Our Counselors

Susan E. Case is a Licensed Professional Counselor with more than 33 years of experience treating teens and adults with various mental health issues. She earned multiple graduate degrees in Community Counseling from the University of South Alabama and began her practice with a focus in Substance Use, earning a Master of Addiction Counselor certificate in 2015. Susan continues to specialize in Substance Use Disorders and is also experienced in Mood Disorders, Personality Disorders, Thinking Disorders, Sex Therapy, and Women’s Issues pertaining to Depression and Anxiety.

As a therapist, Susan strives to provide a safe place free from judgement, criticism, or fear. She uses an eclectic approach involving person-centered therapy, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), and motivational interviewing. Her ability to employ various therapies and techniques allows clients to establish a course that is personally tailored to their needs.

Susan has been married for 42 years and has five children and seven grandchildren. Her hobbies include reading, sewing, cooking, and having fun with her family.

From the Counselor’s Desk: Considering my counseling style allows me to have a large toolbox of techniques that I can draw from, I want to help the clients develop and draw from their own toolbox.

Tim DeLoach is a Licensed Professional Counselor with decades of experience in clinical, private practice, and organizational settings. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Interdepartmental Psychology and a Master’s of Education in Agency Counseling from the University of Montevallo. His numerous specialty areas include addiction/substance use disorder, trauma, couple/family issues, and grief.

Tim has earned extensive training and experience through his career as a counselor. His previous positions include supervisory and supporting roles in various settings, including Bradford Health Services, the Alabama National Guard, Birmingham Anxiety and Trauma Therapy, and the Alabama Department of Human Resources. He has also spent many years in private practice and is one of the founding members of the SMART recovery program in Birmingham.

As a counselor, Tim stays up-to-date on the latest therapies and uses a variety of methods to help individual patients. He has received extensive specialty training in various areas, including Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Addiction Treatment, Solution Focused Therapy, Crisis Intervention, and more.

Amber Ellis is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 10 years of experience in clinical counseling. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education and a Master’s Degree in Community Counseling from the University of South Alabama. She spent seven years as a High School History Teacher and nine years as an Admissions Counselor at Judson College before moving into clinical counseling. Her specialty areas include anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, relationship issues, military lifestyle issues, and health-related concerns.

Prior to joining Collins Counseling in November 2022, Amber gained extensive experience in varied counseling roles. These include working with Mobile Metro Treatment Center, Judson College, The Bridge Inc. Campbell Center, Catholic Social Services, ECD Program, The Harbor Partial Hospital Program, and Pathway Healthcare.

As a Mobile counselor, Amber uses a variety of therapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing, and prevention approaches to help patients with an approach tailored specifically for them.

In her spare time, Amber loves to spend time with her family, cooking, reading murder mystery books, watching any and all Alabama sports events, and going to the movies.

From the Counselor’s Desk: My goal in counseling is to help people overcome the difficult issues in their life, reach their goals, and become happier and more balanced individuals.

Diana Ford is a Licensed Professional Counselor with Collins Counseling & Associates. She earned her degree from Antioch New England University in 1993, followed by a two-year internship in mind-body medicine with a senior clinical group in Burlington, Vermont. Her specialty areas include anxiety, mood problems, trauma, grief, relationship issues, sex therapy, military lifestyle issues, and health-related concerns.

As a Mobile counselor, Diana’s practice focuses on using CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and exposure and response prevention combined with a holistic approach that attends to each patient’s mind, body, and spirit. She strives to create a safe, confidential place where clients can explore their feelings and expand their options.

Diana lives with her husband, two dogs, and a cat. She is passionate about gardening and loves taking a patch of earth and giving it what it needs to become beautiful.

From the Counselor’s Desk: My counseling work focuses on you as a whole person and respects the dimensions of mind, body, and spirit. While you can’t control or change other people, you do have power over your thoughts, actions, and outlook. This is the valuable raw material we work with to help you gain an increased sense of control, a fresh perspective, or a new approach to a difficult problem.

Suzanne Glass joined Collins Counseling & Associates in June of 2021. She holds an MBA from the University of North Florida and earned her Masters of Science degree in Clinical and Mental Health from the University of South Alabama in 2016. Her specialty areas include Eating Disorders and Body Image Issues, Suzanne specializes in Eating Disorders, Body Image Issues, Self-Esteem, and other Women’s Issues.

As a Mobile counselor, Suzanne believes in beginning every session with an open mind and allowing the clients’ needs to determine which of her many different treatment modalities is best. She is highly trained in Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-E), one of the leading and most promising treatment methods for eating disorders. Her goal in each session is to create a positive and safe environment where clients can process their emotions and improve the way they view themselves and the rest of the world.

Suzanne’s large and happy family keeps her equally busy in her spare time. She and her husband, Glenn, share five beautiful children: Isabelle (19), Gabi (17), Houston (13) Vivian (6), and Grant (5). They also have two dogs, Lily and Luxe, and a cat named Sox. Suzanne also enjoys cooking, traveling, shopping, being outdoors, and spending time with her amazing girlfriends.

Julie earned her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of South Alabama and her Master’s of Science degree in Counseling Psychology from The University of Southern Mississippi. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, and a National Certified Counselor. She has worked in the mental health field for over 20 years. She spent the majority of her career working in community mental health and the last few years working in private practice.

Julie is compassionate, non-judgmental, and has a good sense of humor. She has worked extensively in a wide variety of settings with children, teens, and adults including outpatient, residential/group home, in-home intervention, school-based therapy, and day treatment. While Julie has experience working with a multitude of presenting concerns, she works primarily with grief, depression, anxiety, and trauma/PTSD. She is an EMDR trained therapist. She also relies on techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) to help her clients make progress towards their treatment goals.

In her spare time, Julie really enjoys crafting and creating, especially making wreaths. She is a serious college football fan. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, listening to her favorite music (90’s grunge rock), and reading/watching mysteries and true crime stories. She also has a huge heart for her rescue pets, all of whom were adopted from local shelters.

From the Counselor’s Desk: It is really important to me to provide a safe and comforting environment for my clients. My ultimate goals as a therapist are to provide validation and support to my clients and to help them improve their ability to experience hope again. I understand what it is like to feel hopeless, especially when dealing with sudden losses. I have had clients tell me they felt comforted knowing I could relate to their pain and suffering on a level that cannot be obtained from simply reading a book. Let me help you learn to rebuild your hope and heal from your painful experiences.

Mark Miele is a Licensed Professional Counselor with more than 15 years of experience in the mental health field. He completed his undergraduate studies at Spring Hill College, where his work in Psychology and Sociology helped develop his sense of social justice and his desire to advocate for those in need. He earned his graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of South Alabama and became an LPC in 2016. Mark specializes in individual and group therapy to address the needs of clients living with anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, substance use, personality disorders, grief, and trauma.

Mark utilizes an eclectic and client-centered approach to therapy, identifying treatment modalities that will be most effective for each client and condition. These can include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Brief Solution Focused Therapy, and Trauma Informed Care, among others. His ability to use various evidence-based practices allows for a variety of skills to draw upon to explore and address the individual needs of each client.

When not in session, Mark spends time with his wife and son enjoying the many entertainment offerings of Mobile and going to live theater. When he isn’t out and about, you will probably find him in his kitchen cooking up some self-care and the next meal for his family while he plays a record from his expanding vinyl collection.

From the Counselor’s Desk: Therapy allows an opportunity to build a trusting relationship in a safe and non-judgmental environment so that clients will be able to explore their own life and develop realistic and effective tools to make improvements in their life. While it may be scary to begin this therapy process, I fully believe that we all can benefit from the personal growth that can occur in this environment. To me, the goal of therapy is for the client to be able to incorporate what was learned in therapy into their life to the point that they no longer will need ongoing sessions with their therapist.

Randi Nowell is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) specializing in Children and Adolescents. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix and a Masters of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from North Central University. Before joining Collins Counseling as a Mobile counselor, Randi worked with children on the Autism Spectrum, mentored young kids as a teacher in the daycare setting, and worked in a Psychiatric Hospital in Colorado.

In therapy, Randi believes that young children and teenagers need a space where they can talk freely without fear of being judged. She works hard to make her therapeutic space as inviting as possible to allow an open space for questions, comments, and concerns.

Randi is a wife, a mother to a son and daughter, and an animal mom to a dog and a cat. She comes from a military background and has traveled across the world. Beyond working with teens and kids, she loves all things Disney, dancing, and shopping.

From the Counselor’s Desk: I chose to become a therapist because I wanted to help people. I quickly realized I had an interest and a talent for working with kids and teens. I look forward to working with you!

Leah Patrick has more than 20 years of experience as a Licensed Professional Counselor. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Spring Hill College and her Master’s Degree in Counseling from the University of South Alabama. She now specializes in treating children and teens with Depression, Anxiety, Behavioral Issues, Autism, and ADHD. She also has experience in grief counseling and PTSD.

Leah decided to pursue therapy after experiencing its benefits first-hand as an early adult struggling with depression and childhood issues. She now uses her experience and education to assist her clients through techniques in role play and behavioral rehearsal, art therapy, DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy), structured problem solving, and supportive reflection. It is her ultimate goal to help her clients and their families overcome the storms in their life, reach their goals, and become happier and more well-balanced individuals.

When she isn’t working with her clients, Leah enjoys spending time with her five children and 10 grandchildren, sewing, football, and cooking.

From the Counselor’s Desk: Bringing children back to wholeness, joy, and peace of mind is the heartbeat of my practice. I believe laughter is the best medicine, and I use it frequently in my practice. I also believe that no one is perfect…after all, it did just take me 20 minutes to find my reading glasses, and they have been sitting on my head!

Paul Swaim-Sanders is a Licensed Professional Counselor with extensive experience in academic and clinical settings. He began his career as a college professor but decided to pursue counseling when he realized his passion for helping his Psychology and Sociology students apply his classroom materials to their everyday lives. After earning a Master of Education degree in Clinical Mental Health Community Agency Counseling from the University of Montevallo, Paul worked at Birmingham Aids Outreach, UAB Palliative Care Clinic, and Altapointe Health Systems before joining Collins Counseling & Associates in 2016.

Today, as a Mobile counselor, Paul’s practice focuses on helping teens and adults through adjustment issues and life-stage transitions. His specialties include LGBTQ, marital dispute and divorce, sex therapy, Dysphoria, Chronic Pain, Substance Issues, and Trauma (especially religious trauma).  As a therapist, Paul relies on cognitive and educational approaches to help his clients explore and process pervasive patterns of thinking. His typical therapy methods include psychoeducation and processing, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy), ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), gestalt, and positive psychology.

When he’s not in a session, Paul can be found traveling and exploring the world with his husband and their daughter or engaging in self-care through baking, anime, research, and video games.

From the Counselor’s Desk: I practice a holistic approach to therapy where you and I work together to help you as a whole person, not just one concern. I believe in reinforcing what strengths you already have while challenging which patterns slow down or stop progress or growth. There’s no “right or wrong, good or bad” in addressing concerns. There’s what works and what doesn’t. Together, we can find what works to do more of it, and less of what doesn’t.

Hazel Woodward is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 27 years of educational and practical experience. She earned her Master’s Degree in Counselor Education from the University of South Alabama and holds a Certificate in Thanatology from the University of Alabama. She also has extensive training in 12-Step Programs and EMDR, and she is a level-2 Gottman Method Couples Therapist. Hazel’s specialty areas include Complex PTSD, Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Traumatic Grief and Loss, and Emotional Disorders.

As an experienced therapist, Hazel puts her esoteric learning to practical use by helping people with some of life’s persistent afflictions, tragedies, and disappointments. Her practice focuses on empowering her clients to move on from these unexpected and unavoidable events by understanding how they can happen, identifying the challenges to be faced, and developing the strengths needed to move forward with their lives. Hazel works with her clients in a way that is candid but mindful and keeps her approach humanistic and person-centered.

Hazel even has her own therapist – a beloved 33-year old horse that “is very good at what she does.”

From the Counselor’s Desk: I do not offer a fix-all solution to every problem. I seek to help you gain a deep sense of self awareness and trust in yourself so you can examine new ways of dealing with problems and accept the responsibility of changing. You are the expert on you, my role is to assist you in finding meaning in the midst of chaos so you can move on with your life.