About Blackbird Counseling
Blackbird Counseling offers online counseling and therapy services. We are grounded in practical, trauma-informed, and evidence-based care. Therapy here is collaborative, flexible, and respectful of your autonomy.
We focus on understanding patterns, building insight, and supporting real-life change without judgment or pressure. Our clinicians work with a wide range of concerns and tailor treatment to the individual rather than a one-size-fits-all model.
Who Blackbird Counseling is For
Blackbird Counseling works with adults, adolescents, and children (ages 8+) who are a good fit for online therapy. Many clients seek therapy for anxiety, trauma, stress, ADHD, neurodivergence, or life transitions.
We often work with people who are busy, overwhelmed, or emotionally insightful but struggling to make sense of what they are experiencing. Therapy here is practical, supportive, and collaborative.
Blackbird Counseling offers online therapy across multiple locations.
Gabrielle McMurphy, LCPC, is licensed to provide online counseling in North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, and Montana.
Haley Tarling, LMHC, is licensed to provide online counseling in Florida.
What to Expect at Your First Session
Clients can expect to leave sessions with a deeper understanding of themselves, practical tools for managing stress, and increased self-compassion. I’ll support you in developing coping strategies tailored to your unique challenges, whether you’re healing from trauma, navigating the stressors of life, or working on personal growth. By the end of our sessions, you’ll feel more confident in your ability to manage life’s difficulties and empowered to make lasting changes.
Our Commitment at Blackbird Counseling
At Blackbird Counseling, we take a client-centered, trauma-informed approach to therapy. We believe in creating a safe, non-judgmental space where you can explore your challenges at your own pace. We draw from mindfulness, self-compassion, CBT, and DBT techniques to tailor sessions to your needs. Our goal is to empower you by building practical coping skills, self-awareness, and resilience. Together, we’ll work toward lasting positive change in a compassionate and collaborative environment.
About Gabrielle McMurphy
I’m a trauma-informed counselor with a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. My work centers on helping people better understand their internal experiences, especially when anxiety, stress, or nervous system responses feel confusing, intrusive, or disproportionate to what is happening around them.
Anxiety is a primary area of focus in both my clinical work and my ongoing research and writing. I am particularly interested in how anxiety presents differently depending on its roots, whether shaped by trauma, neurodivergence, chronic stress, learned patterns, or a combination of factors. Rather than treating anxiety as a single problem to eliminate, I approach it as a meaningful signal that can be understood, contextualized, and worked with over time.
This perspective led me to create Anxiety Explained, an educational project designed to help people make sense of anxiety through a clear, evidence-informed, and non-pathologizing lens. The goal of this work is not to replace therapy, but to offer accurate explanations that reduce fear, confusion, and self-blame, especially for people who want to understand why their anxiety behaves the way it does.
In my therapeutic work, I draw from mindfulness, self-compassion, CBT, and DBT, adapting these approaches collaboratively rather than applying them rigidly. I hold a strong “come as you are” perspective and believe that meaningful change often begins with understanding and self-compassion, not pressure or urgency.
Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, playing music, and staying active through sports. Curiosity about people, systems, and the interaction between mind and body shapes both my personal life and the way I show up as a therapist.
If you would like to learn more about my background, approach, and areas of focus, you can view my extended professional profile below.
Schedule a consultation or get started with services.
View my professional profile on Psych Today
About Hayley Tarling
I have completed my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Central Florida. I have experience in treating adults, children, and adolescents with training in DBT, CBT, and mindfulness-based therapies.
My approach to therapy is grounded in understanding how both the mind and body contribute to emotional experiences. I use a trauma-informed, collaborative style, integrating CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and self-compassion to help clients better understand their patterns and create meaningful change.
Your first session is a chance for us to get to know each other. We will talk through what’s been going on, what you’re hoping to change, and any relevant background. You can also ask questions and get a feel for whether this approach is a good fit for you.
View my professional profile on Psych Today.
Therapy is not about fixing who you are.
It is about understanding what is happening and responding with intention.