
I am a lifelong student of human development, consciousness, and meaning-making. I continue my own inner work through ongoing study in the Diamond Approach, founded by A. H. Almaas and Karen Johnson, where inquiry is central to spiritual and psychological unfolding. I have also been a student of the Enneagram since 2010 and completed my training through the Enneagram Institute in 2019. I have guided Enneagram trainings for Cone Health and local non-profits as well as in a small group format. The Enneagram informs my work in private practice in helping to identify core adaptive strategies and fears that keep maladaptive patterns in place.
Additional influences (to name a few) include the work of Gabor Maté, Tara Brach, Russ Hudson, Richard Rohr, Peter Levine, Dan Siegel Brene Brown, Philip Shepherd, Linda Thai, Daniel Foor, Malidoma Some, and contemplative, indigenous, and wisdom traditions across cultures.
I live in North Carolina with my husband and our three children. My personal life continues to ground me in the ongoing practice of presence, relationship, and humility—qualities I bring with care and intention into my professional work.
My Approach.
I approach therapy as a collaborative and relational process, grounded in presence, compassion, and respect for each person’s unique history and adaptive strategies. I work from a non-pathologizing and trauma-informed perspective, understanding many symptoms and coping patterns as intelligent responses to earlier experiences. Rather than focusing on fixing or eliminating these patterns, my work supports clients in developing greater awareness, flexibility, and choice, so that new ways of relating to themselves and to life can emerge.
My clinical approach integrates attachment-informed and experiential psychotherapy with somatic and mindfulness-based practices. I draw from trauma-informed, experiential, and evidence-informed modalities, including Internal Family Systems (IFS-informed), family systems theory, psychodynamic theory, cognitive-behavioral approaches, and attachment-focused work. I have completed The Enneagram Institute training (2019) and incorporate the Enneagram as a tool for emotional insight and relational growth when clinically appropriate. I have also completed EMDR Level II training through EMDRIA; however, I up to date in my EMDR training.
I am particularly interested in how emotional and somatic awareness, or the felt sense, supports integration, regulation, and lasting change. In our sessions, we may combine thoughtful reflection with experiential work that helps you notice what is happening in your body, emotions, and relationships in real time.
In therapy, I focus on helping clients:
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Increase nervous system regulation and emotional resilience
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Identify and update protective patterns that no longer serve them
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Strengthen internal clarity and self-leadership
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Process grief, attachment wounds, and unresolved relational pain
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Develop greater confidence, presence, and flexibility in relationships
My style is warm, collaborative, and experiential. I aim to create a steady, supportive space where clients can explore both current challenges and deeper patterns with compassion and practical skill-building. Therapy is not about becoming someone else; it is about strengthening your capacity to live with greater clarity, steadiness, and integrity.
Populations I work with and issues I serve?
I work with individuals 18 and up.
I work with individuals navigating anxiety, depression, self-esteem concerns, relational distress, grief and loss, life transitions, and the impact of developmental or relational trauma. Many of my clients are high-functioning, high-achieving adults who appear capable and steady on the outside but feel internally burdened by perfectionism, over-responsibility, self-consciousness, or chronic emotional stress and guilt. I also work with spiritual and existential concerns, including faith deconstruction, identity, and meaning-making, as well as those who seek to include spirituality as part of their overall wellness.
I love working with those who are struggling with loss in all of its forms (death, relational struggles, anxiety, trauma, chronic self-contempt, loneliness, and spiritual dryness).
I am LGBTQIA affirming.
Theoretical Orientation
My work is grounded in a relational, experiential, and depth-oriented approach to psychotherapy. Rather than working from a single theoretical model, I draw from a range of evidence-informed perspectives that support awareness, embodiment, and meaningful change. I am especially influenced by attachment-based, psychodynamic, and trauma-informed approaches, as well as somatic and mindfulness-based interventions that are supported by current research in neuroscience and emotion regulation.
At the heart of my work is a belief that many of our struggles are intelligent responses to earlier experiences rather than problems to be fixed. I approach therapy as a collaborative process that invites curiosity, presence, and compassion toward the patterns that have shaped us. Through this lens, therapy becomes a space to slow down, listen more deeply, and develop a more trusting relationship with one’s inner life.
I support clients in cultivating greater emotional awareness, nervous system regulation skills, and self-understanding, allowing new choices, perspectives, and ways of relating to emerge organically. While I attend to symptom relief, my work also emphasizes integration, meaning-making, and the capacity to live with greater authenticity and resilience.
I also integrate mindfulness-based and contemplative practices that have been widely studied for their effectiveness in reducing stress, improving emotional regulation, and increasing psychological flexibility, along with tools such as the Enneagram to support self-awareness and insight. Throughout the process, I value collaboration, transparency, and a steady, attuned presence that supports clients in moving toward greater freedom and wholeness.
Location
608 N. Greene St.
Greensboro, NC 27401
AND
tele-a-health online services
Fees
55mins $160
75mins $200
90 mins $235
Accepts all debit cards, credit cards, and Venmo
FAQ
If your question is not answered below please feel free to contact me.
1. Why do people seek therapy?
People come into therapy for many reasons. Some need to respond to unexpected changes in their lives, while others seek self-exploration and personal growth. When coping skills are overwhelmed by guilt, doubt, anxiety, or despair, therapy can help. Therapy can provide support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping for issues such as depression, anxiety, lack of confidence, relationship troubles, unresolved childhood issues, bereavement, spiritual conflicts, stress management, body image issues, and creative blocks. People seeking psychotherapy are willing to take responsibility for their actions, work towards self-change and create greater awareness in their lives.
2. What benefits can I expect from working with a therapist?
A number of benefits are available from participating in psychotherapy. Often it is helpful just to know that someone understands. Therapy can provide a fresh perspective on a difficult problem or point you in the direction of a solution. Many people find therapy to be a tremendous asset to managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, and the hassles of daily life. The benefits you obtain from therapy depend on how well you use the process and put into practice what you learn. Some of the benefits available from therapy include:
- Attaining a better understanding of yourself and your personal goals and values
- Developing skills for improving your relationships
- Finding resolution to the issues or concerns that led you to seek therapy
- Find new ways to cope with stress and anxiety
- Managing anger, depression, and other emotional pressures
- Improving communications skills – learn how to listen to others, and have others listen to you
- Getting “unstuck” from unhealthy patterns – breaking old behaviors and develop new ones
- Discovering new ways to solve problems
- Improving your self-esteem and boosting self-confidence
3. What is your Insurance Policy?
I am an Out of Network Provider. Please contact your Insurance company and ask what is your coverage for an out of network provider. Upon your request I can provide a super bill with the necessary codes your provider will need for any reimbursement they may offer you.
I do offer a reduced fee for those who request and need it.
4. Is therapy confidential?
In general, the law protects the confidentiality of all communications between a client and a psychotherapist. Information is not disclosed without written permission. However, there are number of exceptions to this rule. Exceptions include:
- Suspected child abuse or dependent adult or elder abuse. The therapist is required by law to report this to the appropriate authorities immediately.
- If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person/s. The therapist must notify the police and inform the intended victim.
- If a client intends to harm himself or herself. The therapist will make every effort to enlist their cooperation in insuring their safety. If they do not cooperate, further measures may be taken without their permission in order to ensure their safety.