About Zelma
Zelma Higgs helps people facing anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, parenting challenges, and LGBTQ concerns. She also supports those dealing with grief, trauma and abuse, stress, bipolar symptoms, and major life changes. Zelma names compassion fatigue, ADHD, and career worries among areas she addresses.
She is identified as an LCMHC and an LPC and brings seven years of professional experience. In sessions she aims to make the room feel open and nonjudgmental.
How Zelma works
She encourages people to talk about what matters most to them. Conversations focus on practical steps and small changes that fit everyday life. Zelma draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques to help clients build coping skills.
She tailors her approach to each person's needs and goals rather than using a one-size-fits-all plan. That can mean working on communication skills, managing intense emotions, or rebuilding confidence after loss. She welcomes discussion of sensitive topics such as intimacy, attachment concerns, kink and alternative sex culture, blended family dynamics, aging issues, and caregiver stress.
Zelma also supports people facing chronic illness, chronic pain, first-responder stress, and the emotional fallout of natural or human-caused disasters. Her work style is collaborative and down-to-earth. She talks through next steps with clients and helps them decide what to try between sessions.
People who prefer steady, practical guidance may find her approach helpful.
What Zelma works with
The areas below are the ones Zelma selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- LGBT
- Intimacy-related issues
- Parenting issues
Also listed
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Registers | LCMHC, LPC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 7 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | North Carolina |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How therapeutic approaches work online
Zelma uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on practical skills and emotional understanding. One common approach helps people learn concrete coping strategies for anxiety, stress, and mood swings by teaching breathing, grounding, and behavior changes that can be practiced between sessions. Another approach centers on improving communication and intimacy by teaching clear expression of needs, boundary-setting, and ways to repair conflicts in relationships.Finding the right approach is part of the work. She will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals, symptoms, and preferences. Together they review what helps and adjust the plan over time so sessions feel useful and on target.
Online therapy is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to make care more flexible. Video calls allow face-to-face connection when visual cues matter, phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be easier on the go, live chat supports shorter check-ins, and text messaging provides ongoing check-ins and brief coaching between appointments. These options help people fit therapy into busy lives and maintain momentum between sessions.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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