Our Guiding Principles
Life’s currents can feel overwhelming, yet healing is always within reach. At Above the Tides, I offer compassionate, trauma-informed telehealth therapy to help you navigate anxiety, burnout, neurodivergence, grief, and life transitions. Sessions are secure, confidential, and available to adult clients in North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Maine.
ABOVE
A: Awareness Cultivating mindful presence in everyday life
B: Balance Restoring harmony among thoughts, emotions, and actions
O: Opportunity Transforming challenges into openings for growth
V: Validation Honoring your lived experience and feelings
E: Elevation Rising beyond limitations toward your highest potential
THE
TIDES
T: Transformation Turning pain into powerful growth
I: Insight Gaining clarity about patterns and strengths
D: Direction Charting a purposeful course forward
E: Empowerment Building confidence and autonomy
S: Support Creating a safe, affirming therapeutic space
Rooted in these principles, every session is designed to help you rise above the waves and move toward steadier waters. When you’re ready to embark on or continue your healing journey, I’m here to partner with you each step of the way. Gain clarity, regulation skills, and confidence to navigate overwhelm, anxiety, and leadership or relational stress.
At Above the Tides Counseling, I provide therapy for people who are tired of feeling misunderstood, dismissed, overwhelmed, or like they have had to mask their way through life. As a neurodivergent clinician living with chronic illness, I understand the complexity of navigating ADHD, anxiety, burnout, autoimmune issues, chronic pain, POTS, MCAS, EDS, and other conditions that impact the mind, body, identity, relationships, and daily functioning.
Many of my clients come to therapy after years of feeling misdiagnosed, medically gaslit, emotionally exhausted, or unheard by systems that were supposed to help them. You may have been told you are “too sensitive,” “too anxious,” “too much,” or “not trying hard enough,” when in reality your nervous system, body, and lived experiences have been asking for support. My goal is to help reduce shame, increase self understanding, and create a space where your story does not have to be minimized in order to be taken seriously.
I specialize in working with women navigating the intersection of mental health and chronic medical conditions, including POTS, EDS / hEDS, MCAS, MCTD, RA, Lupus, Perimenopause, and other autoimmune and chronic illnesses (including POTS). I have extensive clinical experience supporting clients with complex, often overlapping symptoms such as anxiety, nervous system dysregulation, medical trauma, and the emotional impact of living with invisible or misunderstood conditions.
I specialize in supporting adults with ADHD, anxiety, chronic illness, women’s health concerns, medical trauma, recovery, stress, life transitions, and nervous system dysregulation. I also work with clients who are healing from people pleasing, perfectionism, masking, burnout, relationship stress, substance use concerns, and the emotional weight of constantly having to advocate for themselves.
My approach is relational, validating, practical, and collaborative. I draw from evidence based therapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution Focused Therapy, mindfulness based tools, polyvagal informed care, somatic practices, and nervous system regulation strategies. My style is eclectic and individualized because I do not believe every person fits neatly into one modality.
Therapy with me is not about forcing yourself into someone else’s version of wellness. It is about learning to understand your patterns, regulate your nervous system, reconnect with your needs, build sustainable coping skills, and create a renewed path aligned with your authentic self.
Rise Above The Tides*
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Rise Above The Tides* *
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One on one video or phone sessions. Individual therapy and groups/classes. I offer specialized services including addiction and gambling recovery support, bariatric psychological assessments, SUD evaluations, and comprehensive ADHD assessments for adults.
Areas I Support
I work with adults across a wide range of mental health, neurodivergent, and recovery-related concerns. My approach is trauma-informed, inclusive, and grounded in over 18 years of clinical experience.
I support individuals navigating:
I specialize in working with women navigating the intersection of mental health and chronic medical conditions, including POTS, EDS / hEDS, MCAS, MCTD, RA, Lupus, Perimenopause, and other autoimmune and chronic illnesses (including POTS). I have extensive clinical experience supporting clients with complex, often overlapping symptoms such as anxiety, nervous system dysregulation, medical trauma, and the emotional impact of living with invisible or misunderstood conditions.
• ADHD, autism, anxiety, OCD, and other neurodivergent presentations.
• Executive functioning challenges, burnout, masking, and emotional regulation difficulties.
• Substance use and recovery, including alcohol use disorder, drug use, and relapse prevention.
• Behavioral addictions, including gambling and compulsive behaviors.
• Trauma, complex trauma, medical trauma, and nervous system dysregulation.
• Depression, grief, life transitions, divorce,and identity-related stress.
• Relationship challenges, boundary setting, and caregiver fatigue.Specialized experience includes:
• Over 18 years working in addiction treatment and recovery-oriented care.
• Extensive experience supporting veterans, active duty service members, and Department of Defense employees.
• Work with healthcare workers, first responders, and individuals in high-stress or high-responsibility roles.
• Neurodivergent-affirming care for adults who have been misdiagnosed, masked, or misunderstood.Values that guide my work:
• Care that is inclusive, affirming, and culturally responsive.
• Respect for lived experience, identity, and individual context.
• A belief that everyone deserves access to thoughtful, ethical mental health care. -
Consultation, Career Development & Coaching for Therapists
Therapists spend so much time supporting others that they often have little space to step back, reflect, and receive support for their own professional growth. I offer consultation and career development services for therapists who are navigating clinical work, ethical decision-making, leadership, private practice, burnout, and the many gray areas that come with this field.
My consultation style is supportive, honest, collaborative, and practical. I bring experience in clinical social work leadership, hospital-based behavioral health, private practice, teaching, supervision, program development, and direct client care. Consultation may focus on case conceptualization, ethical concerns, documentation, professional boundaries, career transitions, confidence-building, leadership development, or the realities of balancing clinical work with sustainability.
These services are a good fit for therapists who are:
Starting or growing a private practice
Navigating ethical or clinical dilemmas
Feeling stuck, burned out, or unsure of their next professional step
Wanting support with documentation, boundaries, or clinical confidence
Moving into leadership, supervision, teaching, or consultation roles
Exploring career development within social work, counseling, healthcare, or behavioral health systems
Seeking support with professional identity, impostor syndrome, or work-life sustainabilityConsultation is not therapy and does not replace clinical supervision when supervision is required for licensure. Instead, it offers a professional space to think clearly, process complex situations, strengthen your clinical judgment, and develop a career path that feels aligned with your values, skills, and long-term goals.
Whether you are building your practice, navigating a difficult case, considering a career shift, or simply needing a trusted professional sounding board, consultation can help you feel more grounded, strategic, and confident in your work.
Clinical Consultation group also offered.
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Teaching and Education
In addition to my clinical work, I hold a second master’s degree in Adult Education and bring a strong academic and applied teaching background to learning environments. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, followed by a Master of Social Work, and later completed a Master of Adult Education with a focus on instruction, learning theory, and adult learners. This interdisciplinary foundation allows me to teach from a systems informed, clinically grounded, and socially conscious perspective that bridges criminal justice, social work, and sociology.
I have taught in informal and applied settings, including staff development, clinical consultation, supervision, and professional training environments. I am available to provide ethics trainings, clinical skills instruction, and continuing education programs for agencies, organizations, and multidisciplinary teams. My teaching style emphasizes critical thinking, ethical practice, cultural awareness, and real world application. I am open to teaching opportunities in criminal justice, social work, and sociology programs, as well as professional education and training collaborations.
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Clinical Experience & Practice Settings
I earned my degree in criminal justice with an initial focus on forensics, drawn to understanding behavior and the systems that respond to harm. Over time, I realized my passion extended beyond analysis and outcomes and that I wanted to understand the why behind behavior and help people change their lives in meaningful ways. I chose to leave the forensic and legal world behind to pursue social work, where I could work directly with people, support healing at its source, and walk alongside individuals in recovery, growth, and transformation.
I tailor treatment to the client’s goals, nervous system needs, values, and lived experience, with an emphasis on collaboration, autonomy, and sustainable change.
Professional Philosophy
I believe healing happens at the intersection of safety, insight, and empowerment. My work honors the whole person — mind, body, identity, and context — while balancing compassion with thoughtful challenge. Whether providing therapy, supervision, or consultation, my goal is to create a space where clarity emerges, resilience strengthens, and meaningful change becomes possible
I have over 18 years of experience providing psychotherapy, supervision, and program leadership across a wide range of clinical environments, including:
Federal healthcare systems
Veterans Affairs medical centers
Military and Department of Defense behavioral health programs
Inpatient and outpatient mental health services
Substance use disorder treatment programs
Intensive outpatient and residential programs
Transitional housing and homelessness services
Child welfare and protective services
Hospice and end-of-life care
Telehealth and virtual behavioral health programs
My roles have included clinician, supervisor, program manager, subject-matter expert, educator, and acting service chief. I have led multidisciplinary teams, built programs from the ground up, and provided care to high-acuity and high-risk populations.
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Licensure & Certifications
Clinical Licensure
Licensed Clinical Social Worker – North Carolina
Licensed Clinical Social Worker – Virginia
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker – South Carolina
Licensed Clinical Social Worker – Maine
Licensed Clinical Social Worker – Utah
Substance Use & Clinical Supervision
Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist
Certified Clinical Supervisor – Substance Abuse
Formerly Certified Substance Abuse Counselor
East Carolina University – Greenville, North CarolinaBachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
Completed 2011Master of Social Work
Completed 2013Certificate in Substance Abuse Counseling
Completed 2013Master of Adult Education
Completed 2016Certificate in Community College Instruction
Completed 2016
Meagan Barksdale
MSW, MAEd, LCAS, CCS, LCSW
Contact Us
At Above the Tides Counseling, you are seen, heard, and supported as you rise.
TIDES of healing: Transformation, Insight, Direction, Empowerment, and Support. —the foundation of the work we will do together. Healing is possible.
You have the power to transform pain into power. I invite you to take the next step toward reclaiming your life.
SERVICES
Individual Counseling
Individual counseling offers a personalized space to explore your thoughts, emotions, and experiences in a supportive, nonjudgmental environment. I work with adults navigating anxiety, neurodivergence, trauma, identity, and life transitions through secure virtual therapy. I accept insurance through third-party platforms like Headway, Alma, and Grow, and also offer flexible self-pay options.
Sliding scale options may be available based on need and life transitions, please email Contact@abovethetides.com
Group Counseling
Group counseling offers a supportive space to connect with others who understand what you're going through. Led by a skilled therapist, each session provides tools for healing, personal growth, and building a sense of community. Whether you're navigating anxiety, grief, neurodivergence, or life transitions, group work can help you feel less alone and more empowered.
Consultation, Group Consultation, and Clinical Supervision
Clinical supervision and consultation at Above the Tides Counseling are designed to support growth, confidence, and ethical excellence in your professional journey. Whether you're a new clinician seeking supervision or an experienced therapist in need of case consultation, I provide a collaborative, affirming space to deepen your skills and navigate complex clinical work. Together, we’ll build insight, strengthen clinical judgment, and support your development as a grounded, effective practitioner.