About Me

Torey C. Richards, LMHC

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About Torey

Hello, and welcome. I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Qualified Supervisor, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, writer, and longtime student of human behavior.

For nearly two decades, my career has allowed me to sit with people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. I’ve worked in substance abuse treatment, psychiatric crisis care, schools, corrections, private practice, and hospital-based mental health. Those experiences have shaped not only the therapist I’ve become, but also the way I think and write about psychology.

I earned my B.A. in Psychology from the University of Central Florida in 2002 and my M.S. in Counseling and Psychology from Troy State University in 2007. I have been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida since 2012 and am also a Qualified Supervisor for Registered Mental Health Counselor Interns.

My Professional Journey

My career began in behavioral health settings where I worked with individuals experiencing substance use disorders, psychiatric crises, anxiety, depression, anger, and other emotional and behavioral challenges. I later worked as a school counselor, supporting adolescents navigating the complicated intersection of mental health, family, relationships, identity, academics, and growing up.

From 2013 to 2020, I served as Director of Mental Health at a county jail. That experience gave me a unique perspective on trauma, substance use, severe mental illness, personality, human behavior, and the complicated relationship between mental health and the criminal justice system.

Today, I also work in a Level I Trauma Center, providing counseling and psychological support to patients and families facing traumatic injuries, serious illness, disability, loss, and sudden changes in the lives they thought they were going to have.

Working with people during these moments has reinforced something I believe deeply: mental health isn’t separate from everyday life.

It shows up in our marriages, our parenting, our friendships, our bodies, our careers, our confidence, our loneliness, and even in the stories we tell ourselves about who we are.

That’s much of what I explore here.

My Approach to Therapy

My approach is warm, practical, reflective, and collaborative. I draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing, existential approaches, mindfulness, positive psychology, and other evidence-informed interventions depending on the person sitting across from me.

I’m particularly interested in anxiety and overthinking, depression, trauma, men’s emotional health, relationships, fatherhood, identity, loneliness, and helping people navigate difficult seasons of life.

I don’t believe therapy is simply about identifying what’s wrong. Good therapy should also help us understand ourselves more clearly, recognize patterns that are keeping us stuck, develop healthier ways of responding to life, and begin making meaningful changes.

Work With Me

In addition to my hospital-based work and writing, I am the founder of Richards Counseling & Consulting, where I provide individual psychotherapy through telehealth to adults throughout Florida.

My practice is especially suited for people dealing with anxiety and overthinking, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties, life transitions, and feeling emotionally stuck. I also have a particular interest in working with men and fathers who may be accustomed to carrying responsibilities for everyone else while rarely having a place to talk openly about what they’re carrying themselves.

Therapy is currently offered virtually, making it possible to meet privately from home or another appropriate location anywhere in Florida.

If you’re a Florida resident interested in working with me, I invite you to visit my Psychology Today profile to learn more about my practice, insurance options, availability, and how to schedule an appointment.

Beyond the Therapy Room

Psychology is an important part of my life, but it isn’t my entire life.

I’m a father, writer, reader, artist, and longtime fitness enthusiast. I’m also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, and you’ll regularly find me on the mats trying to solve the never-ending puzzle that is grappling. I enjoy fiction and nonfiction, philosophy, psychology, writing, photography, art, fitness, and exploring the questions that don’t always have simple answers, particularly questions about relationships, identity, purpose, resilience, and why human beings do the things we do.

Those interests inevitably find their way into my writing.

Why I Write

This blog is where the therapist, writer, father, and endlessly curious student of human behavior in me get to meet.

Some posts explore psychological research. Others discuss relationships, parenting, mental health, trauma, loneliness, motivation, or observations from everyday life. Occasionally, I simply write about something that made me stop and think.

My goal isn’t to have all the answers.

It’s to create thoughtful conversations about what it means to be human, and hopefully leave you with something useful to think about after you’ve finished reading.

Thanks for being here.

-Torey R., LMHC, QS

29 thoughts on “About Me”

  1. I was wondering , since you work with kids, what you could tell me about Pediatric Bipolar Disorder NOS.Can you write about this? I am sorry to invade on your inspirations for your articals. I am just new to this and looking for any help I can get. Mostly about how to deal with behaviors with a child like this.

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      1. Awesome thank you very much, is there a way I could email you some questions? I want to pick your brain on working with adolescent’s and substance abuse, self harm and depression.

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  4. just wanted to say from what i’ve read so far, i appreciate the thought and care that you obviously put into what you are writing. i also imagine that it takes a lot of shoring up in your personal life to continue to be effective and encouraged in the work that you do. but i also imagine that you have an incredible opportunity to make a difference in the lives that you encounter. i have a must be god-given love of teenagers though i’ve only worked with them in a church ministry capacity, and in a world where what they face seems so much harder and sooner than in my own past, i take every opportunity i can to love on them a little.

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    1. Thank you and thank you for what you do as well! Trust me, in ministry, in any capacity these kids can be shown love, compassion and guidance, they appreciate it and will benefit and grow from it. Some of the best therapy I have ever done has come in the form of general conversation, listening, removing professional boundaries and just being there for them. It doesn’t take a degree to do that, but the type of heart and compassion you are talking about and obviously have.

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      1. i hope so. and i’m sorry i didn’t see your name to use it. but maybe you need a level of anonymity. i appreciate your encouragement. my dad just celebrated his 70th and so many of the men who were teens when he was a young adult remembered most his willingness to have a real conversation with them and value their input and opinions, even as kids. i was struck by that. i grew up with parents who welcomed a host of young people with a beautiful combo of personal boundaries and acceptance. a tremendous ability to love the person without condoning negative behavior. anyway, i’m going on, but again.i appreciate the encouragement! 🙂 -kris

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      1. It is my pleasure. I think it’s up to us to reward, even if it is a mere thank you, to those like you, who serve society. Your work is most certainly important and definitely appreciated. Keep up the good work.

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  8. Pingback: Children, Teens and Colorism | The Intraracial Colorism Project, Inc.
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  12. I am not a health care professional, but came across this and am in desperate need to find a book or resource that can help me live and deal with a spouse that fits this description. Thank you so much.

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  15. Hello,
    I recently commented on a blog you did in 2013 on teenagers dating older men. I left my full name when posting which was not very smart. Is there a way to edit my last name off the post. Please let me know.
    Thank you,
    Ingrid
    pogo2017

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  16. I always wanted to be a mom from age 14 for sure 100%. Sadly I will probably never have my own children but never let that keep my hopes down. Even after 2 miscarriages & an ectopic pregnancy that nearly killed me. When I met my soulmate who had an ex wife & 3 boys, we spoke a good deal over the kind of relationship I would have in their lives. I loved them fully before I met them. But his ex made even talking or seeing them a rare thing.
    After only a few visits & the odd calls, we thought we finally had our prayers answered when the middle boy who looks identical to my hubby asked to come live with us! There is so much more to our sad story but for time & safety sake, must condense it. For our lives would never be the same after G came to stay with us at 11 years old. He’s now 15.
    The 1st year we were pretty clueless what was going on. He seemed so sweet, a chubby overweight boy with one dimple & a mom who tried more than once to leave him with my hubby never to see again but he refused to separate the brothers as he had been when he was put into foster care. We listened in horror to unbelievable stories of abuse, neglect, & worse. But something always seemed off about his reactions. I was raped at 9, molested from 11-13, discovered the body of a dead teen girl & been abused physically & mentally most my life. I am not unfazed, but will not pass on the abuse nor put up with it. I use it to make me stronger not more heartless. I couldn’t figure out what was off about this boy but would find out all too soon.
    Short story short, he was NOT what he even remotely seemed to be.
    In the entire time he’s lived with us, he has not shown one true good attribute. No joke. He is selfish, heartless, cruel, manipulative, deceiving, & even admitted to me he feels empty inside. No feelings of remorse or guilt at all.
    In the time he’s lived with us we went from happy to miserable and depressed, were happier homeless away from him than with him in home with all the comforts. He’s purposefully caused the death of 2 almost 3 couple of week old kittens we saved when we found mom cat dead. He asked to help with the nightly feedings and pottyings then starved and tormented them. No remorse. Bullies little children. Plays with small kids than those his age. He’s gotten my whole family to think I’m crazy, a evil stepmother, not one will treat me with the love and trust as before. Destroyed my longest friendship with my once music teacher, then friend. She was attempting to get legal custody from us while he lived with them after we lost our home and housing but soon she text me freaked out saying I was right on about him and fearing her girls safety. Both had to go to ER plus one was kept there for 4 days after the stress he put on their already ill bodies.
    He plays the neighbors everywhere we go so we are hated by all, even kids but have done nothing. Even have taken him to the crisis center with his journal with very disturbing stuff in it but they said were to blame. Never looked at the journal. He destroys all we love. Sentimental items, pets, relationships. Find knives on our bed, under his bed and pillows. Recently he started putting nails and screws in our tires and loosened all the bolts on one. Smiled at me and said yeah I know like he did good deed when after a bad surgery I was soo stressed and ill I asked him if he knew he was killing me. He’s accused us of abuse too many times but the case was closed officially for zero sign of abuse. They questioned him at school and he told them we didn’t abuse him. He uses the sympathy to get things. Uses us for slaves and maids. No joke.
    Told husband he got in trouble just because he overheard some kids talking about their feelings of depression and suicidal feelings and asked them why they just don’t do it then. He feels he was wronged and said nothing bad.
    There is more but I’m literally afraid of my son. Love him but he is incapable of live. Only hate anger and spite. Give me what I want and let me do as I want or pay.
    No one will listen to us and every time we try to get help for him we get nowhere except he makes life even more horrible. I’m a prisoner of my son. We need help. He is very sick. Is there nobody who may be able to help us. He is a very good actor manipulator and so on but when he gets mad is when you see the real him. We feel hopeless. Why does nobody help once they see him for who he is? Please help us. I’m terrified he will do something bad to us or my dad whom we live with now.

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    1. Hi, I am so sorry to hear about your torment. It definitely sounds like this young man has some emotional, behavioral and personality issues that need to be addressed. Do you have the resources to get him into therapy or connected with a psychiatrist who can further examine him? People with personality disorders, even children, are masters at deceiving other people and making those who truly know them look like the unstable ones. I think from your details it’s very likely that this young man is suffering from a psychiatric problem that cannot be handled without proper professional help.

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  17. Hi Torrey,

    My name is Sean Hedden and I’m a podcaster looking for guests. I came across your blog and was blown away by your perspective of a lot of issues I identify with – like ’emotional fluffer’ and BLM being some recent articles you wrote.

    I would be interested to interview for my podcast. This link gives more context about what I’m looking for:
    apowergreaterthan.com/be-a-guest

    Hope to hear back from you.

    Thanks,
    Sean

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  18. Thank you for explaining what, in these taxing times, I am striving to be. My life-long, seemingly selfish goal — which, truth to tell, I’ve not always lived up to: to live as comfortably as I am able with as little inconvenience to myself (and others) as possible.

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