I’m Jessica Wheatley, a Licensed Professional Counselor at The Banyan Tree Center in Athens, Georgia. I work with teens ages 16 and up and adults of all ages navigating anxiety, depression, grief, and life transitions. I see clients in person in Athens and via telehealth across Georgia.

In college, a good friend pointed out that people came to me when they wanted to talk. Sometimes it was something deep, other times it wasn’t. But they felt I was good at listening without judging. That observation stuck with me and became a career I’ve enjoyed for the past 20 years.

I spent years working in outpatient mental health clinics and in-home counseling services, which meant I worked with a wide range of people and situations before I ever set foot in private practice. I moved into private practice in 2017 because I wanted to go deeper with clients, spend more time with each person, and do the kind of focused work that is harder to do in a high-volume setting.

I believe our thought patterns shape our behavior, and a lot of our work together involves looking honestly at how you think. My approach combines compassion with practicality. I am genuinely curious about others and strive to be non-judgmental. I am direct, honest, and enjoy using humor in sessions.

“Making that call and showing up for the first time is the hardest part. Everything after that we do together.”

Background and Credentials

• Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), State of Georgia
• MS in Clinical Psychology and Counseling
• BS in Psychology
• Additional training in complicated and prolonged grief
• 20+ years of clinical experience
• Background in outpatient mental health clinics and in-home counseling services
• Private practice since 2017

How I Work

• In person · The Banyan Tree Center, Athens GA
• Telehealth across Georgia
• Ages 16+
• LGBTQ+ ally

Approach: CBT · DBT · ACT · IFS informed · Adlerian · Person-centered · Grief specialized · Eclectic integrative

What I Specialize In

Grief and Loss in Athens, GA

Who I work with: It doesn’t matter if it’s grief over a person, a pet, or something else that mattered deeply to you. Loss is loss, and it affects all of us at some point. Grief can feel lonely, like nobody around you really gets it or knows what to say. A lot of people feel pressure to move on before they are ready.

What we do together: I want to hear about your person, your pet, your relationship with them. Tell me everything. It is important to name the loss and talk about it out loud. Grief doesn’t have to be isolating. It is my honor to sit in that with you for as long as you need.

Anxiety

Who I work with: Anxiety is incredibly common, but when it starts running your life, keeping you up at night, or making everyday things feel impossible, that is when it helps to have someone in your corner. A lot of people have been managing it alone for years before they reach out. You do not have to keep doing that.

What we do together: I have spent decades working with people who have anxiety disorders. Together we find a way to manage it so it doesn’t feel so all-consuming. The only people who don’t have anxiety are dead, so we won’t be able to get rid of it all, but we can find ways to make it more manageable.

Depression

Who I work with: Depression is a lonely, scary place to be. It can feel like no one cares or could possibly understand what you are going through. Sometimes it makes even the smallest things feel impossible. A lot of people sit quietly with it for a long time before they tell anyone, because it is hard to explain and even harder to ask for help.

What we do together: I care, and I will listen. We start there. Depression looks different for everyone, so there is no one size fits all script for how we work on it. What I can tell you is that you do not have to sit in it alone anymore, and you do not have to arrive with the right words. We figure it out together from wherever you are.

Life Transitions

Who I work with: Divorce. Empty nest. Job changes. Midlife. Retirement. Entering the workforce. Change is hard even when it is the right thing. Some days a transition can feel like the best decision you ever made. Other days it can feel like grief. Both of those things can be true at the same time, and that is completely normal.

What we do together: I would love to help you navigate through this time without losing yourself in the process. We figure out what is coming up for you emotionally, what you need right now, and how to stay grounded in who you are while everything around you is shifting.

A Few Things I Want You to Know

Before your first session: I hope we are a good fit, but if we are not, we can find someone who is. I never want anyone to feel stuck with a therapist who is not right for them. Finding someone you can trust and actually vibe with matters more than anything else.

Something I wish more people knew: The first session is almost always scary. It is a little absurd when you think about it, asking someone to open up and share the deepest parts of themselves to a person they have never met. But making that call and showing up for the first time is genuinely the hardest part. Everything after that we do together.

Who I do my best work with: People who are funny, sarcastic, and real. If you are willing to show up as yourself and say what you actually think, we are going to get along just fine.

My goal for every session: I want therapy to be something you actually look forward to. That might sound strange if you have never felt that way about it before, but it is possible, and it is what I am working toward with every client I see.