Maya McDaniel (she/they)
Hello I’m Maya! I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Alabama. Being nonbinary, pansexual, and Catholic, it often felt like my identities were at war with each other. From the time I was little I knew I was different and didn't quite fit in the south. My skin wasn't right, my voice wasn't right, my hair wasn't right. Being too white for the black community, too black for the white community, too straight for the queer community, and too queer for the straight community painted me into a corner of pretending; loving myself became foreign.
Going to Catholic school throughout childhood added fuel to the fire, hearing words such as “abomination” when referring to thoughts and feelings that I could not control, I began to question why God would create me this way, arguing with the priests and religion teachers to advocate for my openly LGBTQIA+ friends, I still battled internally whether I could love God and love myself. The shame and fear I felt left me feeling empty and alone at times, leading me to shut out all emotion and attempt to navigate the world as a robot, reaching for anything to survive. I leaned on perfectionism, substances, and toxic relationships.
Getting my Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and my Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at The University of Alabama, I began to focus on blending the identities that at times seemed to tear me apart. Through deconstruction and rigorous therapeutic work, I finally began to embrace who I really am. Though I finally accepted myself as I am, as I began to live more openly, I faced backlash from work, my partner, and my family and I was challenged to either return to the closet or continue to become who I was always meant to be. Through very tough, vulnerable conversations, radical acceptance, and trust in God, I was able to find working environments that support me and build relationships that honor my queerness.
As I continue my studies to get my PhD in Counseling, my goal is to help teach individuals to halt the endless battle with self doubt, self judgment, and self criticism and embrace the soothing landing place of self trust, self respect, and self love.
My goal is to help you embrace even the most uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, realizing that they are your guides to living authentically. Using artistic modalities informed by DBT and other evidence based practices, we will work to help you see yourself as a glorious, unfinished work of art that is fearfully and wonderfully made. God gives you the blank canvas, all you have to do is pick up the brush and paint.
My fee is $180 an hour with limited sliding scale spots available.