Vanessa Lim, LPC-MHSP, LMHC

Therapy does not make hard things easy, but it can make confusing things clearer. Even as things become clearer to us, however, we can find that the change we want takes longer than we wish it would. Counseling is a journey that invites us to be patient with all that’s unresolved in us.

I love working with clients towards seeing real change in their lives, as well as greater compassion, honesty, and flexibility in how they relate to others and themselves.

I help clients regulate overwhelming emotions, respond effectively to anxiety, address trauma, and build meaningful relationships.

Healing and wellbeing is deeply relational, and it’s an honor to provide compassionate presence to my clients as I witness their stories, their strengths, and their pain. As much as I honor the therapeutic relationship, my goal is ultimately to see my clients’ relationships deepened in their own lives.

In addition to my private practice, I am a clinician with Bell Tower Counseling, a nonprofit counseling center in Seattle, Washington. I currently make my home in beautiful Nashville but will always be partial to the Pacific Northwest! In my spare time, I love music, reading, being outdoors, trying new recipes, or being with friends. 

Close-up photo of a person with long dark hair, wearing glasses and a gray shirt, smiling outdoors in front of autumn-colored trees with orange and green leaves.

Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.

-Frederick Buechner

Treatment Approach

I build my practice on the best that the research has to offer while also integrating the wisdom found in one’s personal and cultural values. My training is primarily in psychodynamic approaches and evidence-based treatments, but I tailor my treatment approach with utmost respect for my clients’ needs, readiness, personalities, and cultural backgrounds. I am committed to constant growth and learning alongside my clients. While I treat a variety of concerns, below you’ll find several specialties I have more extensive training and experience with.

I value collaborating with my clients on clear hopes and goals for treatment, thoroughly assessing challenges before treating them, and putting what we talk about into practice!

Specialties

Who I see: Teens 13+ (Washington), 16+ (Tennessee), adults

  • Comprehensive Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

  • DBT skills coaching

  • Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for anxiety and OCD (all kinds)

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

  • Dysregulated or overwhelming emotions

  • Persistent challenging behaviors 

  • Suicidality and self-harm  

  • Trauma and abuse

  • Religious or spiritual concerns

  • Relational conflict 

  • Christian faith integration

Credentials and Training

LPC-MHSP (Tennessee) - # 8562

LMHC (Washington) - # LH 70065955

M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Northwestern University

Training and Experience (Selected)

  • Ongoing DBT team consultation with STAAR DBT

  • Somatic Experiencing (SE) Basic Principles for trauma with Somatic Experiencing International

  • Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD with Amanda Peterson, LMHC

  • Eating Disorder Informed Professional (EDIP) training with Eating Recovery Center

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD training with Medical University of South Carolina

  • Comprehensive DBT training with Drs. Jared Michonski, Erin Miga, Dorian Hunter, and Liz LoTempio, DBT-Linehan Board Certified Clinicians and supervisors (2022-2023)

  • 60+ hours didactic training with Treatment Implementation Collaborative and Balance Psychotherapy Collaborative

Membership

Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS)

Nashville Area Association of Christian Counselors (NAACC)

Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselors Association (TLPCA)