About Me
Hi, I’m Cole.
I believe that no condition is permanent. Change happens. Sometimes it moves slowly, and other times it happens all at once. But you do not have to navigate it alone. My role is to help you make sense of the chaos, find clarity, and build a life that feels meaningful.
I work with couples, individuals with personality disorders, and those healing from religious trauma. If you are wrestling with big existential questions, I offer a space where you can explore them without judgment.
Before becoming a therapist, I worked in film, television, and video production. My job was to create. Sometimes compelling works of art, sometimes whatever got approved. I earned a bachelor’s degree in Film and Television Production from Watkins College of Art and Film and spent years shaping stories in a variety of mediums. But as I watched movements like Me Too unfold and saw the mental health impact of COVID 19, I started wondering if there was a way to be useful.
I earned my master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Lipscomb University, graduating with clinical honors (which I assume is good). During my training, I worked at Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministries, a halfway house supporting individuals recently released from prison. There, I helped people rebuild their lives, process past trauma, and adjust to a world that is not always thrilled to have them back. It was challenging, eye opening, and it solidified my belief that real change is possible, even when the odds are stacked against you.
I focus on the here and now. I help clients find balance and meaning in their lives, even if their current strategy is just hoping things magically work out. My approach pulls from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Internal Family Systems (IFS), which is a fancy way of saying I use evidence based techniques that actually work.
Therapy should feel like a place where you can be real. No pretending. No performing. I create a space that is open, supportive, and inclusive of everyone, including the LGBTQ+ community. No matter what you are bringing into the room, we will figure it out together.
• Cole Bankston • Marriage and Family Therapist
• Cole Bankston • Marriage and Family Therapist
