Our Therapists
Our expertise and years of experience working with hundreds of individuals, couples, children, and families helps us understand your situation and path to a more fulfilling life. Our role is to help you find more happiness, more satisfaction, and more meaning in your life.
Dr. Scott Hammontree
LCMHCS
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Dr. Scott Hammontree (https://drhammontree.com/) is the Founder and Executive Director of Carolina Center for Counseling & Clinical Services, Inc. (https://carolinacenter.org/). He has been a clinical counselor, administrator, business consultant/coach, and clinician training supervisor for over 30 years. Dr. Scott has spent his entire career helping children, teens, adults, couples, and families lead more fulfilling and happier lives. He has trained numerous mental health professionals to be better and more effective therapists. He has consulted and coached many business owners to be more productive and more profitable. Dr. Scott has published and presented papers at national conferences in areas such as: treatment for children, anger management, conflict resolution, depression, and problem solving. He is one of the area’s leading experts in intensive family, marital, and pediatric interventions.
Dr. Hammontree is a leading expert in intensive marital work, family interventions, and business consulting/coaching and he can be reached at drscott@drhammontree.com or at shammontree@carolinacenter.org.
Dr. Scott is a veteran of the US Navy, a proud father of two adult children, and he lives with his wife of 30 years in Gastonia, NC. He enjoys competitive endurance sports, running, mountain biking, fitness, and travel.
Abby C. Brody
MA, NCC, LCMHC
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Abby Brody has been with Carolina Center for Counseling over eighteen years. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who works with all populations. She provides counseling for children, adolescents, couples, individuals, and families. She specializes in ADHD, parenting issues, sexual abuse, PTSD, and depression. Abby attended her undergraduate schooling at Virginia Tech and Coastal Carolina (earning her BA at CCU in 2004). She earned her MA at Webster University. She has been licensed as a professional counselor since February of 2009. She has also been Nationally Certified (NCC) since August 2009.
Melanie Baker
MS, LCMHC
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Melanie Baker received her Master of Science in Counseling from John Brown University in 2010 and is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in North Carolina. Melanie has over 20 years of experience working in the field of mental health. She has experience working with children, adolescents, and adults. Melanie has been trained in trauma and developmentally informed therapeutic interventions for victims of abuse and/or neglect. She works with clients on issues such as PTSD, anxiety, depression/mood disorders, low self-esteem, body image issues, and grief. Melanie herself has ADHD and loves working with others who also have ADHD/neurodivergence. Melanie celebrates each client’s uniqueness and offers a compassionate and affirming space to process issues. She utilizes, when appropriate, techniques from play and art therapy to promote healing. In her free time, Melanie enjoys singing, art, reading, and board games.
Melanie is a Telehealth Registered Professional Counselor Provider of South Carolina. Registration #1774 https://llr.sc.gov/TeleHealth/Counselor.html
Michaela Boyd
MA, LCMHC
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Michaela attended undergraduate school at Catawba College where she played collegiate softball before transferring to UNC Charlotte to finish her BA in Psychology. She completed her Master of Arts in Clinical and Mental Health Counseling at Lenoir Rhyne University. Michaela has had a lifelong passion to be a therapist. She believes we are products of our experiences, not necessarily our environment. She thinks everyone should have the opportunity for happiness by putting in the work and utilizing the support of a dedicated professional. Michaela and her wife became custodial guardians to their niece when she was 12yrs old and have an understanding of varying family dynamics that many families face today. Through raising a teenager in the beginning stages of her marriage to now raising a toddler of her own, Michaela is passionate about helping couples communicate effectively in order to aid healthy and happy families and marriages. She is open-minded, empathic and humbled by the privilege given to her by clients as they make their journey through life.
Susan E. Olson
MA, LMFT
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Susan Olson received her masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Bethel Seminary in San Diego and her undergraduate B.A. degree in psychology from California State University Northridge. She has been working with children, youth, adults and their families for over 20 years in California, Colorado and now the beautiful state of North Carolina. She has extensive experience working with high risk clients with issues such as ADHD, PTSD, anxiety, depression, abuse, mood disorders, grief and loss, anger management, and need for social skill building. She encourages clients toward developing their strengths, healing, and improving their self esteem and self awareness. She enjoys developing a positive rapport with clients and their families understanding that each family has a story that is playing itself out and each story embodies that family’s hope.
Amanda Murphy
MA, LCMHC
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Amanda earned her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Malone University and completed her undergraduate studies in Public Health and Occupational Therapy from Kent State University. Amanda has always been passionate about helping others lead a healthy and fulfilling life. Before becoming a mental health therapist, she worked for over eight years as an occupational therapy assistant in skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers, as well as in the community with elderly, adult, and adolescent populations. Amanda holds certification in Intuitive Eating Counseling and disordered eating interventions. Amanda believes that our lives are shaped by the stories that we hold about ourselves and the world we live in and those stories are shaped by our experiences. Amanda is strongly committed to helping clients develop a positive view of self and recognize their potential to support a life that is meaningful to them by assisting clients in exploring the stories we hold about ourselves and our experiences.
Heather McCarley
MSW, LCSW
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Heather C. McCarley, LCSW, LISW/CP, CAGCS, embarked on her career as Licensed Clinical Social Worker after she graduated from Florida State University in 1999. She has specialized in therapy with children, adolescents, adults, and families for the past 25 years, as well with college students and senior citizens. She initially worked in elementary and middle inner-city schools as a School Based Therapist in the Miami-Dade County school system. She has since worked as a Clinical Therapist in North and South Carolina in private, public and school agencies providing therapy to support clients with behavioral health and substance use difficulties. Heather is currently a Certified Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist.
Heather utilizes Cognitive Behavioral and Solution Focused Therapies to address symptoms of trauma, depression, anxiety, bipolar, grief/loss, ADHD, estrangement, oppositional defiant and adjustment disorders. She has experience in individual and group process with anger management, conflict resolution, self esteem, study tips and coping skills.
As a single mother who raised her daughters, ages 20 and 26, she has also had the experiences of being a wife, daughter, sister, friend and employee along with many other roles that we women are engaged in. Heather shares her passion for grief/loss comes from her own background with much personal experience in this area. As a Pisces, Heather shares that as long as she can remember she has loved helping others, genuinely cares and also has a great sense of humor that she does utilize in therapy.
Heather’s focus is to assist others with healing, empowerment, positive problem solving and coping strategies.
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Elisha Washington, MSW, LCSWA is a compassionate and dedicated therapist who is passionate about helping individuals recognize the strength, resilience, and light within themselves. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and her Masters of Social Work from the University of North Alabama.
Before becoming a full-time therapist, Elisha served as a high school social worker, where she had the opportunity to support students as they navigated academic, social, emotional, and personal challenges. This experience strengthened her passion for creating safe and supportive spaces where individuals feel heard, understood, and empowered to grow.
Elisha takes a person centered approach to therapy, meeting each client where they are and honoring their unique experiences, needs, and goals. She believes healing is a personal journey and works collaboratively with clients to help them better understand themselves, build upon their strengths, navigate life’s challenges, and move toward meaningful change. Her goal is to help clients feel empowered to recognize their own worth and discover the light within themselves, even during difficult seasons of life.
Outside of her professional work, Elisha enjoys traveling, attending concerts, and spending quality time with her friends and family. She values creating meaningful experiences and bringing the same warmth, authenticity, and compassion to her work with clients.