Our compassionate team

Specialties:

• Attachment and relational trauma
• Infidelity and trust repair
• High-conflict couples
• LGBTQ+ relationships

Hi, I’m Dana, the founder of Healing Hearts Counseling. I started this practice in 2006 out of a lifelong passion for helping people understand and heal the emotional wounds that impact their relationships. From an early age, I was curious about why love can be so hard and how people who care deeply for each other can still end up in pain. That curiosity became my life’s work—helping couples and families build stronger, more secure connections.

After serving four years in the U.S. Army, I earned my master’s degree in Counseling in Tampa, Florida, where Healing Hearts was born. Since moving to Knoxville in 2010, I have specialized in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)—a deeply research-based and transformative model for couples and families. In 2012, I became a certified EFT Supervisor and have since had the honor of training and mentoring other therapists in this model.

As my practice grew, I began bringing on and training a team of clinicians who share my commitment to compassionate, effective, evidence-based care. In 2019, I partnered with Adam York, whose integrity, empathy, and leadership aligned perfectly with our vision. Together, we continue to grow a team dedicated to helping individuals, couples, and families heal and thrive.

At Healing Hearts Counseling, we are inclusive and affirming of all identities. I practice from a secular, evidence-based perspective that welcomes clients of all backgrounds, beliefs, and orientations. My goal is to provide a safe, respectful space for every person who walks through our doors.

Specialties include (but not limited to) Christian counseling, infidelity, men’s issues, sex/porn addiction

Hi, my name is Adam York and I am the co-owner of Healing Hearts Counseling. I graduated from Johnson University with my Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and Professional Counseling, and then completed my doctorate in 2023 at the University of Tennessee.

My life’s work is to help people connect. In addition to my work in private practice, I have worked as the clinical director and board president for Relationship Builders Knoxville trying to strengthen relationships all over Knoxville through workshops, mentoring, and supervision. In addition to working with couples, I enjoy supervising therapists seeking to work with individuals, couples, and families. I primarily work from the perspective of emotionally focused therapy, believing that emotion drives the dance between partners, and that we all crave connection and fear isolation.

I have felt the deep confusion that occurs from the pain caused by those closest to us and the deep healing that occurs in the presence of a loving and nurturing relationship. I am passionate to help couples connect, whether they are fighting everyday or struggling to talk about small things. I started to hear about Dana Vince a few years back through therapists and clients of hers. Time and time again, I heard stories of dramatic reconciliation and renewed romance in couples who many other therapists might have written off as hopeless. I continued to hear stories from both men and women of Dana really understanding them and their relationship better than anyone ever had. I reached out to consult with her and quickly discovered that she has a relentless passion for couples and for helping therapists serve them well. I had read about emotionally focused therapy in graduate school, but had not pursued advanced training until Dana had recommended it. I have been supervised or received training from some of the most prominent national leaders in couples therapy and quickly realized that right in our backyard in Knoxville, we had a therapist with every bit as keen an insight into couples relationships as I had ever experienced. She understands couples better than they understand themselves, and more importantly she deeply cares about their relationship and them as people. She is widely known as the most gifted couples therapist in town, and when she asked me to partner with her in practice, I was incredibly flattered and overjoyed at the possibility of creating a space where couples relationships are given new life. I am so excited to join with Dana and the family at Healing Hearts Counseling to help the dream that couples imagine on their wedding day to become the reality that they get to live with every day.

My wife and I have been married since 2006, and we have two boys that we adopted from birth in 2011 and 2016. Do not be surprised if you bump into me and my wife at a sports match or movie with my older son, and if you see a small child shooting basketball or swinging a golf club for an hour or more, that is my younger son, and he will not talk to you much because he is really focused on his craft. When not with our kids, my wife and I enjoy playing strategic board games, hiking, and traveling whenever we can.

Welcome to the Healing Hearts website…you are not here by coincidence. You are
here for any number of reasons: Hurt, despair, confusion, betrayal, or one of the
myriad maladies that afflict humans and our relationships.
You have come to the right place. Healing Hearts is a unique group of educated,

trained, experienced, and compassionate therapists working in the most evidence-
based model and approach: Emotionally Focused Therapy. I am proud to be one of them.
I am passionate about:
• Pre-marital and just-married counseling to help you start strong,
• Helping you strengthen or repair your existing marriage/relationship so that it is
even stronger,
• Parenting,
• Stage-of-life issues,
• Trauma,
• Addiction as it impacts relationships.

I have been married for more than 50 years. My wife and I have 3 grown children and 5 grandchildren. I have worked with couples for more than 50 years as a pastor,
conference and retreat leader, therapist in agency and private practice settings, and as a Military Family Life Counselor on 7 assignments to military bases around the world. I have been a therapist at a large prison where I daily encountered men who were the product of and themselves involved in unhealthy, even destructive relationships.

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Education, a Master’s in Counseling and Human Development, and a Ph.D. in Human Ecology/Family Studies. I have a Biblical worldview but respect other worldviews. I am an educated, experienced, licensed, and certified counselor who is a Christian, but I am not a “Christian” counselor: I don’t have a pulpit in the office. I purpose to show unconditional positive regard for all my clients and work hard to provide a safe space for you to share your struggles and experience relief and healing. I do not impose my faith or beliefs on anyone. However, if you want to explore and leverage Biblical faith, I can certainly help. I will follow your lead on the matter of faith.

We are created for connection, born to bond, and exist most fully in relationship.
Marriage is the most powerful force in the world for either healing or hurt. No one
enters a committed relationship entirely free of woundedness and in marriage those
wounds can be healed. The result is an astounding depth of self- and other awareness that liberates, heals, and empowers individuals and couples for a love never before imagined. That’s what Emotionally Focused Therapy is all about!
As a therapist, I will give you the best of my education, experience, and self to equip
you for the healing and health you crave and deserve.
There is no one without hope!

“You can’t go back and begin again, but you can start from here and make a brand-
new end.”

Specialties – communication and conflict resolution between couples, Christian counseling, addictions.

A bit about me – I’m a husband, father, and marriage therapist. My path towards working with couples began with a desire to meet people in broken places and help them find healing and restoration. It’s a desire rooted deeply in me by my Christian faith, and I pursued this call by seeking study and formation at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, MO in 2009.

After finishing my studies in counseling and theology in 2015, I quickly realized that helping couples move from distress to deeper connection was where I found the most fulfillment in my vocation. I pursued further training in the EFT model of working with couples and began my own practice focusing entirely on helping couples move out of their stuck places and into deeper, healing connection. After having our son, my wife and I decided to move closer to family, so we packed our bags, closed shop, and returned to east TN.

Little did we know that we would be moving to Knoxville a mere weeks before the Covid shutdowns. Despite that difficulty, I soon found a tribe of like-minded therapists at Healing Hearts and am so excited to be a part of this team! I truly cannot imagine a better place to continue what has become my vocational passion of working with couples.

When I’m not sitting across from you in the room, you might find me spending a weekend in the mountains with my family, chasing my son or daughter around the Zoo, or lost in a book.

I believe the most important and lasting thing most of us will do in our lives is to love well those who are closest to us, and no relationship is closer than our committed intimate relationships. They are where most of us will experience both our greatest joys and our deepest sorrows. I consider it a privilege to be able to walk alongside you and your partner for part of that journey.

Specialties include (but are not limited to): marital conflict, family dynamics, parental wounds, and racial trauma, spiritual direction/soul-care.

Hi! My name is Doug Messer. Thanks so much for your willingness to consider working with us at Healing Hearts. Whether you are an individual or a couple in the midst of a challenging season, I know how difficult it can be to even make the decision to go to a counselor. A number of years ago, I was in the same position. My personal experiences and perspective influence my therapeutic approach, and I am always grateful for the opportunity to process life with individuals and couples at various stages of life’s journey. I love helping people understand and value the dynamics of their life story in a safe, nonjudgmental environment, while also inviting them to explore new paths they would like to consider and healthier patterns they hope to establish, for themselves or as a couple.

I have over 20 years of experience in working with a wide range of people from various backgrounds and stages of life in both pastoral care and clinical counseling settings. My primary therapeutic approach is Person-Centered which is present-oriented and enables individuals and couples to realize their internal strengths and resources. I also utilize Narrative Therapy which can help clients externalize problems while realizing their ability to re-author their own story. In addition, I draw from various other therapeutic approaches as is appropriate to each client’s particular needs and goals. Understanding and utilization of various approaches allows me to work with each client in the most effective manner.

I have a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Wake Forest University. I also have a Master’s degree in Religion from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Finally, from many years ago, I received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in English from The Ohio State University.I was raised in Cincinnati, OH but have lived in Knoxville for almost 20 years. My wife and I are the parents of four children who range in age from 20 to 8. I enjoy reading, music (especially live), sports, and humor, and working on home-projects. I love the long-running British television show, Dr. Who, and find that watching the show, The Office, is a source of both self-care and “comfort food” for me. I also have a special place in my heart for the late comedian Chris Farley.

Hello, thank you so much for taking the time to visit our website. I am honored that you chose to learn more about me and why relationship counseling is a passion of mine. We are all in relationships, whether it is with a loved one, yourself, family or etc. Regardless of the type, relationships can present challenges. I hope from reading this you are encouraged to allow me to journey with you to the destination of your choosing. It would be my pleasure.

I started working in the mental health field in 2008 and a counselor since 2018. However, this is not the beginning of being in service to others. My entire life, I have enjoyed helping others, even to the point of getting in trouble for doing so. I was scolded for being too nice when trading away my toys to other kids and getting less in return; fancy that.

My mom says I have my grandmother’s heart. As a child, my grandmother would receive so many greeting cards year-round from many people all addressing her as Mother Isom. As a young boy I’d ask her, “Grand mommy, how many children do you have?” She’d reply while laughing, “It’s Grandmother and they call me mother as a term of endearment to show appreciation for the support I have offered.” She taught me God wants us to help one another and it is important to support those in the community as we are all connected. Some of those people still send her cards to this day.

Some thirty years later, I am purposed to support people in their relationships. I have experienced the divorce of my parents, being in a blended family, and marriage. I’ve even had to live with myself, and I promise I was a handful. I can testify that through counseling and the use of Emotionally Focused Therapy, you will have amazing discoveries and experience purposeful growth.

Additionally, my views of marriages and how to best support the success of couples in therapy are inspired by my Christian faith and biblical principles within the faith. While these views guide my approach, I only share these views at my clients’ discretion.

Please join our growing community here at Healing Hearts Counseling. Together, let’s restore and deepen the joy and hope in your relationships. I promise to offer a safe space for those opportunities to be grasped. You deserve it. Your family deserves it. You and your family are important to me, and I am at your service.

Warm Regards,

Mac, your friendly neighborhood counselor

Hi there. My name is Tyler Edmondson, and I recently earned my Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Carson-Newman University. As part of the program, I completed my clinical experiences at Healing Hearts; I am thrilled for the opportunity continue my work here with individuals, couples, and families.

For as long as I can remember, I have deeply valued the process of journeying closely with others into the depths of life. As an adolescent, I could often be found across from one or two other people in a coffee shop, on a hiking trail, or around a campfire, wholeheartedly engaged in vulnerable discussions about relationships, struggles, or personal development. Nearly two decades later, I realized that I was spending my personal time in much the same way, which prompted me to formalize my vocation as a helping professional.

Prior to making my career shift into counseling, I spent 17 years in the youth development field, with the majority of my experiences in day and overnight camp settings. In working with thousands of youth, families, and parents, often for just a few days at a time, I honed my ability to rapidly build rapport and relationships with people. In addition, I gained a knack and a passion for facilitating connection, growth, and healing through intensive experiences, positive risk-taking, and meaningful reflection.

While my work as a counselor does not involve leading individuals in teambuilding initiatives or outdoor expeditions as I once did, it has become clear to me that such activities are often not necessary, as everyday life offers no shortage of intense and challenging experiences. Whether you are encountering distress in your marriage, you or your partner is suffering from a mental health issue, or you are seeking assistance in making future life decisions, I would be honored to walk alongside you in your journey toward growth, transformation, and healing in yourself and deeper connections in your relationships.

In addition to my prior experience as a human services professional, my expertise comes from personal struggles with depression, anxiety, and past relationships, all of which provide me with an intimate understanding of clients’ problems and empathy for them. Also, like other clinicians at Healing Hearts, I have received professional training in Emotionally Focused Therapy, which is supported through research and greatly informs the way I approach my work with clients.

Outside of the counseling office, I am likely to be found having rich conversations with my wife, whom I married later in my life in 2017. I also enjoy any number of active, outdoor pursuits including travel, bird watching, mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, pickleball, volleyball, yard games, and sitting around a campfire playing guitar.

Welcome, my name is Leanne. I help couples and individuals alike confront hurtful patterns of behavior and create new possibilities of relating to oneself and their loved ones. I am honored to walk alongside you on this journey.

I work well with:
-Premarital or early stage couples
-Couples or Individuals navigating life transitions
-Adolescents and young adults
-LGBTQ+ couples or individuals
-Multicultural and/or Interracial couples
-Couples or Individuals impacted by ADHD

I have an MA in Counseling Psychology from Sofia University (formerly Institute of Transpersonal Psychology). I received a BA in Communication from UNC Wilmington in 2016, and worked in International Education in the city of Medellín from 2018-19. I previously interned with a residential treatment facility for children and adolescents ages 11-17 here in the Knoxville area.

I am part of the first generation of Panamanian-Americans in my family raised in the US. While I am improving my Spanish skills, I welcome couples where one or both partners speaks Spanish as their first language.

In my free time, I love listening to music too loudly, lifting weights with my husband, taking naps with our dog Riley, spending time in nature, cooking yummy meals, and exploring new cities.

Hi! I am so glad you are starting your journey toward healing through counseling at Healing Hearts. This can be a new and daunting process, but I hope that you find this place to be one of wholesome exploration. I am an avid believer that change comes through safe and secure connection. I believe that people learn and explore the world best through meaningful relationships that offer them a soft place to land in times of turmoil. Through attachment science and an Emotionally Focused Therapy lens, I work to bring couples and individuals towards one another and to connect them to their emotions in a healthy, positive way.

Over the years, I have worked in several community settings that strive to equip families, parents, and children with skills to grow and thrive in challenging circumstances. I spent the most recent years working at a local church to care and support volunteers in children’s ministry. Through my experience, I continued to be amazed at what compassion and understanding do to break down barriers and reveal vulnerabilities in us to move us towards restoration. As I continued into my internship experience during graduate school, I had the privilege of incorporating new skills like equine-assisted therapy, play therapy, and physical activity to my knowledge base in facilitating health and healing.

I now have a Master’s in Marriage and Family Counseling & Clinical Pastoral Therapy from Belmont University. I felt especially called to Marriage and Family counseling after going through my own healing process following my parents divorce. My faith is also a source of strength and comfort that led me to Pastoral Therapy. I am reminded through my Christian values and multicultural heritage that my work as a clinician serves to help and touch people in all walks and stages of life. I feel blessed to do this work in such a way that every person can find a path in the pain and peace amidst the suffering.

There is so much joy to life and I love taking full advantage of it in my free time! I enjoy roller skating, cooking new foods, exercising my faith by reading the Word, building puzzles, and going to the gym. You will find me surrounded by community and people I love whenever I get the chance.

Hi, I’m Lauren—a graduate of Johnson University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. My passion lies in creating a space where genuine, vulnerable connection can lead to deep healing and personal growth.

I believe real change happens in therapy when clients feel truly safe, seen, and respected. My approach is rooted in compassion and centered around your unique story, your strengths, and your capacity to heal. I provide honest, thoughtful guidance that helps you gain insight and take meaningful steps forward—always at your own pace.

My work is informed by neuroscience and trauma research, and I draw from a blend of evidence-based modalities, including Person-Centered Therapy (PCT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), and Existential Therapy. I also incorporate creative, experiential techniques like sand tray therapy to help clients move through emotional stuck points and make meaning of their experiences.

Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, lost, or ready for something to change, I’ll walk alongside you with both empathy and practical tools to support your journey.

Outside of the therapy room, you’ll find me spending time outdoors with my husband most likely both of us chasing after our two kiddos, working out, reading with a cup of hot tea, serving in my church community, or dreaming up my next home DIY project.

If you’re looking for a space to feel safe, empowered, and heard—I’d be honored to support you. Let’s connect.

Areas of Clinical Focus:

Relational therapy, attachment theory, spirituality, grief and loss, mindfulness, perinatal and postpartum issues, infertility, stress management, life transitions, couples, individuals and families navigating life with ADHD and couples impacted by addiction.

Welcome to Healing Hearts Counseling! Please call me Alex. We’re happy to have you here on your journey of seeking help, whether it’s related to your current relationship or family.

Previous generations relied on their family, village, or community to provide the necessary emotional, physical, and cognitive needs associated with the stressors of everyday life. However, in our current society, that community has shifted from relying on many individuals to solely relying on one: your partner or spouse. Being emotionally unattuned or disconnected from your partner can make life stressful as emotional bonds break down and create fractures in the foundation of your relationship. I can assist you in healing emotional wounds with Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy.

Currently, I am pursuing an MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Bellevue University. I am also very interested in helping couples become an effective parenting team for their children. Personally, I believe that through the application of emotionally focused therapy (EFT), if we love each other well, we will help each other parent well. I would love to help any clients seeking to understand their children and parent them well.

In our counseling sessions, I welcome all individuals, regardless of their beliefs, backgrounds, identities, or orientations. All are welcome here, and I look forward to the privilege of working alongside you in a safe and supportive learning environment.

Hello, my name is Lynne Noel and I have the privilege of being the Intake Coordinator for Healing Hearts Counseling. Reaching out to schedule an appointment can be uncomfortable and even scary, however I will make it my absolute mission to make this first step in your journey with Healing Hearts as comfortable as I can. You are in great hands and we are here to walk with you on your journey.

I appreciate you taking a moment to get to know me. I moved to Knoxville with my family in January 2020 from just outside of Boston, MA and I am loving the wonderful people and the beauty East Tennessee offers. I received my Masters in Social Work with a concentration of End of Life and Bereavement in 2009 and I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker licensed in Massachusetts since 2016. Prior to moving to Knoxville I worked as the Director of Resident Services in affordable housing for 15 years providing families, veterans, persons with disabilities, and seniors with resources to assist them in maintaining appropriate housing. In this role I also wrote and managed grants and implemented programs throughout Massachusetts that decreased the homeless population and increased equity in housing. Having this background I understand the therapeutic work occurring here and I am grateful to be in this space supporting you and the compassionate therapists.

I am passionate about equality, connecting with others, and supporting people on their journey in life. I am blessed with 2 children who keep me busy in their love for Irish Step dancing, karate, violin, theater, and school activities. I love exploring new places, taking in nature’s beauty, traveling to visit my family, and you will rarely find me without a coffee.