Gleam Counseling
Birmingham, AL
anna gray mims, MS, LMFT
The truth is so good that it’s hard to believe: deep within you is everything you need to live a wholehearted life. When you’re struggling, that doesn’t feel true – it just feels helpless, overwhelming, and lonely, like stumbling around in a dark room trying unsuccessfully to turn on the lights. When we get stuck, what we often need is someone to walk with us into the darkness and remind us where to find the switch.
Our time together will be spent uncovering the beauty, purpose, and strength inside you, and remembering the most important thing: you are worthy of love just as you are. These are the truths that illuminate the path to living fully alive. The switch won’t be found outside you, but within.
That lyric is how I got here. It was my theme song to a season of grief and transformation. During that time, I thought the words simply provided solace for my present situation, and during that time, that’s what I needed. Like the comfort fog can bring, all you can see are the things right in front of you. Now that the fog has lifted, I see it was actually a sign of the unimaginably beautiful "unlocking and lifting away" that was about to begin, in me.
One consequence of this changed the course of my life: as soon as I returned to the University of Alabama, I changed my major to become a counselor. After years of being unsuccessfully encouraged to become a therapist, my painful season became the epiphany that led me to follow my heart and experience the worthiness I'd been longing for.
My mission now is to create space for this "unlocking" to begin in others, to make room for epiphany, and to remind everyone what we all know deep within: who you are is enough. You are loved, you are worthy, and you don’t have to earn it. The sound of that belief is what changes everything.
Some of the most influential teachers in my life have been poets, musicians, movies, and people I've never met who make beautiful things or simply live beautiful lives. From Albus Dumbledore to Mary Oliver, I'll share some of my favorite things here in hopes they might help you along your way.
my favoritesOnce you reach out, we'll schedule a ten to fifteen minute phone consultation. During our conversation, I'll ask what's bringing you to counseling and answer any of your questions. If Gleam Counseling is a good mutual fit, we'll find a time to book your first appointment, and I'll send you electronic paperwork to be completed before our first meeting. Questions? Have a look at these frequently asked questions or go ahead and reach out. I'm looking forward to meeting you!
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