Makenna Sands
Licensed Professional Counselor
I earned my bachelor's degree in human development from Virginia Tech in 2017 and my master's degree in clinical mental health counseling from Radford University in 2021. I entered the mental health field following an undergraduate internship at a domestic violence shelter in 2017. I have worked in various contexts including a crisis hotline, therapeutic day treatment in the school setting, intensive in-home with children, teens, and families, and outpatient therapy with adults and couples in the private practice setting. I have been a fully licensed professional counselor since 2023.

Who do you work with?
I enjoy working with adults and couples with a range of concerns including trauma-related symptoms, PTSD, attachment and relationship issues, anxiety, phobias, OCD, depression, self-esteem, stress management, boundaries, assertiveness, codependency, sexual trauma, body image issues, dissociation, life transitions, and spiritual concerns.
How can you help me?
I am honored to witness clients harness your own natural capacity to heal wounded parts of yourself. I strive to create a safe and secure place for clients to tap into curiosity and compassion, to increase awareness into the origins of your present-day pains, and to rediscover your true self. I will work collaboratively with you to better understand your symptoms, learn strategies to reduce and manage symptoms, and heal trauma and attachment wounds contributing to present-day pains. My counseling approach aims to help clients harness your underlying resiliencies, identify and honor your attachment needs, experience greater self-compassion, and enjoy more authentic and satisfying relationships. I invite you to stop asking, "What is wrong with me?" and together we will consider "What has happened to me, and how have I done my best to survive?". Exploring this question together will help us harness your adaptability to move from surviving to thriving.
How will I know that I am making progress?
Therapy is a courageous endeavor, and it is helpful to consider your “why”. I will work actively with you to establish a clear understanding of your goals early in our work together. We will spend time talking about the struggles that brought you into therapy, and what you want your life to look like. Some of the many changes my clients have reported in their lives include improved relationships, greater confidence and self-acceptance, deeper awareness and respect of one’s emotions, needs, and values, greater access to present-day skills, strengths, and resources, reduction in trauma-related symptoms, greater capacity to skilfully navigate present challenges, and reduction in emotional suffering.
What types of therapy do you provide?
I maintain a trauma-informed and attachment-focused perspective. I am certified in EMDR therapy and utilize this along with Emotion-Focused, Internal Family Systems and ego state work, CBT, mindfulness, and solution-focused counseling techniques within a collaborative counseling relationship. I also integrate exposure and response prevention as part of an integrated treatment for OCD and anxiety disorders.
Contact
Address
102 S Franklin Street
Suite A-2
Christiansburg, Virginia 24073