I am Margie Slaughter, a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) specializing in individual, couples and family therapy, and I maintain a private practice in Birmingham, Alabama. I opened the practice, Crossroads Counseling Services LLC, in early 2010, and have worked confidentially with numerous clients in a safe environment since then. Additionally, on and off over those years I have contracted with Community Grief Support in Homewood, Alabama, to provide individual grief counseling and to lead grief support groups. I am a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT) and its state network, ALAMFT, with which I have worked on the board of directors.
My counseling degree (M.Ed.) is from the University of Montevallo, and my undergraduate degree is from the University of Alabama (B.A., psychology and English). I also have a law degree (J.D.) from the University of Alabama School of Law, and I practiced law prior to becoming a therapist.
When people hear "marriage and family therapist," they often assume the therapist works with marriages or parenting issues only. However, I work with many individuals, some single and some married, who seek therapy for a variety of reasons which may not seem to have anything directly to do with marriage or children. My frame of reference or theoretical orientation, however, is generally from a family systems perspective, and it's that training and license that give rise to the credential "marriage and family therapist."
As a systems trained therapist, I am aware that what may seem like an individual problem is often a symptom of a larger systemic problem. Thus, when working with any client, I take into account the current family and original family relationships, support structures, belief systems, external stressors, cultural expectations, past trauma, and overall health and well being of the client so that I can better understand the client's concerns. I listen and give feedback, and clients have the opportunity to process their thoughts and emotions and to understand themselves and their relationships a little more clearly in the process. Whether they need to process grief or trauma, or come to a decision about something, clients find support and encouragement in a non-judgmental space.
I am an ally for LGBTQ people, people of color, the elderly, the mentally ill, the emotionally distressed, and the religiously or otherwise disenfranchised folks who are looking for a soft place to land. If you are none of these, I will hold a safe space for you, too.