Candy Durman

My Background

I am a fully licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in independent practice in East Tennessee delivering services via a combination of remote (HIPPA compliant Telehealth) and in-person (inoffice/in-home) therapy sessions.

I use a variety of art therapy techniques, ecotherapy milieus, as well as unique experiential therapy interventions designed for adults, couples, and families. With a combination of traditional talk therapy and a collaborative-coaching orientation, I work hard to provide clients with evidence based skills, psychoeducation, and the necessary emotional support to improve general mental wellness. With a focus on education and skill building, clients are more empowered to prevent and/ or mitigate disruptive symptoms associated with common mental health conditions, traumatic experiences, unjust social / cultural / environmental conditions, Stage-Of-Life transitions, times of increased stress, and personal loss.
I also work with a small community of clients who seek to develop a sense of personal individuation, explore past / current personal experiences and/or varying states of consciousness, and/or who want to work through perceived barriers to spiritual development (aka personal meaning-making for secular clients). This work is ideal for clients already skilled at emotional and cognitive self regulation, who have a healthy foundation of daily function/personal agency, and who are primarily seeking temporary support as they deep-dive into themselves in order to lead more purpose driven and authentic lives.

As a systems therapist, my practice is grounded in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and General Systems Theory. Additionally, I find clinical value in Experiential Gestalt, Human Validation, and Solution-Focused Theories. By blending insight-development and compassionate self-understanding with real-world behavioral scaffolding, homework, and active practice, clients are supported to take concrete steps in crafting a life for themselves which generates gratitude and joy, provides a sense of personal agency, and prepares clients to meet future challenges confidently on their own.

Populations of special clinical interest:

Artists, Musicians, Actors, Performers

LGBTQA+, Minority Populations, Social Activists, Helping Professionals Naturalists, Religious Trauma Survivors, Spiritual Seekers