In-person
4108 Park Road, Suite 410, Charlotte, NC 28209
Telehealth
Available throughout North Carolina
Insurance
Aetna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Magellan, Medicare, United Healthcare
Free consultation
Available by phone or secure video before your first appointment
Therapy at Montgomery Counseling Group
Reaching out for therapy is rarely a single, clear decision. More often, it builds slowly, over a season of not sleeping well, a relationship that keeps hitting the same wall, a child who seems further away than they used to be, a loss that still hurts. By the time most people start looking for a therapist in Charlotte, the thing that brought them there has usually been going on for a while.
Montgomery Counseling Group (MCG) is a trauma-informed psychotherapy practice in Charlotte, NC, offering individualized counseling for children, adolescents, and adults, in person at our Park Road office and by telehealth throughout North Carolina. Our clinicians work from a shared clinical framework, which means the approach stays coordinated whether you are working through something individually, in a relationship, or as a family.
The practice was founded by John Burns, MSW, LCSW, around a philosophy he first encountered studying the work of psychiatrist Milton Erickson: every person’s map of the world is as unique as a thumbprint. That idea shapes how our Charlotte therapists work. The work starts with your experience, and the approach is built around it.
Reasons People Seek Therapy
People come to our practice for many different reasons. Some of the most common:
- Anxiety that runs in the background of everything, such as trouble sleeping, a racing mind, and a sense of being on edge that does not switch off.
- Persistent low mood, low energy, or a loss of interest in things that used to matter.
- A past experience that will not stay in the past and still affects you today.
- A child or teenager who seems to be struggling, when you are not sure how to help.
- Strain in your most important relationships, like communication that breaks down, or feelings that are hard to express.
- A difficult life transition, such as the loss of a person, a role, a place, or your sense of where you fit.
If any of this feels familiar, you are in good company. These are among the most common reasons people seek support, and therapy offers a place to work on them.
How Our Therapists Work
We are a team of clinicians with a range of training and specialties, which means we can match you with an approach that fits your situation rather than offering one method to everyone. The therapies we draw on most often include:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): an evidence-based approach for processing trauma and disturbing memories. John Burns holds the EMDRIA Approved Consultant designation, an advanced EMDRIA credential that qualifies clinicians to provide formal consultation to other EMDR therapists.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): practical, structured work on the thoughts and patterns that keep you stuck.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): a skills-based approach for managing intense emotions, often used with teens, young adults, and anyone working with intense emotion. Naila McConnell, LCMHCA, is a Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapist at MCG.
- Clinical Hypnosis: a focused, collaborative technique for anxiety, stress, and trauma. John Burns trained in Ericksonian clinical hypnosis at the Milton Erickson Foundation.
- Couples and Family Therapy: relational work with partners and families. Taylor Banner, LCSWA, works with couples and families at MCG using Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) and Structural Family Therapy.
We work with children, adolescents, and adults, and we offer both in-person sessions at our Park Road office and telehealth across North Carolina
Our Therapists
We see clients from across the Charlotte metro, both in person and through secure telehealth for anyone located in North Carolina
Taylor Banner, LCSWA
Couples and family therapy — Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Structural Family Therapy, communication and relational patterns "The couples and families Taylor works with aren't always in crisis. Sometimes something has gone quiet between them, and they want to find their way back."
Naila McConnell, LCMHCA
Certified DBT Therapist — adults, children, adolescents, couples and families; emotional regulation, mental health and substance use concerns “A lot of the people Naila works with come in feeling like their emotions are running ahead of them, and they're looking for tools to work with that”
Javontae Bradley, LCMHCA
Men's therapy — trauma-informed care, culturally responsive psychotherapy, men's issues “Javontae sees clients across a range of concerns, and many of the men he works with are coming to therapy for the first time, here because something in their life has shifted and they want to handle it differently.”
Michelle Daley, LCMHC
Children and adolescents — EMDR Trained Clinician, play therapy, anxiety, trauma “Families come to Michelle when a child or teen has started pulling back, from school, from friends, from things they used to love, and no one is sure what changed. She is an EMDR trained clinician and is trained in Play Therapy.”
John Burns, MSW, LCSW, EMDRIA Approved Consultant
“John works with complex trauma using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Clinical Hypnosis. John's clinical focus is adults navigating the long-term effects of earlier relational experiences.”
Michelle Daley, LCMHC
is an EMDR Trained Clinician who works with children and adolescents.
Why Charlotte Clients Choose Montgomery Counseling Group
Research consistently shows that the quality of the relationship between therapist and client is the strongest predictor of positive outcomes in psychotherapy, more than the specific therapy model used. Effective therapy begins by understanding each person’s unique strengths, values, and theory of what will help them heal, rather than asking clients to adapt themselves to a particular method or technique. Psychotherapy researchers Scott D. Miller and Barry L. Duncan have argued that the field requires a shift away from model-driven approaches toward client-directed, outcome-informed practice that places the individual’s experience and feedback at the center of the work (Miller and Duncan, 2000).
A few things set our practice apart. We are a group of clinicians rather than a single provider, so you can be matched with someone whose training fits your situation. Our team brings advanced, specialized credentials, including an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and a Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapist. And our approach is individualized: your experience guides the work.
We see clients in person at our Park Road office and online through secure telehealth across North Carolina, which means therapy can fit your life rather than the other way around. Whether you are looking for trauma therapy, DBT, couples counseling, play therapy for a child, or support through a major life change, the first step is the same: a conversation about what is going on and what you are hoping for
Visiting Our Charlotte Office
Our office is at 4108 Park Road, Suite 410, in the Park Road area of south Charlotte, directly across the street from the historic Park Road Shopping Center. The building sits about halfway between Uptown and SouthPark and has on-site parking.
Therapy Across Charlotte’s Neighborhoods
Wherever you are in Charlotte, our practice is within reach. We’ve put together guides to therapy in the neighborhoods we serve most often:
- Therapy in Dilworth
- Therapy in Myers Park
- Therapy in South End
- Therapy in SouthPark
- Therapy in Plaza Midwood
- Therapy in NoDa
- Therapy in Ballantyne
- Therapy in Uptown Charlotte
We also welcome clients from across the greater Charlotte area, including Freedom Park, Barclay Downs, Sedgefield, Cotswold, Elizabeth, and surrounding communities.
Getting Started with a Therapist
The first step is often the hardest. You don’t need to have everything figured out before you reach out. That’s what the first conversation is for. Call us at (980) 949-8990 for a free 15-20 minute consultation by phone or secure video, and we’ll help you decide whether we’re the right fit or point you toward someone who is. If you’d prefer, you can book directly online.
FAQ
Do you take insurance?
Montgomery Counseling Group is in-network with Aetna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Magellan, Medicare, and United Healthcare, and also sees clients out-of-network. Questions about coverage are welcome, and the Rates and Insurance page has more detail.
How much does therapy cost?
Self-pay sessions at Montgomery Counseling Group are $150 for a 60-minute session, and a sliding scale based on income is available. Many clients use insurance to offset the cost.
Do you offer online therapy?
Yes. Montgomery Counseling Group offers secure telehealth sessions for anyone located in North Carolina.
Do I need a referral to start?
No referral is needed to begin therapy at Montgomery Counseling Group. You can call (980) 949-8990 or book a free consultation online to get started.
What happens in the first session?
The first session at Montgomery Counseling Group is a conversation about what brought you in, what you are hoping for, and how the work might take shape. There is no pressure to share more than you are ready to; it is a chance to see whether the fit is right
Contact Us
We look forward to speaking with you. Please feel free to call or email us.