About the Owner
Caroline Allison
LMFT-A, (she/her)
Hi, I’m Caroline (first name Caroline, last name Allison). I’m a marriage and family therapist and a native to the Greenville area—but that’s not normally how I introduce myself. If we met outside of the therapy room (or you weren’t reading a bio on my website) you would likely notice I have a preference for black clothing and dresses. We could have a conversation about our favorite places to travel or our recent trips. I may talk about hiking with my German Shepherd or my love of long walks. I might tell you about my favorite vendors at the Saturday Farmers Market. You’d likely learn that I prefer chilly, winter months. I may tell you my favorite anecdote about being a confused southern child, raised by an English mother, and not understanding what my friends meant when they used “y’all.” But it is important to note that both personally and professionally, I love the process of getting to know people. And in my practice, unlike in my personal life, I won’t spend much time talking about myself, so, if you are interested, here are the basics.
Let’s start with my education. I completed by Bachelors degrees at College of Charleston where I earned an Honors Degree double majoring in Psychology & Religious Studies. After graduation I settled into a career in real estate. But after five years in that industry, I realized the meaningful parts of my job included connecting with my clients and learning about their lives in a deeper way. That realization sparked a desire for a career change (I wanted to feel fulfilled in my day-to-day), so I went back to school. I completed a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy through Converse University (a COAMFTE accredited program).
A Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy requires students to join with the client that walks through the door while also considering all of the client’s relationships and “systems” (cultural, religious, ethnic, or community groups, family, etc.) within which they operate. In my master’s program, I completed 63 credit hours of coursework before a 15-month practicum–during which I spent over 500 hours with clients in session and over 200 hours in supervision. The majority of my client hours were spent with relational clients (couples, families, groups, children), giving me the skills & practice to work with multiple people in the therapy room.
Now let’s fast forward. Since graduating from Converse with my Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy, I have continued my education by completing an Externship in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and I’m currently working toward completion of a 16-hour course, the first step to eventually attain my Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C).
My desire to work as a therapist and help clients navigate the hardships in their lives, comes from my longing to help and connect with people. My inclination to work with individuals and couples who have experienced loss comes from life experience. While I acknowledge a client’s therapeutic journey is not about a therapist’s personal experience, I believe it may be important for my clients to know that I have walked down a path of grief and loss, all while yearning to find someone that understood. I hope, combined with the therapeutic process, spending time in the room with someone that has been in your shoes, aids in the healing.