Inspiring Conversations with Amber Creamer of Hello Life Counseling Collective

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Creamer.

Hi Amber, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Looking back, I can tell that my struggles with depression and anxiety began in high school. I was one of a few black kids in my school. I was also in several honors classes, which had even less diversity, and this was difficult for me as I was exploring my identity. I felt the need to rise to the level of excellence of my peers, but I never felt like I could measure up.

The confidence I had earlier in life was replaced by comparison and the need for perfection. Because I was feeling less than others, I established patterns that fed those insecurities and kept me from showing up authentically in relationships. Looking back, I know that I feared being judged and I desperately wanted to belong, but I didn’t know where I fit. The one area of my life in which I felt confident and sure of my skill was with art. I spent hours painting and drawing.

As a high school student, I had dreams of becoming a graphic designer or an owner of an art gallery. When I got to college, I felt myself being drawn towards a different career path- counseling. I have always enjoyed helping people and holding the stories of others. I was the “strong one” who always supported my friends and family by giving them a listening ear and creating a safe place for them to be real and vulnerable.

I didn’t know that when I changed my major from visual art to sociology I would be walking towards the work that I was called to do. I took the path that many new therapists take by working in community mental health before jumping into private practice. I was able to hone and sharpen my skills working with individuals recovering from substance abuse and long-term mental health struggles.

It was in this setting that I was trained in EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Narrative Therapy. I have gone on to complete my certification in EMDR and complete advanced Narrative Therapy training. These trainings were foundational in my development as a therapist and have helped shape the way I help my clients thrive.

When I jumped into private practice, I knew how to be a therapist, but I didn’t know anything about running a business. It was a steep learning curve, but I was motivated to make the jump for my clients and myself. I have been in private practice since 2019 and I feel that it was the best decision I could have made. I am able to serve my clients better because I am able to bring all of me to my clinical work and use my lived experience and clinical expertise to help my clients heal.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road, but that does not mean that it has not been a good and worthwhile journey. I can say without a doubt that I have grown from my experiences. Over the last three and a half years I have experienced so much change personally and professionally- I got married, relocated from California to Georgia because my husband is a member of the U.S. Air Force and is stationed here, and rebuilt and pivoted the way I run my business.

I honestly felt like a new person as I was adjusting to my new surroundings and a new way of life. It was hard to deal with so much change all at once. I felt so disconnected from the version of myself that thrived in California. I had lived in California all my life and had a strong support system filled with family, friends, and a church that provided peace and belonging. I missed the familiar comforts of home and the version of myself that I was becoming there.

There were plenty of ups and downs and countless therapy sessions to address my struggles as a military spouse who had uprooted her life and business. One thing I realized is that these changes touched old wounds of worth and belonging that I had not fully realized and addressed. I feel like I was thrown into a crash course on what it meant to establish a community, how to find your people and peace, and what it means to “do things scared” despite fear and uncertainty.

Over the last three and a half years I have continued to understand the importance of challenging myself to do the hard things and advocate for myself because I know that I am worth it. Now I am coming into a new version of myself that is more full, more vulnerable, and more intentional about the way I’m living my life and I’m grateful for that.

We’ve been impressed with Hello Life Counseling Collective, Inc., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am the owner and founder of Hello Life Counseling Collective, Inc. a virtual private practice that serves adult women in Georgia, California, and Florida. I specialize in helping women resolve childhood trauma with talk therapy and EMDR Therapy so they can learn to quiet their inner critic and live their lives boldly without second-guessing.

I love working with women who feel like “imposters” because there is a disconnect between what their life looks like on the outside and what they are experiencing internally. The women I work with find safety in control because of its predictability, but this has stripped their lives of joy. They often feel overwhelmed by the pressure to do and be everything for everyone, and this leaves them constantly running on empty because they struggle to prioritize their needs in relationships.

My priority is to create a space where every woman I work with can feel seen, heard, and valued so she can learn to embrace her humanness. My work centers around being able to help my clients heal within a healthy, affirming relationship that gently challenges the problem narratives that keep them stuck so they can explore new possibilities.

I believe that through understanding the whole of who my clients are and healing painful childhood experiences they can cultivate a balanced and fulfilling life that prioritizes their wellness unapologetically. My newest offering is EMDR within an intensive format to accelerate the healing process. EMDR is so powerful in the way that it helps people heal their mind, body, and spirit, but it still takes time within the traditional weekly format.

Instead of addressing my client’s concerns on a week-to-week basis, I work with my intensive clients for three hours a day for one to three days. I have found the intensive framework to be transformative in the lives of my clients because they have been able to dig deeper and move through negative experiences so much quicker by condensing months or years of work into a matter of days.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
One of my favorite memories from childhood is hanging out in the backyard on my swing. I can remember the way that I was able to challenge myself to swing higher. I remember the way the sun and wind felt against my face as I swung. All I could do was smile. I look back on this memory affectionately because of how free and careless I felt.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hellolifecounseling.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellolifecounselingcollective/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellolifecounselingcollectiveinc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-freeman-lpc/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HelloLifeCounselingCollective

Image Credits
Kimazing Photography