Tomecia Payton, LMFT
About me
I am by no means a typical therapist. I'm what some clients have referred to as an in-your-face kind of therapist. It is my philosophy that if we are going to spend time working on improving upon yourself; then let's improve upon yourself! I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Mississippi and Alabama for the last 25 years. I have worked for community mental health agencies, the Department of Corrections, The University of Michigan Research Department, the University of Alabama consultant in the area of psychometry, and the Department of Education for the State of Mississippi. I obtained a B. S. degree from William Carey University in 1996, I obtained a master’s degree in Community Counseling from Mississippi State University, and I also completed my ED. S, at Mississippi State University in the year 2000. Since then, I have obtained a certification as a certified psychometrist which allows me to do psychometrics with children. I am currently working to complete my Ph.D. at Mississippi State University. My focus has always been on the youth and the functioning of family development. I would say I specialize in any extreme, odd, or unusual behaviors in children. As a therapist, I believe our quality of life is directly related to the quality of our relationships and the ability to maintain relationships. The most important relationship that I like to focus on is the relationship with oneself. I am a Gestalt therapist by nature and believe that in a therapy session you must focus on the whole person. Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that is centered on increasing a person's awareness, freedom, and self-direction. It's a form of therapy that focuses on the present moment rather than past experiences. Gestalt Therapy helps the client identify problematic pattern behavior in session, reflect on how their experiences thus far in life have shaped these patterns, and challenge clients to discuss possible solutions or ways to experience the problem in a new way. Through mindfulness practice, I help clients be more aware of their actions and the consequences that follow.
Now let’s get to work!
Professional experience
Additional areas of focus: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, LGBT, Relationship issues, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Sleeping disorders, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Depression, Coping with life changes, Coaching, Compassion fatigue, Abandonment, Adoption and foster care, Antisocial personality, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Blended family issues, Body image, Cancer, Codependency, Commitment issues, Control issues, Divorce and separation, Domestic violence, Eating and food-related issues, Emptiness, Family problems, Fatherhood issues, Fertility issues, First responder issues, Forgiveness, Gender dysphoria, Guilt and shame, Hospice and end-of-life counseling, Intellectual disability, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Men's issues, Military and veterans issues, Mood disorders, Multicultural concerns, Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD, Personality disorders, Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships, Postpartum depression, Pregnancy and childbirth, Prejudice and discrimination, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-harm, Self-love, Sex addiction, Sexual assault and abuse, Sexual dysfunction, Sexuality, 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), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Existential Therapy, Jungian Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems
License information
MS LMFT T0353
Reviews
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Tomecia Payton. 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.
I couldn’t have asked God for a better therapist. Tomecia gives me hope for a better future every time we converse and makes me feel as if I’m talking to a friend our entire session. I have unwavering faith in her judgement and the guidance she’s given me and I’m sure she’ll do the same for you.
Written on Jul 25, 2023 after therapy with Tomecia for 2 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, career difficulties, coping with life changes, and adhd