Willowbrooke Counseling Center Team

About our counselors and therapists

Our counselors and therapists are trained to work with individuals, families and groups in treating mental, behavioral, emotional and substance abuse problems and disorders. They have each earned a master’s degree from an accredited graduate program. To become licensed professional counselors (LPCs) and licensed associate professional counselors (LAPCs), they must pass a strenuous exam and gain extensive supervised experience. Our team also includes licensed clinical social workers, licensed master social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, and licensed associate marriage and family therapists.

Tiffani Fryar, MA, LPC

Fryar earned a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of South Carolina, her native state, and a master’s in humanistic psychology from the State University of West Georgia (now University of West Georgia). She interned with Tanner while in graduate school and began working for Tanner just two days after graduation in 2004. Fryar has practiced as an expressive therapist for 11 years and appreciates the benefits of incorporating art, yoga/movement, music and animal-assisted therapy into her work with clients.

Fryar believes that therapy is about healing, growing and figuring out what patterns her patients want to work on and change. She believes that everyone can harness his or her full potential, so she encourages and helps her patients figure out how to do that and learn to live their healthiest lives.

Watch her video to learn more about her approach to counseling.

Joshua Grubb, MA, Ed.S., LPC

Grubb earned a master’s in psychology and a specialist in education (Ed.S.) in professional counseling from the University of West Georgia. Prior to joining Tanner in 2015, he worked as an in-home therapist with at-risk youth on probation and with young adult college students at University of West Georgia. Grubb’s approach to counseling is eclectic but is firmly rooted in humanistic psychology — meaning that he values treating the whole person and drawing on a person’s innate strengths to help them heal. Grubb has experience working with clients who have multiple mental health issues, but enjoys working with the challenges related to depression, anxiety, ADHD and high-functioning autism.

Grubbs loves providing a safe and comfortable environment for his patients, ages 4 to seniors, to express tough and hard emotional experiences. He likes to get to know his patients on a very real level and be creative during sessions with patients.

Watch his video to learn more about his approach to counseling.

Patrick Henderson, MS, LPC

Henderson earned a bachelor’s in psychology and a minor in criminal justice from Georgia State University. He enjoyed the field so much, he stayed another two years, earning his master’s in rehabilitation counseling. Henderson is a west Georgia native who grew up in Franklin. He has worked in a variety of mental health settings, including inpatient, CORE, intensive family intervention and private practice. His areas of focus are in the treatment of borderline personality disorders, attachment, and trauma.

Since every therapist has their own personality, Henderson encourages potential patients to find the counselor who is right for them. He mostly works with adolescents and adults, and likes to use activities such as coloring, drawing and making paper planes to help people relax, focus and begin working on their goals.

Watch his video to learn more about his approach to counseling.

Dell Lawson, LAPC

Lawson is a licensed professional counselor who has worked with youths, adolescents, adults and families for more than 20 years. She works with diagnoses including anxiety, depression, parenting issues, grief, PTSD and others. Lawson uses client-centered, dialectical behavior, mindfulness and solution-focused therapies. She provides support while helping people achieve their desired outcome.

Álvaro (Horacio) Ordóñez, MS, LPC

Ordóñez earned a master’s in community counseling from Georgia State University. He has been a licensed professional counselor in Georgia for 22 years. His clinical experience includes addiction counseling, working with survivors of abuse and trauma, working with individuals struggling with depression and/or anxiety, familial and couple’s counseling, working with the LGTBQ community, assisting those struggling with grief/loss, anger and stress management. He enjoys working with both children and adults.

Barbara Patterson, MS, LPC

Patterson holds a bachelor’s in philosophy and religion, with a minor in psychology. She worked as an activities coordinator for residents of a geriatric facility while completing her master’s in social work. Patterson has 36 years of experience working with individuals, families, couples and groups of various ages and backgrounds. Her goal is to create a safe, healing environment for the client to experience support, respect, and explore goals such as self-esteem and confidence. She also has experience with substance abuse counseling.

Will Spencer, MA, LAPC

Spencer earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from the University of West Georgia, after first being drawn there by the Humanistic Psychology program. Spencer has worked in addiction, college counseling, and private practice settings, and primarily enjoys working with young and emerging adults. Spencer’s approach to counseling is rooted in humanistic psychology, psychoanalysis, and cognitive behavioral therapies, and he aims to provide a therapy experience tailored to each client’s specific needs.

Spencer works to create a safe and relaxing environment for every client, and he seeks to empower each client as the expert on their own selves and the architect of their own futures. While he does not limit his work to any particular diagnosis, Spencer finds he works particularly well with clients exhibiting symptoms of anxiety, depression, and high-functioning autism. His ultimate goal is to meet with each client where they are and to collaborate on a path forward.

Kyera Swint, LPC, MFT, MEd

Swint earned a master’s in family therapy from Mercer University and a master’s in human sexuality from Widener University. She specializes in trauma and working with the LGBTQ+ community. Swint intensively trained in DBT and works to assist clients — in both individual and group settings — better regulate emotions and implement healthy and effective skills in which to cope and build resiliency.