Counseling for Women After Divorce in durham, NC
Online therapy with Dr. emily fornwalt
Photo Credits: Valeris Nikitina; Unsplash
“i feel so alone.”
“i can’t do this by myself anymore.”
“what’s next?”
you did the hard thing by getting divorced.
Now what?
The divorce papers are signed, the logistics are (mostly) sorted, and everyone keeps telling you how strong you are. Meanwhile, you’re lying awake at 1am wondering who you even are without “wife” attached to your name.
You held it together through mediation, the custody conversations, the moment you had to explain it to the kids. You were strategic, composed, capable. You did what needed to be done.
But now that the dust is settling, something unexpected is happening. Instead of relief, you feel... lost. The life you built, the future you planned, the person you thought you’d grow old with, all of it has shifted, and you’re standing in the middle of the rubble trying to figure out which pieces are worth keeping.
Read more about my work with divorced women.
This is the part of divorce no one warns you about.
The divorce itself had a script. There were steps, timelines, decisions to make. But rebuilding? There’s no checklist for that.
Maybe you catch yourself spiraling before a co-parenting exchange, rehearsing every possible thing your ex partner might say and how you’ll respond. Maybe you’re so drained by the end of the day that the idea of making one more decision, even what to have for dinner, feels impossible.
Or maybe it’s subtler than that. You’re functioning fine on the outside, but you’ve noticed you can’t quite access joy the way you used to. Your kids get a version of you that’s present but not fully there. Your friends get the curated update, not the real one. And at night, when the house is quiet, the grief catches up.
You’ve probably tried a few things already. The podcasts, the journaling, the wine-and-vent sessions with friends who mean well but keep defaulting to “you’re better off.” Maybe you even tried therapy before, but it didn’t get to the thing that’s keeping you stuck. There’s no shortage of therapists in Durham and across the Triangle but finding one who works the way you need is a different thing entirely.
What’s underneath the overwhelm of divorce
Here’s what most approaches miss: divorce doesn’t just end a marriage. It disrupts your nervous system. Your brain spent years building patterns around this relationship, this household, this version of your life, and now those patterns are running on empty, firing signals that don’t match your new reality.
That’s why you can know, logically, that the divorce was the right call and still feel panicked on a Sunday evening. That’s why a song on the radio can knock the wind out of you when you thought you were past all that. Whether you’re in Durham, Chapel Hill, or Raleigh, your body hasn’t caught up to what your mind already knows.
How we work together throughout your divorce process
If you’ve ever left a therapy session feeling like you said all the right things and still went home and cried in the shower, you know there’s a gap between understanding something intellectually and feeling it shift in your body. That gap is where my work lives.
We don’t just talk about the patterns that are keeping you stuck. We work with what’s happening in your body, the tension you carry into every co-parenting exchange, the tightness in your chest when you think about the future, the way your nervous system goes into overdrive at the smallest reminder of your old life. When those patterns start to shift, the changes show up everywhere: in how you parent, how you make decisions, how you sleep, how you show up for the people you care about.
Picture your life six months from now.
It’s a Wednesday evening. Your ex just changed the weekend schedule for the third time, and you handled it. Not perfectly, not without irritation, but you said what you needed to say, ended the call, and moved on with your night. You made dinner. You helped with homework. You didn’t replay the conversation a single time.
Saturday morning, you wake up and the first thing you feel isn’t dread. You take your kids to breakfast, and you’re there with them, laughing at something ridiculous they said, not performing “fine mom” while your mind is somewhere else entirely.
You’ve started making real decisions about your life. You applied for the position you’ve been circling for months. You told your sister you can’t host Thanksgiving this year, and you didn’t spiral about it afterward. You bought new furniture for the living room, something you picked out because you liked it, not because it matched what was already there.
A friend asks how you’re doing, and for the first time, your answer isn’t a rehearsed highlight reel. You tell the truth, and it feels good, because the truth is that you’re doing well. Not perfectly. But well, in a way that feels earned and solid and yours.
You went on a date last month and it was... fine. Normal-nervous, not trauma-nervous. You noticed the difference. You’re starting to trust your own judgment again, about people, about decisions, about what you want. Not because someone gave you permission, but because the constant second-guessing has quieted down enough for you to hear your own voice.
our sessions will be
01
Collaborative: We will work together. Here’s at least one thing you’re not gonna be handling all on your own.
02
Encouraging: Even if you can’t name them right now, I know you have strengths. You might roll your eyes when I point them out (I’ll allow it.).
03
Real: I'll tell you the truth; you’ve got no time for therapy games where someone sounds like a cliché. You got that on your last Netflix binge.
04
Fun: I can pretty much guarantee some laughs. You can demand more humor if needed, because I know you could use that break.
i’m Emily.
About dr. emily fornwalt
Therapist for women who are divorced in durham, nC
I'm a therapist licensed in North Carolina (LCMHC-S; #S6459), and I have a PhD in counseling from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
I work with women in Durham and across North Carolina who are rebuilding after divorce, specifically women who are used to being high-functioning, competent, and in control, and who are now navigating a season where none of those strengths seem to be enough.
I have advanced training in attachment, the nervous system, and how relationships shape the brain, which means our work together goes deeper than traditional talk therapy while still feeling grounded and practical. I’m licensed in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia and registered to provide telehealth in South Carolina, too.
If you’d like to learn more about me than can fit in a short blurb, please explore the link below.
Online therapy for women after divorce in Durham, NC
I practice 100% via telehealth, which means you can do this work from wherever you are in North Carolina, whether that’s Durham, Chapel Hill, or anywhere across the Triangle and beyond. No commute, no waiting room, no rearranging your already-packed schedule more than you have to.
Sessions are 45 minutes at $225. I am an out-of-network provider.
You’ve spent enough time surviving divorce. Let’s build what comes next.
Schedule your first session using the link below
Complete intake paperwork (submit 24 hours before your appointment)
First session focus: Comprehensive assessment of your professional stress patterns, relationship dynamics, and therapy goals
Ongoing work: Weekly 45-minute sessions focusing on transforming your relationship with achievement and success
Schedule Your First Session:
Booking Page | Call/Text: 423.281.4098 | Email: emily@alignedcounseling.com
Other areas served via telehealth in North Carolina:
Raleigh • Durham • Greensboro • Chapel Hill • Cary • Apex • Huntersville • Concord • Gastonia • Mooresville
and all areas throughout North Carolina.
Faqs
Do I need to live in Durham to work with you?
Nope. I practice 100% online, so you can work with me from anywhere in North Carolina. Many of my clients are in the Triangle area, including Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, but I also see women across the state. All you need is a private space and a reliable internet connection.
How is your approach different from therapy I’ve tried before?
If you’ve tried therapy before and it felt like you were doing the work, but nothing was shifting at a deeper level, there’s a reason for that. Sometimes the patterns keeping you stuck live in your body, not just your thoughts. I’m trained in AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) and interpersonal neurobiology, which means we work with your nervous system and emotional responses directly, not just the story you tell about them. In practical terms, that looks like slowing down in the moments where you’d normally push through, noticing what’s happening physically when a topic comes up, and letting your body process what your mind has been trying to manage alone. Clients often tell me they feel a difference within the first few sessions, not because I gave them a new tool, but because something shifted that they can’t quite put words to yet.
What does a session look like?
We meet via a secure video platform for 45 minutes. Some sessions we’ll focus on something specific that came up during the week, a co-parenting conflict, a decision you’re stuck on, a moment where old feelings got triggered. Other sessions we’ll go deeper into the patterns underneath those moments. I’ll check in with you about what’s happening in your body as we talk, and sometimes I’ll ask you to slow down and stay with a feeling rather than move past it. It’s not scripted, and I won’t give you homework unless it makes sense. The pace is yours.
How long will I be in counseling?
It depends on what you’re working through and what you want to get out of it. Some women come in during the acute crisis of divorce and work with me for several months. Others start therapy after the dust has settled and they realize they’re still carrying more than they want to. I don’t believe in keeping people in therapy longer than they need to be. We’ll talk openly about how things are going and when it makes sense to shift to less frequent sessions or wrap up.
I’m not sure I’m “divorced enough” for this. I’m still in the process.
You don’t need to be on the other side of it to start this work. Many of the women I see are still in the thick of it, navigating custody arrangements, dealing with attorneys, figuring out finances, and trying to hold themselves together while everything is in flux. In some ways, that’s when this work is most valuable, because the decisions you’re making right now will shape what your life looks like on the other side.
Logistics…
Here you can find detailed instructions on how to get started working together, how we proceed, and what you can expect.
First, important things to note:
I only work exclusively online and no in-person appointments are available.
I am not in network with any insurance plans and do not provide documentation for out-of-network reimbursement. There are many reasons for this, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have.
I offer primarily 45/50-minute sessions at a rate of $225 per session. If you’d like 60-minute sessions, please ask about my current availability. Initial sessions are 90 minutes and are $450.
-
For intake sessions, I am available Mondays-Thursdays from 10:00-5:00. I am available for ongoing sessions Tuesdays-Thursdays from 10:00-5:00. I do not have evening or weekend availability. With regard to ongoing session availability, I cannot guarantee the availability of specific times or days based on openings you may see in my online calendar; availability there does indicate recurring availability. One of my values is to have some schedule flexibility for current clients so that when they need to make schedule adjustments, I am more likely to be able to do so. As such, an available slot does not equal the ability to put a regularly occurring appointment in that slot. If you have specific schedule needs, please reach out to confirm that I’d be able to accommodate them prior to completing an initial session.
-
Once you have decided that you’d like to proceed with scheduling with me, you can mosey over and check out my lovely contact page. Here you can click the “Schedule your first session” button located at the center of the page. This will take you to my self-scheduling option. This allows you to look over my calendar and select a time that works for you. You can schedule up to 3 weeks in advance, as long as you are at least 3 days before the date you’d like to choose. It’s important to note that this first session will be a longer (90-minute) intake session.
-
Scheduling in my online calendar will send a request for the specific appointment you’ve selected and reserve it for you. I typically confirm appointments within 24 hours, excluding weekends, holidays, and times I am out of the office on vacation. After I confirm your appointment, you will receive an email from Sessions Health.
-
After you receive the confirmation, keep an eye out for three more emails. (I know! I bet you already get plenty, but I promise we just have to do this stuff once!) You will get an email welcoming you to therapy and outlining what you can expect; this will come directly from me. In addition, you will get one from Sessions Health and Aligned Counseling and Supervision; this contains your invitation to the client portal; this is where you will complete all required paperwork, which I need back 24 hours prior to our scheduled time in order to keep your appointment and avoid automatic cancellation. Finally, you will get an appointment “reminder” that will contain your telehealth link.
-
Once you’ve set up portal access, you will have just three documents to review and sign. Please note that you can sign out and progress will be saved. You may want to set aside a little time to really read these over as they have a good bit of information relevant to our work together. Documents include: the informed consent, the HIPAA privacy practices, and information about my policies for electronic communication. Please let me know if you have any questions by emailing me. After signing those you will have some demographic questions and the opportunity to tell me just a bit about what brings you to therapy.
-
Once you have set up your portal and I have a phone number, keep an eye out for a text from IvyPay. This is where you will enter your credit card information for me to charge for your sessions. I use IvyPay so that I don't have to personally handle any of your credit card information. IvyPay is a third-party HIPAA-compliant payment processor that takes care of it for me.
-
Most clients are nervous the first time they attend counseling, even if it's just the first time with a new person. If you’ve never been before, you may not know what to expect and may have many TV or movie references for what it’s like. Trust me, they’re probably inaccurate. You may think you’re required to tell me ALL the things or that I will ask probing questions to get to the root of everything. That’s not what happens either. We will still be getting to know each other. In our first session, I will gather information about your concerns, the history, what you’d like to get out of counseling, and any other things you think are relevant. We will get a general idea of direction, but it will take us time to get to know each other. This one is a little different from the others, as a lot of our time will be spent getting me up to speed on your life and concerns. Things shift after that…stay tuned.
-
It’s important to know that the completion of this initial session is not a guarantee of working together. If it ends up not working, I will do my best to help you find another provider to meet your needs. A few things that might result in us not working together include, but are not limited to:
You decide that we are not a good fit.
I am not the most appropriate person to help you with your specific needs.
You need a specific time slot and it is not available. (Avoid this by checking with me ahead of time!)
-
Once you are ready to move forward, we will get your regular appointments set up. You will be scheduled for the same recurring time slot. These are either weekly or bi-weekly depending on your needs and availability. As we get to know each other during sessions, we will determine how we will know if things are getting better. I imagine that you have checked out who I am throughout my website, so you probably already know the following info. However, it’s probably worth saying again that I very much value talking explicitly with my clients about their experience of therapy with me, rather than assuming I know what they are feeling or experiencing, or what's best for them. This means I'll regularly ask you about what is going well in our therapy work together and if there's anything we should do differently. I am not a highly directive therapist, so our sessions will focus on what you need to get out of them each time. I provide some prompts about what we’ve been exploring or your general goals, but invite you to settle in and consider how we can take care of you in our session that day.
-
When we get to a point where you’re feeling confident in what you’ve learned and are practicing, we can discuss reducing frequency (if you started weekly) or wrapping up altogether. There may be the option to reduce from bi-weekly to monthly sessions, but these are available only on a case-by-case basis, scheduled week-of, and cannot be guaranteed.
-
Please feel free to email me! I usually respond within 24 hours Mondays-Fridays.
Book your session
Still Have Questions?
Contact Me
Please complete this form and I’ll be back in touch via email or text usually within 1 business day.
Call or Text
423.281.4089
emily@alignedcounseling.com
office mailing address
404 S Roan St., Johnson City, TN, 37604