About The Journey Center

JJ Knodel

LCSW, Psychotherapist, Trauma Specialist

I’ve been serving in the helping field since 1999, working with adults who suffer from mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, trauma, and those facing life changing medical conditions. Through compassion and a holistic perspective I invite my clients to seek to understand how they go about trying to meet their needs for safety, support, expression, understanding, worth, and connection with others. Many times our intentions are not having the impact we desire.  And frustrated, we either give up or repeat the same actions while hoping for a different outcome.  Assisting you in compassionate self study can help to deepen awareness of the interconnectedness of your experience of bodily sensations, internal images, feelings, thoughts, and belief systems.  Self-awareness enables us to navigate ourselves and relationships in a more informed manner.  This permits our strengths and positive intentions to have the impact we desire within ourselves, relationships, and the society we live in.  My approach is influenced by the frameworks of Hakomi-Mindfulness-Based Experiential Psychotherapy, Somatic Experiencing, Gestalt, and Existentialism. After working in Asheville for over a decade, I’m happy to experience the change of pace in East Tennessee and bring mindfulness practices to this side of the mountain.

Cristin Patterson

LPC-MHSP, Child & Adolescent Counselor

I have been working with children and adolescents since I graduated with my Masters of Arts in Counseling from East Tennessee State University in 2011. I have experience in both the school and clinical setting.
My therapy approach is based on empathy, genuineness, unconditional positive regard, and acceptance. I believe change can occur in a person when they are able to show compassion to themselves, to others, and to their situation. I seek to empower individuals to become their most authentic self.
I work with teenagers and adults who are struggling to truly love themselves based on a certain situation, relationship, or upbringing. Sometimes we need reminders of how great we are.
I also work with school aged children. I primarily see kids who are struggling with a parents’ divorce, new blended family, or anxiety issues. ​​
Being a licensed counselor and helping kids has always felt more like a calling than a job. I love my work, especially my work with children and adolescents! I greatly enjoy continuing to learn and grow in the field, and I am currently training to become a Registered Play Therapist. Being in The Journey Center office brings me peace and it is a place I feel supported and cared for. I hope all who walk through our door feel this too. The other joys in my life are my husband, our two dogs, and the adventures we have together!

Connie Simpson

LPC-MHSP, Individual & Couples Counseling

I am a therapist because so many of us are suffering, struggling, maybe gasping for air…alone. Healing happens in the context of community and relationship and I consider it an honor to be a part of another human being’s healing. In over two decades of counseling, I have learned that I never stop learning—about people, about healing, about what is helpful and what is not. I approach every session from a position of respect and curiosity. I realize that making the step to come to counseling often comes with feelings of vulnerability and that I am being invited to do sacred work.

I understand how our culture pressures us to do more, be more, and accomplish a never ending list of tasks, leading us to feel that there’s no way we can catch up, measure up, or be good enough. My offering as a counselor is to walk alongside children, adolescents, and adults living with symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, post-partum issues, infertility, parenting, and family challenges in a quest for hope and healing.

In the therapeutic relationship, I seek first to make a connection by learning about your experience and life—not just by hearing—but by intentionally listening to who you are and about your vision for your life. I do this by being open and getting to know you. I then explore with you possibilities for reaching
your fullest potential. And always, I encourage you, your strengths, and your innate resilience to move toward spiritual, emotional, and psychological health.

Sybil Smith

LPCS, MT-BC, FAMI, Psychotherapist

I’ve been in the helping field since 2004, and a supervisor since 2013. I work primarily with adults and couples with mental health issues including relationship strain, life transitions, anxiety, trauma, and disordered eating. My approach is eclectic, tailored to each clients’ needs, and draws from mindfulness, expressive arts, creativity, gestalt, and trauma-informed models. I feel honored to walk with people through the hard work of healing from a hard past. It’s my mission to make healing from the hard parts of life a joyful journey.

Khia Hudgins-Smith

M.S. Marriage and Family Counselor

I have a passion for helping others to build healthy connections, whether that is within themselves as individuals or within a couple or family dynamic. My theoretical approach utilizes theories of mindfulness, emotional-focused therapy, experiential therapy, and CBT, specifically rational-emotive behavioral therapy. I graduated from East Tennessee State University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice and have spent the last five years working as a mentor and academic coach with at-risk youth in Johnson City. My goal is to use my degree in marriage, family, and couples counseling  from Walden University to become a social change agent to meet the needs of our ever-changing society. A core value that I have is the celebration of diversity, which is also a primary focus of the Journey Center of Healing Arts. It indeed is a safe space for all who enter, and I am thrilled to complete my master’s degree in marriage, couple, and family counseling at a practice dedicated and driven to improve the quality of mental health services in our community.

Jordan Lovetere, B.A.

Children and Adolescent Counselor Intern

My therapeutic approach starts with meeting people where they are in their journey through life. I believe in nourishing the inner child within all of us with empathy and kindness. People are the experts of their own lives and I am simply someone to help facilitate the change they wish to implement for themselves. I work with school aged children and adolescents to empower them in understanding and accepting themselves and their changing emotions throughout life’s transitions. Movement is a universal language and through gentle curiosity and unconditional positive regard everyone has the ability to grow and thrive.

Maggie Kapitan, M.S.

Marriage and Family Therapist

Every person enters therapy with their own powerful and personal story, but we all share the ups and downs that come with the human experience. My work with individuals, couples, and families focuses on each person’s unique story to build a better understanding of chapters past, and to work together to create their desired path going forward. I work with clients not only on improving relationships with others, but on building a bond with themselves that is rooted in self-compassion. I am passionate about providing inclusive therapy build on a foundation of acceptance and compassion.

I graduated with my M.S. in marriage and family therapy, and am currently working as a marriage and family therapist. I am a level 2 Gottman Certified therapist and a Prepare/Enrich facilitator for work with couples. I work with couples, families, and individuals to improve relationships, communication, coping skills, and increase self-compassion.

The first step to creating change in our lives takes courage. It is my hope to provide the space for you to explore your story, emotions, relationships, and experiences in a way that will challenge you to grow and develop new ways of understanding who you are and what you want and need in your life going forward.

Caitlin Helton, M.S.

Couples and Individual Therapist

“We don’t have to do all of it alone. We were never meant to.” – Brené Brown

I believe we have all been created for connection. Occasionally, it can be strained, damaged, or lost. Whether it is shame, loss, or disconnection, we all go through moments where it can seem unbearable to continue the journey. In these moments, we all are faced with the choice to reach out to others, reach within ourselves, or stay in place. My wish to all in life is to show up with each other and with ourselves because that is where I have found the greatest source of restoration. I entered into the field of counseling as a way of passing on the compassion, empathy, and patience that was so graciously passed on to me over the years in my most unbearable moments. I pursued a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Mercer University School of Medicine because people do not exist inside a vacuum. We wear many hats in our daily lives such as mother, father, sister, brother, friend, spouse, etc. Balancing these roles and adjusting to new life events requires a careful viewpoint that accommodates our multifaceted life. Working with families, couples, and individuals I have guided clients through difficulties with anxiety, depression, life transitions, and loss. I have walked with people through death, divorce, illness, and trauma. I have found that being with others through pain is often the fastest way to restore life and hope. I believe everyone has the power within themselves to create change — sometimes it is just hard to get started.

Devorah Daught, B.A.

Counseling Intern

I truly believe that we are not meant to make it through life on our own and that we all need some extra empathy and support at various points in our lives. I am passionate about creating a kinder world by offering a safe space for healing, self-exploration, and guidance. My hope is that clients will feel seen, heard, accepted, supported, and empowered through our relationship. It is an honor for me to be able to support you on your unique journey!

I practice as a Student Intern at The Journey Center for Healing Arts with a focus on adolescents and adults. I approach therapy from a holistic perspective and have a special interest in the connection between the mind and body and the power of emotion. I recognize that some things are easier to process and communicate through the body and other expressive means, and I offer these outlets in addition to more traditional talk-based therapy. My work draws upon experiential, emotion focused, narrative, body centered, mindfulness, expressive arts, and dance/movement therapies.

I graduated from East Tennessee State University with a BA in Psychology. I am currently pursuing my MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at ETSU. In addition, I hold RYT-200 Yoga Instructor Certification through Yoga Alliance.