Meet Your Therapist Bestie
Meet our compassionate team of licensed professionals who are dedicated to supporting your mental health and wellness journey. Each clinician brings unique expertise and a warm, collaborative approach to therapy.
Meet the gals...
At Empower, we believe that the relationship with your therapist is SPECIAL! Finding the right fit can take time, if one of our AWESOME clincians isnt a fit for you, we will help you find the right therapist in the community! <3
Kristin Holcomb
Office Manager
Administrative
Kristin keeps everything running smoothly while making sure every client feels welcomed and supported from their very first call. Expect a friendly personality and a sense of humor when you call or text. When she's not in the office, Kristin is a proud mom of two amazing kiddos and understands the challenges of balancing family, work, and self-care, while creating a warm, compassionate environment where everyone feels comfortable and cared for. Whether you're scheduling your first appointment or have questions along the way, she is here to help make your experience as easy and stress-free as possible.
Sara M. Channell, LPCC-S
Founder & Therapist
Clinician
Sara specializes in working with women who feel stuck, overwhelmed, unhappy, or disconnected from themselves. She especially enjoys supporting women who are navigating unhealthy relationships, struggling with boundaries, or have spent so much time caring for others that they’ve lost sight of their own needs and desires. Sara believes therapy should be a place where you feel safe to be honest, supported as you work through challenges, and free to explore what you truly want. Her approach is warm, compassionate, curious, and collaborative. She meets each client where they are and works alongside them without judgment. Together, Sara and her clients explore the experiences, beliefs, and relationship patterns that may be affecting how they see themselves and move through the world. The goal is to build greater confidence, develop healthier boundaries, strengthen relationships, and make choices that feel authentic and aligned with your values. You can learn to trust yourself, honor your needs, and feel more comfortable taking up space in your own life. Whether you’re navigating a difficult relationship, facing a major transition, or simply feeling like something needs to change, therapy can offer a space to slow down, gain perspective, and move forward with intention. Outside of the office, Sara enjoys spending time with her children, watching C-dramas and reading smut. With Sara, therapy is about exploring your path together—with curiosity, intention, and support.
Therapeutic Focuses:
- • Finding yourself
- • Unhealthy or toxic relationships
- • Boundaries and people-pleasing
- • Self-esteem and confidence
- • Life transitions and major changes
- • Relationship transitions
- • Emotional overwhelm and burnout
- • Personal growth and creating meaningful change
Open to working with:
- • Women ages 16+
- • Mothers
- • Couples
Samantha Johnson
LPCC
Clinician
Sam is passionate about helping clients navigate difficult experiences, life changes, and the emotions that can sometimes feel difficult to make sense of on their own. She brings a down-to-earth presence to therapy and strives to create an environment where clients can be themselves without feeling judged or pressured. Sam has experience working with clients from diverse backgrounds and enjoys getting to know each client as an individual. She believes there is no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy and takes the time to understand each person’s experiences, concerns, and goals. Sam has a particular interest in trauma and the ways difficult experiences can continue to affect us long after they have happened. She is EMDR trained and enjoys helping clients work through experiences that may still feel unresolved, overwhelming, or difficult to put into words. Her trauma-informed approach focuses on creating a sense of safety and trust while helping clients process their experiences at a pace that feels comfortable for them. She is passionate about helping clients move toward greater emotional well-being without minimizing or overlooking what they have been through. Sam believes therapy doesn’t have to feel intimidating or overly formal. She brings warmth and a little lightness into the therapeutic relationship while taking each client’s concerns seriously. Whether you’re dealing with the impact of past experiences, adjusting to a new chapter, feeling overwhelmed, or simply looking for someone to talk to, Sam offers a space where you can slow down and work through things one step at a time. Outside of the office, Sam enjoys reading and listening to music. She offers both in-person and tele-health appointments. Sam is here to help you make sense of what you’re experiencing and take the next step at your own pace.
Therapeutic Focuses:
- • Anxiety Disorders
- • Goal Setting & Personal Growth
- • Adjustment & Transitions
- • Trauma
- • Depressive Disorders
- • Difficult Situations & Relationships
Open to working with:
- • Young Adults ages 15+
- • College Students
- • Women
- • Men
Denise Kuhlman
LPC
Clinician
Denise believes counseling is about creating new ways of seeing ourselves, our relationships, and the situations we find ourselves in. Life can be messy, relationships can be complicated, and sometimes we just need a place to talk things through with someone who truly gets it. Denise enjoys helping clients navigate relationships, communication, boundaries, self-esteem, and the patterns that can leave us feeling stuck. She works with clients to better understand themselves and the people around them while learning how to create healthier, more fulfilling relationships. Her approach is warm, genuine, and down-to-earth. Denise brings empathy, encouragement, and plenty of humor into her work because she believes therapy doesn’t always have to feel so serious. Sometimes you need to laugh, sometimes you need to vent, and sometimes you need someone to gently point out what you may already know deep down. Drawing from both her professional experience and her own life experience, Denise understands that growth rarely happens in a perfectly straight line. Relationships change, people change, life throws unexpected things our way, and figuring it all out can take time. She meets clients where they are without judgment and creates a space where they can be honest about what is really going on. Whether you’re struggling in a relationship, learning to set boundaries, feeling stuck in familiar patterns, or simply trying to navigate a new season of life, Denise is there to help you sort through the complicated parts and find a way forward that feels right for you.
Therapeutic Focuses:
- • Anxiety
- • Depression
- • Establishing Boundaries
- • Self-Esteem
- • Relationships
- • Life Transitions
Open to working with:
- • Adults
- • Men
- • Women
- • Professionals
Morgan Fisher
LPC
Clinician
Morgan takes a holistic approach to therapy, recognizing that mental health is connected to all the different parts of our lives. She places a strong emphasis on the nine dimensions of wellness and the mind-body connection, helping clients look at the bigger picture rather than focusing on just one piece of what they’re experiencing. Morgan works from an eclectic perspective, drawing from person-centered therapy, CBT, DBT, and mindfulness to create an approach that fits each individual client. She believes therapy should feel collaborative, engaging, and like a place where you can actually be yourself—not another place where you have to have all the answers. With experience working with clients of all ages and a variety of concerns, Morgan enjoys helping clients navigate anxiety, depression, self-esteem, trauma, anger, and the everyday challenges that can impact emotional well-being. She brings creativity and flexibility into her sessions and is not afraid to think outside the box when finding ways to make therapy meaningful and engaging. Morgan believes that therapy can be both productive and enjoyable. Her style is conversational, interactive, and down-to-earth, with room for humor, curiosity, and a little fun along the way. Whether that means finding a new way to look at a problem, practicing skills together, exploring what is happening beneath the surface, or simply having an honest conversation, Morgan wants therapy to feel like a space where clients can genuinely participate in the process. Outside of counseling, Morgan is a big lover of music and cats. She believes the little things that bring us joy matter, too—and that taking care of ourselves is about more than simply checking things off a wellness list.
Therapeutic Focuses:
- • Anxiety Disorders
- • Depressive Disorders
- • Trauma
- • Self-Esteem
- • Anger
- • Full-person Wellness
- • Teenage Issues
Open to working with:
- • Women
- • Men
- • Young Adults
- • Teens
Justine Polonus
LPC
Clinician
Justine has a passion for working with individuals navigating trauma, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and other experiences that can make life feel especially overwhelming or difficult to navigate. Justine also has experience with crisis work and understands that sometimes people come to therapy carrying much more than what is happening on the surface. She takes the time to look deeper—to understand where struggles come from, identify the patterns that may be keeping clients stuck, and work toward meaningful resolution rather than simply putting a temporary Band-Aid on the problem. Justine primarily utilizes Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in her work. Her approach is compassionate, honest, and focused on helping clients feel safe enough to explore difficult experiences while building practical skills they can use in everyday life. At the heart of Justine’s work is her belief that people are more than the challenges they have experienced. She wants her clients to recognize their own resilience and strength, develop a healthier relationship with themselves, and feel empowered to work toward the goals that matter to them. She strives to create a therapeutic relationship where clients feel safe, validated, heard, and respected. Outside of therapy, Justine loves spending time with her cats and staying active through running. She is currently training for marathons, which reflects something she also brings into her work with clients: patience, perseverance, and the understanding that meaningful progress happens one step at a time.
Therapeutic Focuses:
- • PTSD
- • Mood disorders
- • BPD
- • Self-injurious behaviors
- • Post-Crisis Navigation
- • Other Trauma
Open to working with:
- • Adults
- • Young Adults ages 15+
- • Women
- • Trauma Survivors
- • Men
Ready to Meet Your Perfect Match?
Our team is here to support you every step of the way. Reach out today to schedule your first session and take the first step toward healing and growth.