Dr. Kimberly Benson Durst
Kimberly graduated from Jacksonville Theological Seminary, earning her Doctorate Degree in Christian Counseling & Therapy. She’s worked as the Clinical Director and Addiction and Mental Health Therapist in treatment centers, the prison system, community and faith-based programs, and now in her own private practice.
She’s aided non-profit organizations and start-ups throughout the country, with board and program development / implementation, strategic planning, financial management training including grant writing.
She was honored to be appointed by the Governor to serve on the Tennessee Community Resource Board, through the Department of Corrections, served as an Ambassador of Hope through Shared Hope International, and is a proud member of American Association of Christian Counseling with specialties in Addiction & Recovery, Biblical Counseling, Grief, Crisis & Disaster, Marriage & Family, and Multi-Cultural Needs. She is certified / trained in various specialty areas, such as:
-Addiction & Co-Occurring Disorders
-Abuse, Trauma, and Trafficking Recovery
-Family, Relationship Issues
-NeuroPsychoTherapy
-Certified Life Coach
-Certified Holistic Health & Wellness Coach
-Bariatric Counseling
-Behavioral Therapies (DBT, CBT, REBT)
-Master Mindfulness Practitioner
Our Emotional Support Animals (a.k.a Our Therapy Dogs)
Meet our Emotional Support Animals aka our Therapy Dogs, Beauregard and Vito.
Beauregard is our 11-year-old Yorkie-Poo, weighing in at 17 pounds.
Vito is our 8-month-old Chihuahua, weighing in at roughly 10 pounds.
Pets in therapy settings has proven to be highly beneficial and lowers people’s anxiety, depression, and shown to given strength to people who were giving up. Our boys: Beauregard & Vito are there to help our clients by bringing smiles, lots of toys to play with, and gets you out of your head – even if just for a little while.
Vito is still learning and Beauregard is trying to be patient with him, but you know how little brothers are! We have found that giving them carrots, will always make them do circus tricks.
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Although she unfortunately had to grieve the death of her first husband of 27 years to cancer, Kimberly was blessed, by God, to meet another amazing man, her husband Christopher, who has been her rock, very restorative and supportive! This was incredibly helpful, as he helped her heal through her major life changing situations, such as a cancer diagnosis, surgeries, and even as she lost 300 pounds.
Her son, Drew, has been a steady motivation through it all. He has been a tremendous blessing in her life and inspires her to share her story with the world. He appreciated her work so much that he enrolled in school to be a therapist, too and desires to go into private practice with his mother. Kimberly & Christopher have a beautiful blended family with 4 adult children, and two fur-babies aka the therapy dogs: Beauregard & Vito!