Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Terrels.
Hi Maggie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I didn’t arrive at this work by accident—this path found me through my own lived experiences of loss, healing, and growth.
I specialize in working with individuals navigating grief and loss, as well as those struggling with their relationship with food. My connection to this work is deeply personal. I lost my father unexpectedly as a teenager, and years later, my mother as well, both losses occurring before I turned 30. Grief has been a profound teacher in my life. It has shaped the way I understand the world, relationships, and the resilience of the human spirit. Because of this, I feel a deep sense of honor in sitting alongside my clients as they navigate their own grief. I don’t view grief as something to “fix,” but rather something we learn to carry, grow around, and integrate into our lives.
My work with eating disorders is also rooted in both professional training and personal understanding. I know firsthand how complex and deeply ingrained our relationships with food and our bodies can be. This allows me to approach my clients with a level of empathy, nuance, and non-judgment that is essential for true healing.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working in a range of treatment settings, including residential treatment centers, inpatient psychiatric units, and outpatient private practices. These experiences have reinforced my belief that healing is not one-size-fits-all. Each client brings a unique story, and I tailor my approach to meet them where they are, integrating evidence-based practices with a deeply relational, individualized style of care.
As the founder of Vibrant Self Counseling, my goal is to create a space where clients feel seen, safe, and supported in doing meaningful, transformative work. I am especially passionate about supporting women in the postpartum period and those navigating the transition into motherhood—a chapter of life that can be both beautiful and incredibly complex.
Outside of my role as a therapist, I am a mother to my two-year-old daughter, who is my whole world. Being a single mother has deepened my empathy, strengthened my resilience, and continues to shape the way I show up in both my personal and professional life.
At the core of everything I do is a genuine love for this work. It is not just my career—it is my purpose. Walking alongside people in their most vulnerable moments is something I will never take for granted.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. In many ways, it’s been the kind of journey that reshapes you entirely.
I lost my mom about a year before I became pregnant, and that grief was already so raw, so all-consuming. When I found out I was expecting, it brought a new layer to that loss that I wasn’t prepared for. There were so many moments during pregnancy where all I wanted was to ask her questions—what her pregnancies were like, what she felt, what she would recommend. My mom was also a doctor, so beyond just being my mom, she was someone I trusted deeply for guidance and reassurance. Not having her there felt gut-wrenching. It deepened my grief in a way that was hard to put into words.
Then my daughter was born at 30 weeks, and we spent 89 long, grueling days in the NICU. She had a brain bleed at birth, and those early days were filled with uncertainty, fear, and constant emotional highs and lows. It was an experience that tested me in every possible way. I was surrounded by an incredible support system—my aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends truly carried me through that time. I would not have survived it without them. And still, in the quiet moments, all I wanted was my mom.
That combination of grief and trauma—losing my mother, becoming a mother, and navigating a medical crisis all at once—changed me. It gave me a deep, lived understanding of what it feels like to move through life when everything feels uncertain and overwhelming, and when the person you most want beside you isn’t there.
It’s exactly this experience that led me to create Vibrant Self. My mission is rooted in what I needed during those moments- to feel supported, seen, and deeply cared for. I know how heavy life transitions can be, and I feel a profound sense of purpose in walking alongside others as they navigate their own grief, loss, and healing.
We’ve been impressed with Vibrant Self Counseling, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Vibrant Self Psychotherapy was created from a very real place—out of my own lived experiences with grief, identity shifts, and the emotional complexity of becoming a mother. It’s not just a practice to me; it’s a space I built with deep intention for people who are moving through some of life’s most tender and overwhelming seasons.
I specialize in working with individuals navigating grief and loss, eating disorders, and major life transitions—particularly around motherhood and the postpartum period. These are experiences that can feel incredibly isolating, and my work is centered on helping clients feel less alone in them. Whether someone is grieving a loved one, struggling in their relationship with food and their body, or trying to find themselves again after becoming a parent, I meet them with both clinical expertise and genuine, human understanding.
What sets my practice apart is the balance between evidence-based care and deep emotional attunement. I integrate neuroscience-informed approaches, especially around grief and trauma, with a relational, compassionate style that allows clients to feel truly seen and safe. Therapy with me is about creating space for your full experience, while helping you build the tools and insight to move forward in a way that feels sustainable.
I’m also incredibly mindful of the mind-body connection. Whether it’s supporting someone in eating disorder recovery or helping a grieving client understand how loss lives in the body, I take a holistic approach that honors both emotional and physical experiences.
Brand-wise, what I’m most proud of is that Vibrant Self feels like a refuge. Clients often tell me it’s the first place they’ve felt fully understood without needing to explain or minimize their pain. That matters deeply to me. I want every person who walks through my door to feel supported, cared for, and never alone in what they’re carrying.
At its core, Vibrant Self is about helping people reconnect with themselves, especially after life has disrupted their sense of who they are. My goal is not just healing, but helping clients rediscover a version of themselves that feels grounded, whole, and, ultimately, vibrant again.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I don’t think of myself as someone who takes impulsive risks, but I do believe in taking meaningful ones, especially when they’re aligned with purpose.
Leaving the private practice I was part of was one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken. I had stability there, a consistent paycheck, a steady stream of referrals and a structure that made things feel secure. I made the decision to leave shortly after becoming a mother, at a time when financial stability wasn’t just important, it was essential. As a single mom and the sole provider for my family, there was very little room for error.
But at the same time, I had a clear vision for what I wanted to build with Vibrant Self. I knew the kind of space I wanted to create, the populations I felt deeply called to serve, and the way I wanted clients to feel in the therapeutic relationship. That vision and that sense of purpose, ultimately outweighed my fear of failure.
For me, risk isn’t about being fearless. It’s about being willing to move forward even when fear is present, because what’s on the other side feels deeply aligned with who you are and what you’re meant to do.
Building my own practice has required trust, resilience, and a lot of growth. There have been moments of uncertainty, especially in the beginning, but I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve created. More importantly, I’m proud that I chose to bet on myself and on the life I want to build for both me and my daughter.
Pricing:
- Initial session $200
- 45 min session $200
- 60 min session $225
Contact Info:
