Christopher Cook, PhD, LCMHC (NC), LPC (SC), QS
Expertise: PTSD, Complex Trauma, and Relationships
My approach to counseling involves developing a practical, caring, professional relationship with those who are experiencing mental, emotional, or relational distress and helping clients find relief, achieve their goals, experience personal growth, and wrestle with life change. I view counseling as a holistic process that includes the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical aspects of the individual, while also recognizing that everything we do as individuals occurs within a specific relevant context.
I have been working since 2009 helping clients with a variety of issues, including grief, trauma, sexual abuse, marital or relational distress, depression, anxiety, addiction, life stress, spiritual crisis, and a range of other life difficulties. I specialize in trauma, couples counseling, group work, and spiritually-related issues.
I use a variety of therapeutic theories and techniques in my counseling approach. I find this useful in that no one approach can meet the needs of every client, and many approaches have distinct positive techniques and perspectives to offer. Psychodynamic therapy and person- centered therapy form the basis for my general approach to counseling. For treating specific problems, I also draw heavily upon relevant evidence-based approaches. In couples work, I primarily use Emotionally Focused Therapy. For trauma work, I use a blend of psychodynamic approaches in conjunction with internal family systems therapy, narrative therapies, somatic work, systems approaches, and EMDR. I have additional experience with solution-focused therapy, reality therapy, and other systems approaches.
In addition to my counseling practice, I help organizations improve their effectiveness through understanding and developing healthy professional relationships. If you are interested in training, consulting, or education, please contact me.
I have been married since 1998, and my wife and I have three children. In my spare time I enjoy reading, backpacking, motorcycling, and spending time with my family.
Schedule an appointment with Chris.
Carolina Benitez, PhD, LCMHCS (NC), LPCS (SC), NCC
Expertise: Trauma, Women’s Issues, Transition and Phase of Life Concerns, Acculturation
Whether you are dealing with issues of the past or more recent events, it is my desire to help you walk through this time with compassion, care, and acceptance. My approach to counseling is integrative and includes using interventions and techniques from a variety of theories and modalities, including person-centered, cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, experiential, narrative, and emotionally-focused. I am committed to supporting your personal growth and emotional well-being as we explore past and current experiences, discover your strengths, and develop practical tools for you to thrive.
Since May 2013 I have been providing counseling services to community members in the Charlotte and surrounding areas, working with individuals, couples, and families. Although my background includes biblical foundations and integration, I see clients from other faiths or who do not desire to explore spiritual issues.
I am a Honduran immigrant fully bilingual in Spanish and English, and have counseled individuals who speak both or either of these languages, including multiethnic and multiracial homes.
My special interests include adjustment and phase of life concerns, developmental transitions, depression, anxiety, women’s issues, relational and parenting concerns, trauma, anger, and acculturation and immigration concerns.
In 2014 I earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling degree from Columbia International University and a Doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from UNC-Charlotte in 2018. I am currently on the faculty of Gordon-Conwell Seminary, where I am able to live out my passion for community-based work, teaching and supervising counselors-in-training to serve their local community.
For more information, contact me here.
Schedule an appointment with Carolina.
Samantha Bowling, MA, LCMHCA
Samantha is a dedicated LCMHCA with a Master of Arts in Christian Counseling-Clinical Counseling. With over a year of experience, Samantha specializes in working with adults and adolescents who have navigated trauma, chronic stress, grief, and various life-stage transitions. She is skilled at supporting clients facing mood and emotional challenges, including those with ADHD tendencies.
Trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Samantha employs a client-centered approach that prioritizes the individual’s unique story and experiences. By integrating techniques such as mindfulness and body scanning, she assists clients in developing emotional regulation skills and safely exploring different aspects of themselves.
Samantha is passionate about dynamic wholeness for the individual and empowering collective transformation within a community. She aims to create a supportive environment that facilitates healing and personal growth. Her desire is to strengthen the therapeutic relationship through compassionate guidance and tailored therapeutic techniques that encourage her clients to reclaim their complex narratives and foster resilience in the face of adversity.
I am native North Carolinian, and have recently moved to Charlotte from the mountains of NC, which I called home for 23 years. Experience and relationships are priceless. I enjoy hikes, hammocks, bonfires, and live entertainment/sports events; and, I am a bit of a foodie. When able, I also travel. My 20 year career journey has centered on service to others through healthcare, social work, humanitarian aid, and Christian ministry.
For more information, contact me here.
Schedule an appointment with Samantha
Lori Holcombe, Counseling Intern
People come to therapy with the courage to grow already inside them. My role is to provide an accepting, secure space where healing and transformation can take root.
I am a counseling intern and graduate student in clinical mental health counseling at Wake Forest University (graduating December 2025). My clinical interests include trauma and crisis counseling, relational and betrayal trauma, attachment wounds, and adult ADHD—particularly in women. My training experience includes providing trauma-informed counseling to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse.
Grounded in Emotionally Focused Therapy, I integrate mindfulness, active listening, and deep emotional attunement to help clients explore core emotions tied to connection, belonging, and safety. Whether working with individuals, couples, or families, I am passionate about supporting resilience, self-awareness, and more authentic relationships.
Even in moments of intense pain, I help clients feel heard and grounded as they unearth and process deep emotions. I believe in the possibility of post-traumatic growth and lasting change—the potential for this transformation is what drives me forward.
Married for 33 years to an engineer, I am the proud mother of three unique and open-minded adult children. In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, reading, and trying to beat my fastest time on the New York Times crossword. An adventurer at heart, I spent nine unforgettable days hiking the Appalachian Trail, completed eight marathons, and am always seeking ways to outwit my ADHD.
For more information, contact me here.
Lori is not taking new clients at this time.
Sarah Ottinger, Counseling Intern
I work with individuals and couples who feel stuck, disconnected, or weighed down by relational wounds—especially those shaped by shame, fear, or performance based expectations. I provide a place of understanding for those who are navigating the impact of relational trauma or struggling to feel a sense of belonging and worth.
My approach to therapy is relational, compassionate, and grounded in the belief that healing happens when we are met with both honesty and care. I create a space where clients feel safe enough to explore their stories, challenge unhelpful patterns, and reconnect with who they truly are—beyond the roles they’ve played or the expectations
they’ve carried.
I’m particularly attuned to the quieter struggles people often carry—like the belief that they’re not enough, that they have to earn love, or that their pain disqualifies them from connection. I understand the importance of being deeply seen and supported as you navigate these experiences.
I offer a steady, grace-filled presence—someone who can walk alongside you with curiosity, patience, and hope. If you’re navigating relational pain or feeling stuck in your current season, I’d be honored to work with you.
For more information, contact me here.
Schedule an appointment with Sarah.
Sylvia Trein, Counseling Intern
As a counselor at the intern stage of training, it is my privilege to walk with people through their challenges and life transitions. I cherish discovering and highlighting my clients’ strengths, and I aim to help them better understand their inner experience. As well as compassionate support, I focus on helping them define their needs, desires, and goals so that they may lead fuller lives aligned with their true selves.
While I consider myself eclectic in approach, my counseling philosophy is rooted in Adlerian ideas, and I have most used techniques from narrative therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). I strive to be person-centered and attuned in all cases. Therapy is a courageous and vulnerable undertaking, and I am committed to my clients’ safety, wellbeing, and growth.
Through my previous work as a teacher and freelance writer, I have worked with children and adolescents, seniors, veterans, young professionals, and adults navigating midlife. I am originally from Brazil and lived in six countries by the time I was 13, so I am also interested in cultural issues, particularly those that involve creating personal identity and negotiating differences.
In my free time, I love biking along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway with my husband, reading fiction and nonfiction, cooking, crocheting, and learning more about the world from documentaries and podcasts.
For more information, contact me here.
Schedule an appointment with Sylvia.
Colette Rudder, Counseling Intern
I consider it an honor to walk alongside my clients as they navigate difficult, confusing, and often painful seasons of life. I am currently a graduate student at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, pursuing a degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
In therapy, I strive to create a warm and accepting environment where clients feel safe, heard, and supported. My approach to counseling is relational and client-centered, viewing therapy as a collaborative process grounded in trust, compassion, and respect for each client’s unique story and goals.
My clinical interests include trauma-related concerns and relational issues, particularly how past experiences and relationships shape present patterns, emotions, and ways of coping. I typically work with adults and couples, supporting clients as they navigate various challenges. Prior to my work as a counseling intern, I gained experience working with young adults and college students, walking alongside them as they navigated transitions, relationship challenges, identity concerns, anxiety, depression, and shame.
I value health as a holistic pursuit, attending to mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. As my client, you can expect a compassionate and collaborative approach as we work together toward meaningful growth and healing. I believe that even after life’s most difficult moments, growth is possible, and I would be honored to support you on your healing journey.
For more information, contact me here.
Schedule an appointment with Colette.
Chris Osborn, Counseling Intern
I consider it an honor to walk alongside my clients as they navigate difficult, confusing, and often painful seasons of life.
Some of my clients say they feel like a bomb has gone off, or they have been hit out of the blue by a discovery or confession of significant betrayal. Others are stuck – maybe not actively fighting, but not really connected either. They thought marriage would be more fulfilling, exciting, or intimate, and they are running out of quick fixes—or energy to even keep trying. And some have seen rupture in their family and there seems to be no way to reach that family member.
Prior to counseling, I spent a couple decades of practicing law, including collaborative family law, to pursue amicable out-of-court resolutions for families. That has been a much better fit. But I couldn’t shake my deeper longing: to help people deal with disappointment and conflict before they have done too much damage to one another, or one of them has finally lost all hope.
I consider it an honor to walk alongside these courageous souls as they navigate difficult, confusing, and painful seasons where life has veered far off course from what they had planned. And the skills and strategies that got them to this point are no longer doing the trick. I am committed to providing folks a safe place to fall apart, and to name what is true about the hurts they have experienced, so that they can begin to experience true and lasting healing and transformation.
If you have been trying to understand or rebuild your life story, or have gotten stuck in conflict in important relationships, I can help.
For more information, contact me here.
Schedule an appointment with Chris Osborn.
Tracy Beavers, Office Administrator
Tracy makes Haven Trauma Center functional. Tracy works with insurance companies, handles billing, and is a general problem solver for the practice.
If you’ve experience some wrinkle or issue being solved at Haven Trauma Center, it’s mostly likely that Tracy has been at the heart of the solution!