Offering compassionate and inclusive therapy in Chapel Hill and across North Carolina virtually.
Connected Living Psychotherapy supports individuals (18+) navigating a variety of mental health concerns including anxiety/OCD, trauma, chronic illness and challenges in relationships.
Anxiety/OCD
Anxiety can feel like being paralyzed by fear, overwhelmed by feelings and sensations of panic, avoidant of anything that elicits feelings of fear, overthinking, irritability, difficulty resting and relaxing, self-doubt and difficulty sitting with the uncertainties of life. If you also notice compulsive behaviors like checking on various items for confirmation/certainty, reassurance seeking, rumination, cleaning, ordering, counting or seeking perfection, you may be experiencing OCD. Connected Living Psychotherapy uses evidence based therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to help you take back your life.
Trauma (single event, developmental)
Trauma can be defined as any painful and difficult experience that overwhelms our body’s ability to cope. Sometimes this looks like a single event such as a car accident or natural disaster and other times it can be smaller cumulative events such as being chronically invalidated or criticized, having parents who were emotionally “checked out” or unpredictable, being bullied at school, experiencing microaggressions and discrimination. Over time, these experiences can leave us overwhelmed with scary thoughts and emotions, stuck in fear, guilt and shame, and disconnected from what brings us meaning and purpose. Connected Living Psychotherapy uses trauma informed therapeutic approaches to help you process, cope and thrive in the face of life’s hardships.
Chronic Illness
Receiving a diagnosis like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), lyme disease, mold toxicity, chronic migraines, or other autoimmune diseases can turn your life upside. Suddenly, you're not able to participate in life the way you're used to and the road ahead is filled with uncertainty. This can leave you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, depressed and unsure of how to manage. Connected Living Psychotherapy is here to help you navigate the impact these experiences have on your mental wellbeing and adjust to life with a new diagnosis.
Relationships
Relationships are at the heart of the human experience. Whether it is family, friends, partner(s), coworkers, or acquaintances, establishing and maintaining healthy relationships is a key aspect of our mental wellbeing and it can also be a challenging one to navigate. Communication patterns, trust, attachment style, past relationships, culture, similarities and differences in values, and family of origin issues impact how we show up in relationships with others. Gaining insight into relational patterns and learning tools for communicating effectively will help in deepening connections, repairing ruptures and showing up more authentically.
Meet Anna Vargas (she, her, hers)
I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LCMHC. My journey to becoming a therapist has been all but smooth and linear. A creative at heart, I began my journey as an aspiring actor, captivated by the art of understanding and embodying characters and telling stories that bring people closer and help them feel a little bit less alone in an overwhelming world. I received my BFA in Acting from UNC Greensboro where I honed my craft. The art of storytelling brought incredible meaning, purpose and healing to my life during a time when that was much needed. After some years in the business, I also learned that the business of acting and the craft of acting are two very different things and decided it was time to pivot. I received my Master’s Degree in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from UNC Chapel Hill in 2021 and subsequently began working as a private practice therapist.
Now, I help people craft their own life stories, work through relational challenges, heal from past painful experiences, and cope with the curveballs that life inevitably throws our way. While I love nerding out over the latest psychology research, books, podcasts, and therapeutic interventions, what brings me the most joy as a therapist is connecting with folks on a human to human level, giving others the opportunity to be safely seen, heard, understood and feel a little less alone because I believe that is when real transformation and change happens.
Compassionate & Inclusive
All stories are welcome here. One of the most important parts about therapy is emotional safety for everybody. It is of the utmost importance to me that every person I work with feels welcome in the therapy space, no matter their background, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, ability, or body. Discrimination impacts mental health. As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, I have seen first hand what this impact looks and feels like. It’s a big reason why I do this work. Feeling “othered” because your story is different from the majority is deeply painful. I am dedicated to continuously learning and respecting all cultural backgrounds and increasing my own self-awareness through ongoing reflection, supervision, and education.
Getting Started….
1
15-20 minute consultation call
Schedule a free, no pressure consultation call to see if we are a good fit and get answers to all your questions.
2
Initial Intake Session
In your initial intake session, we will go over your mental health history, what brings you to therapy now, and begin the goal setting and treatment planning process.
3
Recurring 55 minute sessions
Recurring sessions are typically 55 minutes and occur weekly or bi-weekly. Together, we will look at therapeutic needs and goals to determine what will work best for you.