Helen Svoboda-Barber
Mental health therapist Durham, the Triangle, and online in NC
When life shifts in ways you didn't choose, you don't have to face it alone. I offer support through grief, illness, relationship challenges, and major life transitions.
Doctors can’t cure it? I’m here for you.
If you're carrying grief, processing trauma, or finding yourself at a crossroads you didn't expect, therapy can help you reconnect with who you are and find a clear path forward.
I work with adults across the Triangle and throughout NC using a deeply relational, experience-informed approach. Whether in person or online, we'll work at your pace.
Hi there, I’m Helen.
Whether you’re a patient, caregiver or living with relationship strain…we can work together to find meaning, balance and purpose in the life you have.
I named my private practice “Heal, Grow, Go: Wellness” because I believe we already have the seed of everything we need within ourselves. Even when bodies or traumas can not be cured and made perfect again, we all still have access to healing where we can transform brokenness into wholeness.
Our work together in therapy gently reveals what needs to be healed. During our sessions we will grow your resources, clarity, hope and courage. My clients go into their future more grounded and equipped, with empathy and understanding about where they have been – and contentment about what is to come.
I am here to support you in finding a more balanced, whole, authentic life. I believe this is available to anyone – from an academic superstar, to an exhausted parent/partner, to anyone wanting to live more authentically, and even those living with a terminal diagnosis.
I’m a mental health therapist in Durham, and available for telehealth counseling throughout North Carolina.
Therapy for when you need support
Dementia
You’re carrying the weight of memory loss -- your own or someone you love -- and it’s overwhelming.
Life Transitions
Your life has shifted (relationships, health, or career) and you’re trying to find your footing again.
Religious Trauma
You’re sorting through pain or confusion tied to faith, beliefs, or past experiences with the church.
Relationships & Parenting
You feel disconnected, overwhelmed, or like you’re not on the same page with the people closest to you.
Chronic Health Concerns
You’re living with cancer, POTS, or other health crisis, and it’s affecting how you move through daily life.
Grief & Loss
You’re grieving a death, a divorce, or a major life change and you need help living into a future you did not expect.
How therapy can help
Hold, navigate, and heal from trauma and grief
Communicate more clearly and effectively
Grieve, remember, and rebuild a life worth living
Understand how family patterns and social roles shape your relationships
Imagine a preferred future, and find the courage to take the next steps
Feel less overwhelmed by focusing on what you can actually control
About Me and My Approach
As an older therapist, many clients seek me out because of a desire to work with someone who has life experience and wisdom. A quarter century as an Episcopal Priest has given me a strong grounding in walking alongside people in great joy as well as through immense tragedy.
I've been in situations similar to many of my clients, including changing my relationship with religion, late-in-life career change, breast cancer treatment, raising a fabulous trans young adult, caring for loved ones with dementia, and grieving many types of loss—sudden, prolonged, early, relational, and ambiguous. I've invested deeply in becoming and loving my authentic self.
Postgraduate work in Bowen Family Systems has equipped me to help clients understand and move beyond generational family patterns. I’m a Fellow of Thanatology (literally, "study of death") with over 8,000 hours of experience in grief and loss. Transgender people have been a fully accepted part of my extended family since the previous century.
You can read more about me in this Voyage Raleigh article.
Training
Therapeutic Modalities
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I do not use a formula or cookie-cutter plan with my clients. Our work together is focused on your needs, wants and abilities. You have agency in your own therapy: what do you want to work on? How deep do you want to go? What’s working/what’s not? I fit the type of therapy to what will work best in the moment with you.
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Bowen Family Systems uses curiosity about emotional ties in your family tree, the family you grew up in, and your current household. It helps clients understand why they and others think and behave the way they do, and it gives people an opportunity to try small experiments in changing their behavior to find greater ease with life. I’ve worked with Bowen Family Systems for several decades and have completed a year of Postgraduate Training at the Bowen Center for the Family.
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I have the ability to sit with clients when things are not okay and they might never be okay. We can talk about what a “good death” would be like, what makes a life worth living, and how to talk with loved ones about your desires.
I am a Fellow of Thanatology (ADEC), which is an advanced certification in grief and death work. It requires 8,880 hours of work in the field along with in-depth education and completion of a certifying exam.
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I have small sandboxes and lots of figures and other items in my office. At times when clients feel stuck, we may work with the sand tray. I’ll give a prompt like, “Create the world of your marriage,” or “What is it like to be you right now?” Clients create a scene in the sand, and share as much or as little about it as they want. Time and time again, something shows up that could not have been accessed through talking and the participant leaves with a greater understanding of themselves.
Ways we can work together
Individual & Couples
Most clients begin with three weekly in-person sessions to build connections (although virtual is also possible). From there we find a rhythm that works for you, whether that's continuing weekly or transitioning to twice per month - in person or virtual as needed.
Presentations & Workshops
I offer workshops and presentations both in-person and online on topics like End-of-Life Wishes, How We Grieve, LGBTQIA 101, and Building Resilience. These sessions create space for meaningful conversation and practical tools.
Ongoing Facilitated Groups
I facilitate ongoing groups focused on grief and loss, end-of-life concerns, parenting transgender children/young adults, and more. These groups offer support, connection, and professional guidance.
Ready to connect?
Here’s what happens next
two
Meet me
A free 15-minute call to get to know each other and see if working together feels like a good fit.
three
Begin your journey
If it feels right, we'll set up your first session together. I look forward to connecting with you.
I respond to all messages within 2 business days
Helen Svoboda-Barber
484-841-4871 | helen@healgrowgowellness.com
Mental health therapist in Durham, the Triangle, and NC
FAQs
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Expect a response within 2 business day. We'll then have a brief phone consultation to see if we're a good fit. The next step is to set your first appointment. Before the appointment, you complete 30-45 minutes of intake information through a secure portal which I review before out session.
Please note that as a solo private practitioner, I do not offer emergency or crisis calls. If you are in a mental health crisis, immediately call 988 or 911 for assistance.
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I email you a link, also available on your Simple Practice Patient Portal. A few minutes before our session, click the link using your computer, tablet or phone. You will be in a virtual waiting room, and I’ll connect us at the appointed time.
Make sure you are in a location where you have privacy and feel comfortable. You may not be driving or have other people with you during our sessions. State law requires that you be physically present within North Carolina during each of our sessions.
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My office address is 1004 Broad St. Durham NC
Here’s a map.
Plan to arrive a few minutes early. Most clients park on the side street, Knox, and walk up our sidewalk by our lovely front garden.
Use the code sent to you by email to open the front door. In the waiting room, you will see a panel of light switches. Turn on the switch by my name, which will alert me that you have arrived. Feel free to make a drink, take a snack, or use the restroom. I will come to the lobby to get you and we'll go to my office.
This will be how each session begins.
Please let me know ahead of time if you have mobility issues or need any accommodations.
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Our first appointment will be focused on settling in. We will talk about what you can expect from me as your therapist. You can ask any questions you have. I will ask you about what brought you to therapy, your past and your relationships, your hopes/goals, and about things that have been helpful or not in the past. Many first sessions include a little bit of goal-setting and/or a mindfulness practice or a moment of solution-focused brief therapy.
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It really depends on your goals for therapy and life circumstances. Within 2-3 sessions, you should have a sense of whether we’re a fit. If something is not quite right, I am happy to do what I can to help you find another therapist. (Really, it’s OK!)
Most clients have weekly sessions, while some schedule every other week. During particular times of stress, a few clients will choose to have twice-weekly sessions for a season. Some clients like to continue with long-term monthly check-ins even after they feel more grounded and balanced.
If you come to therapy to work on one specific issue, 8-12 sessions may be sufficient. If you want to work on longer-term goals or a series of issues, you may want to continue therapy for months or years. Several times per year, we will review your goals and desires to ensure that therapy is still important and helpful in your life.
Please note that I also lead retreats and take generous time off to ensure my own health and vitality. We will likely have short breaks throughout our time together.
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My 2026 rates are $160 for a 50-minute individual or couple session. If needed, a 75-minute session is $250. You will provide credit card information on your intake forms, and will be automatically charged after each session. Sessions canceled with less than 24 hours notice will be charged at full price.
Unless otherwise noted, my rates increase by $10 per year on January 1st of each year.
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No. I am not in-network with any providers. Clients pay out of pocket which allows for greater privacy and flexibility.
When using insurance, therapists must diagnose clients with a mental health code that is deemed “medically necessary" in order for insurance to cover sessions. These diagnoses become part of the client’s permanent medical record. My practice is grounded in wellness and the belief that what we need is here. Forcing every client to have a permanent diagnosis of significant impairment does not match my values system and is not how I work. At Heal, Grow, Go Wellness, the people who manage your care and healing will be you and me.
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The degree that allows me to practice therapy is my Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling which I earned at North Carolina Central University. I also have a double BA in Psychology and Human Development (honors) from the University of Kansas, a Masters of Divinity from Seminary of the Southwest, and a Doctor of Ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
I hold LCMHCA license number 19779A from the North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors and NCC certification number 1730643 from the National Board for Certified Counselors.
I am (as you might have guessed) a “lifelong learner” and I enjoy taking part in continuing education as much as possible. I am a Fellow of Thanatology with the Association of Death Educators and Counselors. I have done a year’s postgraduate work with the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family. My SAFE EMDR training comes from the Personal Transformation Institute. I gained deeper understanding of Sand Tray work from the Integrated Sand Tray Therapy Training Institute. And I regularly engage in short- and long-form learning in a variety of mediums.
Looking for something a little different?
If you're interested in clergy or leadership coaching, visit me at CardboardDogCoaching. For clergy work or consulting, you can find me at HelenSvobodaBarber.org.
“Hope is not the thing with feathers
That comes home to roost
When you need it most…
It’s the gritty, nasty little carrier of such
diseases as
optimism, persistence,
Perseverance and joy,
Transmissible as it drags its tail across your path
and bites you in the ass…”
Caitlin Sedia
(excerpt from Hope is Not a Bird, Emily, It’s a Sewer Rat)
