Meet Abbey

Abbey Lefko is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate (LCMHCA). She is directly supervised by Ben Bentley, LCMHSCS. Abbey graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in May 2019. She has a background in community mental health and worked as both a Rehabilitation Counselor and an Employment Specialist for individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses prior to attending graduate school. She has counseled clients in individual, family and group settings. Abbey has experience working with a variety of client concerns and has specialized training in the treatment of eating disorders. 

 Abbey’s approach to therapy is affirming, relationals, and holistic. She works collaboratively with her clients to help them gain awareness, insight, and skills to live a more fulfilled life. She firmly believes that healing comes from a place of deep understanding and insight and strives to get to know each client as a unique individual. Abbey utilizes a person-centered theoretical approach to therapy, however, she pulls from several other approaches including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical-behavioral therapy (DBT), narrative therapy, and mindfulness practices; to individualize her interventions to the unique needs of her clients. 

When Abbey isn't rocking her "counselor cardigan" you can find her spending time with her fiance Wes and her "dog-ter" Sasha and on her yoga mat, either practicing or teaching.

Education: Graduated from UNC CHarlotte in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and minors in Public Health and Childhood and Family Development

Graduated from Wake Forest University in May 2024 with a Master of Art in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Licenses/Certifications:

National Certified Counselor (NCC)

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate (LCMHCA)

Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT- 500)

Additional Training: 

International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP) Course 1 and Course 2

Koru Mindfulness Training

Safe Zone Training

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)

Professional Memberships: Chi Sigma Iota, Licensed Clinical Counselors of North Carolina, International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, National Board of Certified Counselors

Populations: Abbey sees adults and teens aged 13 and older

Abbey accepts the following types of payment and health insurance: Private Pay (cash, check, credit card)

Most Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans and Most Aetna Plants