Summer Willingham is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) with experience working with children, adolescents, young adults, and their families. She obtained a Bachelor’s in World Language Education prior to completing her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling both from the University of Georgia. Her professional experience includes both teaching and psychotherapy.  

Summer has worked with clients seeking treatment for a variety of presenting concerns including anxiety, mood disorders, trauma, and eating disorders. She has experience working in a variety of clinical settings and levels of care. Before joining NCFW, she completed her clinical internship in a children’s advocacy center, where she provided trauma-focused therapy to children and adolescents. She then worked in a school-based setting providing outpatient therapy for students in both an elementary and high school. Next, she transitioned to an eating disorder treatment center where she worked with children and young adults in inpatient, residential, and partial hospitalization levels of care. She provided individual and family therapy for clients with a primary eating disorder diagnosis along with other co-occurring concerns.  

In therapy, Summer utilizes a variety of evidence-based treatment modalities including dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), family-based treatment (FBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT). She uses a strengths-based, collaborative approach to tailor treatment to what best fits a person’s specific needs and goals. She believes that meaningful change often involves more than an individual and works to incorporate support systems into treatment when appropriate. 

Summer is a member of NCFWC’s Eating Disorders Team and its DBT for Adolescents Team. She is also able to provide therapeutic services in Spanish.