Meet Barb
BARB NASSER-GULCH, MA, LPC, NCC
Hello! I’m so glad you’re here.
Here is what is important to know about me.
I am someone who…
received the message growing up that I was not enough…
struggled with depression and anxiety for most of my life…
tried therapy repeatedly (it didn't help)… and
went through a painful divorce after a long marriage.
I’ve been there. This is personal for me.
My process of creating change with clients is an approach I have developed that I call the True Story Method. This therapeutic process is designed to help you move from survival mode into authentic living. Together, we’ll explore the arc of your life story, honor the pain you’ve endured, and validate the strength it took to get here. By integrating your past with your present, you’ll begin to understand yourself with compassion, release what isn’t yours to carry, and step into the freedom of owning your true story — including embracing the parts of yourself that you’ve hidden, judged, or suppressed. When you allow all of yourself to exist safely, you stop feeling fragmented between the person you show the world and the person you feel inside. Over time, you cultivate self-compassion and inner safety, creating a steady foundation that doesn’t depend on perfection or approval.
My Qualifications
I hold a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Western Michigan University and am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Michigan and Ohio as well as a National Certified Counselor. I have also completed post-graduate training as a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) and am currently training in EMDR therapy. My primary theoretical orientation is person-centered. I also draw heavily from cognitive-behavioral, relational, emotion-focused, and psychodynamic perspectives. “Trauma-informed” means that—no matter what therapeutic perspectives and interventions I employ—I remain aware that the root causes of current struggles frequently lie in painful experiences from our pasts.
With my True Story Method, clients connect the dots between past and present, and learn to stand confidently in their authentic selves.
Your story matters. You matter.
Let me help you reclaim your truth.
I became a therapist to help others heal the same issues I struggled with.
I’ve been where you are.
Here’s me at age 9.
I was an extra-sensitive, introverted kid with my nose always in a book. I was shy, anxious, and socially awkward. In my teen years, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem were my constant companions.
I tried therapy many times. It felt like my therapists were always just scratching the surface, focusing on symptoms rather than causes, and offering advice that never seemed to help.
What changed everything
Finally, when I went through a huge life crisis at the end of my 40’s, I found real healing through several amazing therapists who used trauma-focused techniques that dug deep — far below the level of my symptoms — to root out the true source of my struggles.
That experience transformed my life and ignited a passion to become a therapist who was educated and equipped to extend that hope and healing to others.
How I help today
What I hear from my clients is that therapy with me feels different than most of their previous counseling experiences. I meet my clients as equals, view them as the experts on their own lives, and offer a therapeutic relationship that is restorative, caring, accepting, and empowering.
This is my True Story Method: I really listen to you — but that’s just the beginning. We will thoroughly explore your life story to locate the source of your struggles and target them for treatment. I will establish a safe, nonjudgmental space where together we will heal the deep wounds of your past. The result is a profound sense of home within yourself. You feel grounded, secure, and at ease — not just in the image you present to others, but in your own presence. You can finally live from a place of truth, choice, and authenticity.
Own your story. Integration brings authenticity, freedom, and feeling at home in your own skin.
My values
01
Authenticity
Together, we’ll create space where you don’t have to hide who you are
02
Connection
Healing happens in safe, real relationships — with yourself and with others.
03
Self-Trust
You’ll learn to trust your own voice and decisions again.
