Mental Health Therapy for your Individual & Relational Health

Christopher ‘CJ’ Backer LMFT

Creating emotive wellness is centered around creating lasting change, sometimes through small 1% shifts at a time. It is about more than just relieving symptoms you may be experiencing; it is about connecting internally to a part of yourself that may feel very distant or lost. We accomplish this by providing a space in which you feel seen and heard completely, without the pretense of having to have it all figured out. Instead of you having to be everything to everyone, we start looking at what it would look like to move with that same purpose toward yourself.

We each develop behaviors to navigate life’s challenges. Some help us feel comfortable or seen, maybe important, while others may have been developed to keep us alive at one time or another. Circumstances will change, yet behaviors struggle to adjust. What has succeeded in one setting may fail in another, and what has worked before may not serve us in the future. In this way, I view behaviors as communication. My goal in working with a client is to help them see the difference and meet it with curiosity.

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  • My Therapeutic Approach

    My approach is both person-centered and evidence-based. I draw on practices like CBT, DBT, and motivational interviewing to support clients in navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, and major life transitions. The core of our work is a collaborative process of gaining self-awareness and developing the skills needed to regulate your emotions, challenge unhelpful thought patterns, and make choices that align with your truest self.

  • My Intention in Session

    To hold space for you to be fully human without judgment, without pressure.

    To reflect, clarify, and help you find what’s real.

    To assist you in taking small, meaningful steps toward what you desire to bring into your life.

Mental Health Therapy Specialties

  • A man in a navy hoodie sitting and talking in a therapy session, with a glass of water and tissue box on a side table nearby.

    Individual

    We focus on working with Anxiety, Depression, grief, faith based, life transitions, mens as well as womens issues. It is our mission to provide a space where you will feel seen, heard and accepted beyond the mask you carry.

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  • A man and woman sitting closely on a couch, gazing at each other, with the woman touching the man's arm in a living room with a lamp and window in the background.

    Relationship

    We work to build upon that spark that has drawn you to one another, or in many cases to reignite it. We work with couples seeking therapy, premarital counseling, Marriage counseling as well as end of relationship counseling.

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  • A group of four people sitting in a therapy session or support group, engaged in conversation in a cozy, well-lit office.

    Family

    We work with families to move beyond behavioral patterns that have existed for years that no longer work to build a stronger, cohesive place in which the individual can find sanctuary. We work with families in all shapes and sizes.

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Making Therapy More Accessible

To make therapy more attainable, we have partnered with several platforms to make for billing and insurance credentialing to allow us to increase access to services for everyone. This allows you to easily use your insurance benefits and connect with our practice. You can use the links below to verify your coverage and learn more. We are adding new insurance plans each week.

Get Started Today

BCBS
AETNA
Cigna
United Health Care
Carelon
Oscar
Medicare
AMbetter
Humana Medicare
Oxford
Florida Blue

Insurances currently Accepted

  • Logos of Blue Cross, Blue Shield, and a medical cross symbol on a black background.
  • Logo for Cigna featuring a stylized tree with green leaves, an orange circle, and blue abstract human figures, with the text 'Cigna' in blue.
  • United Healthcare logo with a stylized blue and green emblem to the left of the company name.
  • Florida Blue logo with health symbols and the slogan "Your Health Solutions Partner" on a blue background.
  • Purple heart symbol followed by the purple text 'aetna'.
  • Logo with interconnected shapes and the word "caredon" in purple letters.
  • A circular logo with a purple background featuring the text 'ambetter HEALTH' in black, with 'HEALTH' in uppercase and smaller font, and a small 'TM' symbol to the bottom right.
  • Humana logo with green text on a black background
  • Medicare logo with stylized abstract profiles of human faces and the words 'Department of Health & Human Services - USA' encircling the graphic.
  • The word 'oscar' written in lowercase blue letters.
  • Oxford Health Plans logo with a blue geometric emblem and black text
Adding new insurances weekly, find yours here

What to expect in your first session.

To feel seen, heard, and understood. In our work together, we won’t just examine what’s painful or unresolved we’ll also bring to the forefront what has sustained you, what brings you meaning, and the moments of joy that can go unnoticed. These are the threads we’ll follow to help you reconnect with a deeper sense of self and possibility.

Sessions are currently offered virtually to ensure greater accessibility throughout the state of Florida. I invite you to schedule a free 15-minute consultation a space to get a sense of how I work, and to begin clarifying what you hope to cultivate through this process.

Learn More Here

Schedule Your Consultation today

Ready to Begin?

We’re Here When You’re Ready

We understand starting therapy can feel intimidating, especially when anxiety is already loud. Not knowing what to expect can make reaching out feel even harder. That’s why we aim to make the process simple, supportive, and human from the very beginning.

From your first message to your ongoing sessions, you can expect care, clarity, and respect for your pace.

What the Process Looks Like

Schedule a complementary consultation, typically we will reach out within 24 hours of scheduling to touch base regardless. Most times we can accommodate same day consultations and scheduling complete session within 24 hours.

Step 1: Scheduling

Connect your insurance with our verification platforms to ensure the proper utilization of your benefits.

Step 2: Verify Insurance

We stack small changes, even 1% at a time to build up and create lasting change that will carry us the rest of our lives.

Step 3: Be ready for change

Lets Begin

Notes

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When I present a diagnosis to a client, I do it with hesitation. Honestly, I often pause before I say the words out loud. I know how heavy they can land. Sometimes a client hears it and their shoulders drop in relief—“That… that’s what’s wrong with me.” Other times, it’s like watching a curtain fall over their face “Oh no… that’s what’s wrong with me.”

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What brings people to therapy?
What brings people to therapy?

What brings people to therapy?
 That is an excellent question, and one I work to answer each time I meet a new client.

The first thing I assess is how someone views therapy, as this often reveals how aligned or close they are to change. For many, there is a belief that something must be “wrong” with them, or that they are broken.

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Reflections on identity, healing, and the stories we carry

See All Notes