It is our mission to validate and normalize difficult conversations.
We seek to companion, not treat, the difficult adjustments that life brings.
Our Purpose
Who We Are
At Refuge Counseling, our team of compassionate therapists provides a wide range of mental health services for individuals, couples, and families facing life’s most challenging seasons. We specialize in grief support, chronic illness counseling, and sex therapy—offering space for healing, acceptance, and growth in a safe, nonjudgmental environment.
Rooted in a sex-positive, LGBTQIA-affirming approach, our practice embraces diversity and whole-person wellness. Whether you’re navigating a loss, adjusting to a diagnosis, exploring your identity, or seeking deeper connection, Refuge Counseling is here to walk with you—no matter where you are in your journey.
About Us
What To Expect
It’s completely normal to feel nervous about starting counseling. Taking that first step can feel overwhelming or uncertain—but you’re not alone. At Refuge Counseling, we want you to know that feeling anxious or unsure is okay. These emotions are part of being human, and they often signal a readiness for growth and healing.
Whether you’re facing grief, anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges, or simply seeking change, beginning therapy is an act of courage. You don’t need to have the perfect words or all the answers. You just need a safe place to begin—and we’re here to walk with you every step of the way.
Who We Are
At Refuge Counseling, therapists provide counseling services on a wide range of mental health-related services. We specialize in grief support, chronic illness, and sex therapy. Refuge Counseling is sex-positive, LGBTQIA affirming, and a safe place to navigate any transition. We seek to be a haven to have difficult conversations.
What To Expect?
It is totally unnerving to begin the counseling process. I hope that this article provides a little comfort that it is okay to be anxious about starting the counseling process.
Our Team
Kailey Bradley, Ph.D
Ph.D., LPCC-S, NCC, FT
Stephen Thomas
MA, LPCc-S
Em Majors
MSW, LISW-S ACDCS ADHD-CCSP
The Death & Sex Podcast
The Death & Sex Podcast, by Refuge Counseling, dives deep into the truths and misconceptions surrounding different types of therapy. Dr. Kailey Bradley (Ph.D., LPCC-S, CFT) specializes in death and dying, while her husband, Stephen Thomas (LPPC-S), focuses on sex therapy. Join us as we open up honest, compassionate conversations around these often-taboo topics. Refuge Counseling: A Haven for Difficult Conversations.
The Death & Sex Podcast | Episode 5: Pancakes, Powerlessness & the Path to Healing
In this episode, Dr. Kailey Bradley and Stephen Thomas sit down with Dr. Bethany Fulton—therapist, educator, and advocate for holding space for hard things. Together, they explore what trauma really means, how it shows up in everyday life, and why so many people struggle to identify their experiences as trauma in the first place.
This conversation digs into the heart of trauma work, including:
- Why “it wasn’t that bad” is often a trauma response
- How trauma manifests in the body and nervous system (even in surprising ways)
- The key differences between acute, chronic, and complex trauma
- The danger of advice-giving in therapy—and what actually builds trust
- How meaning-making emerges (and why it can’t be forced)
Whether you’ve experienced trauma yourself or work with people who have, this episode offers clarity, compassion, and a whole lot of honesty.
Also inside:
- What The Body Keeps the Score gets right about memory
- Why minimizing your pain might feel safer than naming it
- CBT, DBT, IFS, mindfulness, and the power of presence
- Why there’s “no billing code for gently held space”—and why that matters
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