Acea Starks, LPC, LCMHC

Acea Starks is a licensed counselor with 11 years of experience who blends a practical clinical skill set with a nontraditional, holistic sensibility. She holds the credentials LPC and LCMHC - licenses that authorize practice in professional counseling and clinical mental health work - and is licensed in Georgia, Alaska, South Dakota, Vermont, and Florida. Her background spans psychology and mental health counseling and informs work with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, mood disorders such as bipolar and depression, addictions, relationship and family challenges, intimacy issues, eating and sleeping difficulties, parenting, self-esteem, ADHD, and coping with life changes. She also focuses on areas often overlooked in conventional settings - BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture, gender dysphoria, polyamory and non-monogamous relationships, multicultural concerns, and sexual health.

Acea came to counseling later in life after studies in English and a period in a nursing program, then completed an associate degree in psychology, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a master’s degree in mental health counseling while working. That path gave her firsthand experience of stress, work-life imbalance, and the value of practical tools. She describes her style as eclectic and goal-oriented - collaborative yet straightforward - offering clients concrete skills, accountability, and strategies to navigate their unique challenges.

Her personal style is candid and expressive; she notes piercings, tattoos, and purple hair as part of who she is, and she values creative interests like writing alongside an emphasis on self-care. Outside of clinical work she prioritizes balance and often retreats into nature with a pack on her back as a way to recharge and model sustainable self-care.