Hi! Thank you for taking time to read my profile. If you are exploring Better Help, it is likely that you are struggling with something significant in your life, pursuing self-improvement, and/or simply seeking an objective person to share your thoughts and feelings. Finding the right counselor/therapist who understands your goals and you feel a connection with is absolutely crucial. If it is not a good fit, you will not make the progress you are hoping to achieve. Therefore, I want to provide you with some information about me in order to help you decide if my experience, counseling style, and counseling/therapeutic approach is the right match for you.
I identify as a cisgender gay white male and my pronouns are he/him/his. I am a licensed mental health counselor and have experience working with people from all different backgrounds who are addressing a wide variety of challenges and opportunities for growth. Much of my experience has been working with those who are addressing LGBTQIA+ issues, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, communication challenges, and life transitions of all kinds. The feedback I often receive from clients is that they find me to be caring, nonjudgmental, authentic, direct, and they appreciate that I provide practical tools with an appropriate sense of humor. You can expect me to guide you through whatever you are experiencing and assist you in learning more about yourself and the way you interact with the world.
I have worked in several clinical settings such as an outpatient nonprofit agency, a psychiatric hospital, and university training center. I have experience in counseling couples, individuals (teens, young adults, and adults) and facilitating group counseling. I am a certified LGBTQIA+ competent counselor working with a wide array of sexual and gender minorities including providing specialized transgender services. As a doctoral student nearing completion of a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision and as an adjunct professor in the counseling department, I have refined my counseling skills and knowledge by means of training, teaching, empowering, and supervising masters students preparing to be counselors.
I utilize a person-centered, holistic, multicultural, and integrative approach in treatment. This means I begin where you are and tailor the treatment approach to fit your goals while being sensitive to how your individual cultural and intersecting identities impact your experience. I primarily use evidence-based techniques including cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused counseling. In addition, Bowen family systems therapy, narrative therapy, and the Gottman method. An integrative approach means that I select and apply a mix of therapies based on your personality, your overall goals, and within each unique session together.
Collaboration is important-together we can work on establishing concrete goals and steps; adjusting as you gain new insights and tools. I believe you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you with enhancing your life as well as overcoming any challenges you may be encountering. My aim is to help you achieve your goals by providing a safe, authentic, and compassionate clinical setting with an individualized therapy experience.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me and I look forward to getting to know you! Please let me know how I may assist you. Please note, a majority of my availability is during the day and some evenings.
Additional areas of focus: Addictions, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Trauma and abuse, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Parenting issues, Anger management, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Coaching, Compassion fatigue, ADHD, Abandonment, Aging and geriatric issues, Attachment issues, Body image, Caregiver issues and stress, Chronic pain, illness, and disability, Co-morbidity, Codependency, Commitment issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Emptiness, Family of origin issues, Family problems, Fatherhood issues, Forgiveness, Gender dysphoria, Guilt and shame, HIV / AIDS, Impulsivity, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Men's issues, Midlife crisis, Money and financial issues, Mood disorders, Multicultural concerns, Paranoia, Personality disorders, Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships, Prejudice and discrimination, Self-love, Sexual dysfunction, Sexuality, Social anxiety and phobia, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young adult issues
Clinical approaches: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Existential Therapy, Gottman Method, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy
FL LMHC MH18865
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Paul Hembd. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
Paul is amazing, attentive and supportive. He is non judgemental and a great listener. I’ve been seeing him on and off for years now and leave every conversation feeling uplifted, enlightened and understood. 10/10 ⭐️
Written on Dec 28, 2023 after therapy with Paul for 2 years and 5 months on issues concerning parenting issues, self esteem, anger management, coaching, and adhd
Paul has been instrumental in helping identify areas of struggle and to develop a plan for how to address it. He gave me tools which I applied from my first cycle of counseling that allowed me to build a richer lifestyle and lose 50 lbs. I have now uncovered some new areas and am returning to a period of counseling to address them. I am so excited for the continued growth and development I will attain. I expect my life to be even richer and more beautiful than it is now.
Written on Aug 12, 2023 after therapy with Paul for 2 years on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, lgbt, eating disorders, parenting issues, and self esteem
By far the only person I can confide in without judgement. I have had many many therapists in the past, and have never felt the support I feel with my current therapist. BetterHelp got it right the very first time. I’m healing, I’m growing, and I’m proud of the progress I’ve made. The hard work is being done by me, but I truly wouldn’t know where to start the healing process, or how to cope with the current state of the world and my life, if it weren’t for my therapist’s guidance. Not only does he left me vent and talk about whatever is on my mind, he asks directed questions that bring up the source of my frustrations/concerns/anxieties, and he gives me tools and coping mechanisms to combat the intrusive thoughts that have followed me my whole life. I’ve never spoken to someone so perceptive and intelligent. I would recommend him to anyone, everywhere, all the time, forever.
Written on Oct 27, 2022 after therapy with Paul for 1 year and 3 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, and coping with life changes
Paul has been a great support through difficult times. His understanding of how I operate and what I respond to is very astute and I trust him to help me.
Written on Oct 24, 2022 after therapy with Paul for 1 year and 3 months
Paul is amazing ! He is very insightful and helpful
Written on Feb 20, 2022 after therapy with Paul for 6 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, self esteem, and coping with life changes
Working with Paul has been one of my best decisions this year. He has helped me to recognize mental illness in a constructively. I’m suprised by how I’m improving as a person. I’ve gained so much clarity over the past few months thanks to Paul.
Written on Dec 21, 2021 after therapy with Paul for 5 months on issues concerning eating disorders