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Meet Our Team

Penny Reif

Pre-Licensed Counselor

Penny Reif

(she/her)

  • LGBTQIA+

  • Autism, AuDHD, HSPs, and sensory overwhelm

  • Nerd Culture

  • Trauma & C-PTSD

  • Burnout & depression

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Dungeons & Dragons Therapy Groups • Brainspotting

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Adults & teens

Accepting new clients

Immediate Availability

$175

  • My life was changed by someone who took the time to listen to me without judgment. Since then, I have always wanted to be that listener to others, and to be the support and empathy that we all need sometimes. 

    During my free time, I like to play Dungeons & Dragons, video games, and to spend time with my cat and friends. 

    I was born and raised in Florida, where I got my Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Florida. I love plants, being outside, and all things nerdy. I feel things deeply and am highly aware of sensory input.

  • I identify as a white cishet woman, I am able-bodied, and I have grown up in the Southern evangelical Christian culture. These parts of my identity have granted me many privileges in our society that I have benefited from.

    I aim to not only be aware of my privileges, but to also advocate for those who face injustices and are hurt by our current societal structure. 

    I additionally identify as being on the Asexual (Ace) spectrum, and my pronouns are she/her. 

  • Training & Expertise


    Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Lipscomb University

    Bachelor of Science in Biology from University of Florida

    I practice under the supervision of Joy Samuels, TN LPC-MHSP #2364

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📞 Free 15-Minute Phone Consult with Penny
🗓️ Penny's Calendar - Your First Session

Our Unique Office

A Therapy Environment That Gives You a Leg up on Your Process

For those who prefer to see us in person at our Brentwood office instead of online, we aim to provide a gentle sensory experience that supports your executive function and stress systems. Our bodies and minds feel safer, and thus are more open to learning, growing, and freedom when they sense we’re in a balanced nervous system state where we can feel at ease but still responsive to our environments if we needed to act (neither hypervigilant nor frozen).

The first two things people tend to say when they visit our space are:

  1. Whoa, how do you take care of all those plants?

  2. Wow, every little detail in this space is so purposeful. (More on that below.)

  • Indoor scene with green plants near a window showing trees outside, wall with hanging plants, a framed coastal landscape photograph, and a wooden surface.
  • Indoor scene with a large potted Monstera plant near a window with a view of trees and blue sky. To the right, there is a decorative wall hanging with Asian art and calligraphy, and a small wooden table with stones, a green pot, a carved wooden tray, and a string of wooden beads casting a shadow on the table.
  • Living room with green walls, various potted plants, a wooden dresser, a large window with greenery outside, and a cozy sofa with cushions.
  • A cozy living room featuring a beige sofa adorned with various pillows, a wooden side table, and two different illuminated wall lamps. There are large green plants near a window with sheer red curtains, and a decorative wall art piece hangs above the sofa.
  • Living room with a gray sofa, decorative pillows, two large leafy indoor trees, and a wall mirror with a woven design.
  • Living room with beige sofa, green and blue patterned pillows, a navy bolster pillow, and wooden side tables with large green potted plants. Wall decor includes framed landscape photo and round wooden shelf with candles and small ornaments, with hanging plants and a lamp in the background.
  • Living room with grey wall, green plants, cozy armchair with pillows, round side tables, wall decorations, soft lighting from two hanging lamps.
  • Living room with green painted wall, abstract landscape paintings, gray couch with colorful pillows, multiple green plants, a clock, and decorative hanging plants.
  • Decorative wall shelf with candles and small sculptures, surrounded by potted and hanging plants on a light-colored wall.
  • Interior of a room with green walls, wooden flooring, a water cooler, a wooden shelf with cups, and an array of potted plants on shelves and window sill, with ceiling lights and hanging wicker baskets.
  • Display of potted plants, decorative items, and coffee mugs on a wooden and gray shelving unit inside a room with wooden flooring and ceiling panels.
  • Indoor space with a grey couch, assorted green houseplants on shelves and tables, decorative items, and a light-colored area rug.
  • Cozy living room corner with two gray armchairs, a wooden side table, and a large potted plant. Wall art features three white textured panels. Hanging pendant lights and a floor lamp provide warm lighting. Shelves with greenery and a woven ottoman complete the scene.
  • A cozy living room corner with a light gray velvet armchair, a light green decorative pillow, and a wooden side table with a remote control. Behind the chair are two wall-mounted textured art pieces. To the right, a green potted plant is on the floor, and on the left, a black metal shelving unit with potted plants and decorative objects. The corner is lit by a floor lamp with a white shade and a ceiling light with a woven rattan cover.
  • A black metal and wooden shelf filled with various green houseplants in pots and baskets, placed in a room with wooden flooring and hanging woven light fixtures.
  • Wooden door with glass panels leading to a room filled with plants, shelves, and decorative items. A small sign on the wall next to the door reads 'The Hope Preserve'.
  • A parking lot with a curved driveway leading to a multi-story office building surrounded by trees and greenery.
  • Indoor room with green plants, wooden furniture, and decorative beads hanging from the ceiling, with a large window allowing natural light.

The Little Details Make Our Therapy Space Special

  • We understand that some folks need more sensory input, and some need less. Since most public spaces are super overstimulating, we try to foster the gentlest sensory experience we can (and we have other sensory tools for our clients who need more sensory input).

    Here’s what we’re constantly trying to improve in our space to help make your visit with us as supportive as possible:

    • Lighting - we avoid use of overhead fluorescent lights wherever possible, opting for diffused, softer lighting instead of overhead lights as much as we can. All the lights in our waiting area are on dimmers that you are welcome to adjust anytime. Most of the lamps in our therapy rooms are on dimmers, and you can always ask your clinician to turn anything off, or to close the blinds. (Sometimes even natural light is way too bright.)

    • Visual noise - we try to keep clutter and “loud” prints to a minimum, filling our space with plants and earthy materials we find more soothing. You won’t see tall bookcases full of books (as much as we love books, the varying sizes and colors along with the flurry of fonts can be more sensory information than is helpful while you’re processing important things with us)

    • Sounds - our big rugs and multitude of plants help absorb noise; we have noise-cancelling headphones available to borrow; and we have signage reminding folks to keep conversations low and to avoid digital noises in the office

    • Smells - we use unscented or non-synthetic cleaners and don’t allow any clinicians in our space to use scented candles or to use nebulized/ultrasonic essential oils; we use charcoal/HEPA/UV-C filters to help the air feel fresh (if scents are a positive thing for you, we have some gentle ways of adding scent in your session without going into the vents affecting other sessions)

    • Tactile/movement - we have weighted blankets, pads, and pillows, and all sorts of fidgets for you to use. We invite you to wear whatever is comfortable, sit on the floor, curl up in your seat, and just be in your body however feels comfortable to you

    • Spatial - our waiting room has several different seating options. There are multiple areas, letting you choose what you’d like to face and what to have your back against - it is as nervous-system-friendly as we can make a public space. If seats are closer than we prefer, we throw a tall plant between them. We aim for a non-threatening (and maybe even enjoyable!) waiting experience - by staggering seats to make sure it doesn’t feel like anyone is staring at you, and creating physical and visual barriers to sit behind. We even have two waiting room doors that allow us to control traffic so people aren’t walking right across you as they come and go

  • Executive function is our higher-level functioning that helps us strategize, prioritize, focus, manage our emotions, problem-solve, make decisions, and remember what we’re doing or saying right now.

    In short, to us being executive-function-friendly means that we try to help you conserve your mental and emotional energy when you’re with us. You’re carrying enough mental and emotional load trying to keep all the plates spinning everywhere else in your life.

    A quick way for us tank your executive function would be to stress you out, make it difficult to get in touch with us, difficult to find us, and leave you guessing as to what will happen when you get here.

    But we think therapy feels better and goes better when you can find some rest in the process. Plus we’ve learned brains are most open to the change and growth you’ve been longing for when they feel safe and met where they are.

    That’s why we aim to make your time with us feel like a sigh of relief from start to finish, not just with a soothing sensory environment, but in how we aim to make you feel welcome, seen, and heard. And in how we openly address how draining systemic oppression is. And in how we set up our scheduling and physical space to be easy to navigate.

    It seems to us that receiving therapy and support, of all things, should help teach your nervous system what it’s like not to have to fight against everything all the time, just to take care of routine needs.

  • While we can’t provide therapy in a cabin or field in a quiet wood away from all hustle and bustle (yet), we’ve chosen our space because it cuts down on stressors we’ve experienced in other commercial buildings:

    • Parking - we’ve got more than enough parking spaces and you won’t have to circle around competing for your spot or praying to the parking fairy

    • Entrances - our building has several entrances, so it’s easy to enter on the same side of the building that you parked on

    • Trees - our building and parking lot feel like a bit of a respite from the concrete and asphalt of other parts of Brentwood and strip malls when you pull in (and also as you sit in session feeling a bit like you’re up in a tree house)

    • Easy to find - if you use the front entrance, it’s ultra easy:

      • come in the front door (under the pull-through/drop-off portico), and the elevators are immediately in front of you

      • as the elevator doors open on the second floor, our glass doors are visible before you even step out

      • (it may look a little dim inside because we keep the lights low for a chill vibe, but you can’t mistake our planty jungle)

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  • Yes and no.

    How we can help depends on what you’re needing to get out of doing this testing to confirm your diagnosis.

    • Are you needing to know for yourself, to help you with your life, career, relationships?

    • Are you not really looking for support to deal with your diagnosis, and are just wanting to provide official assessment documentation to work or school to request accommodations?

    We shine brightest at working with you to help informally confirm/discern a suspected autism or ADHD diagnosis.

    This option is desirable to lots of folks because

    1. you have the flexibility of not putting a diagnosis on your medical record, and

    2. you can also start working on sensory supports, accommodations, and trauma work if needed right from day one, while you’re working through your diagnosis, and without having to wait for long, often expensive testing before you get to the support part.

    Though we can work with you to confirm or disconfirm your suspicions of the diagnosis, we aren’t always able to provide the official assessment or formal letter that would be needed to request work accommodations or similar.

    Different systems and institutions have different requirements for that, but we’re happy to take a look at any requirements ahead of time if that’s what you’re needing.

    But here’s the thing: whether the diagnosis ends up officially being there or not . . . how you’re feeling right now matters.

    We truly love getting to do all of this support work no matter where the diagnosis lands because it’s usually struggles or feeling “different” that made you start wondering about the diagnosis. We haven’t met anyone that is seeking diagnosis just for fun.

    Let’s say you didn’t meet the current criteria, for example - does that mean how you feel in this moment - in your current reality - doesn’t deserve sensory supports or trauma processing, or support for navigating your relationships? Just because you don’t meet the medical system’s criteria for a certain diagnosis?

    It could even be that criteria for the diagnosis continue to evolve over the next few years, just as our current understanding has exponentially expanded over the last several years.

    No matter your diagnosis, we do a lot of work to help you get supports in place and adjust to this new way of seeing life/self.

    It’s different for everyone, but often looks like helping support sensory sensitivities, figuring out some accommodations for life/relationships - and so often there’s some grief, internalized shame, and trauma to work with, too.

    If that’s not what you’re looking for and you’d just like meds or the old-school testing for now, we have some Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners that we partner with who can get you squared away for that part of the process.

  • We do not have a prescriber on staff but have trusted Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners we partner with for medication management.

    They usually have quick availability and we trust them with our own families - and they are truly neurodivergent-affirming, most of them having extensive lived experience themselves.

  • We are out of network with all insurance companies, but you can check to see if you have out-of-network benefits just below.

    It may be worth checking in with your insurance plan’s administrator, just in case - some plans may reimburse for out of network sessions or let your sessions count toward your deductible.

    We can give you a receipt with the medical codes they’ll need (called a superbill) if you have confirmed that they will reimburse you.

    (If you have an HSA or FSA, we can run those cards like a regular credit card and provide any receipts the HSA/FSA might request.)

    You’ll want to check in with your insurance company to see what you need in order to get counseling covered or reimbursed, whether in-network or out-of-network.

    Here are some questions to ask about your plan's coverage:

    • Do they reimburse for counseling? For out of network counseling?

    • Do they reimburse for the type of counseling you’re doing? (some plans may reimburse for individual therapy but not for groups or for couple/family therapy)

    • Do they require a diagnosis in order to cover your sessions?

    • How many sessions will they reimburse you for? Do they limit the amount of sessions they’ll cover based on your diagnosis

    • Do they require special permission for sessions over a certain length (for instance, 60-75 minutes vs. 45 minutes)

    • How much do they reimburse per session? Is it a flat amount, or a percentage of what you paid?

    • Will they allow unreimbursed sessions to count toward your deductible?

    It’s important to find out these details before starting therapy so that both you and we have an idea of the expectations.

    Sometimes insurance plans cover enough sessions to give you coping skills to change outward behaviors, but not enough sessions to dig into the deep, healing heart-work we believe can sometimes better help sustain those changes and feel more like yourself.

    There are absolutely exceptions to that, though, so again: it’s always worth checking in with them.

    We also have deep sliding scale spots with our interns from $35-$85, and even down to $5 for those in need.

Common Questions about Therapy at The Hope Preserve

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A living room with large windows overlooking a green outdoor area, featuring a gray armchair with colorful cushions, a red sofa with pillows, a round wooden coffee table, and various potted plants near the window.