Candace Tompkins, LMHC

Candace Tompkins is a Florida licensed mental health counselor with 15 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and grief. She supports clients who are struggling with low self-esteem, motivation, compassion fatigue, and addiction-related concerns. Her approach is respectful and straightforward, focused on what the person needs right now.

Candace emphasizes a collaborative, person-centered style. She listens first, then tailors conversations and plans to match each person's goals and situation. Sessions aim to build practical skills for coping, managing strong emotions, and improving day-to-day functioning.

She blends evidence-based techniques such as cognitive behavioral strategies and mindfulness with skills from dialectical behavior therapy and motivational interviewing. That combination helps people change unhelpful thinking, manage intense feelings, and find motivation to try new behaviors.

Candace also brings attention to relational and life-context issues like attachment patterns, communication difficulties, and caregiver stress. She works with concerns related to chronic illness, fertility, end-of-life questions, and relationship hurts such as infidelity or separation.

The first steps typically include talking about what matters most to the client and setting achievable goals. Candace focuses on clear, manageable steps and steady progress. She encourages people to take the small actions that lead to real change.

Approaches you can expect and how online work fits

Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing small behavior changes to reduce symptoms like anxiety and depression. It teaches concrete tools for shifting thinking and breaking problematic patterns.

Dialectical behavior therapy provides practical skills for managing intense emotions, improving distress tolerance, and strengthening interpersonal effectiveness. It is useful when feelings feel overwhelming or impulsive reactions cause problems.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will discuss your goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked before, and then recommend methods to try together. Decisions are made collaboratively and can change as progress is made.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the specific session formats before booking since they are not listed here. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. Some clients find video helpful for face-to-face conversation, while others prefer phone for lower bandwidth or a quicker session. Ask about the available formats to pick what suits your daily routine and needs.