Thomas Buchanan Licensed Professional Counselor

Thomas Buchanan Licensed Professional Counselor He is trained in trauma counseling and EMDR therapy. He truly desires each person he encounters to feel valued and heard.

Thomas has extensive experience working with a variety of populations and is passionate about meeting with individuals, couples and families based on their specific needs. Thomas is a Greenville native who is passionate about meeting people where they are in whatever circumstance or struggle they find themselves. Thomas has worked in diverse clinical settings including private practice, hospital and community mental health centers. He has extensive experience working with a variety of populations and is passionate about meeting with individuals, couples, veterans and first responders based on their specific needs. Thomas’s specialties include: anxiety & depression, day to day and/or job-related stress. Thomas earned his Bachelors degree from Clemson University and his Masters in Clinical Mental Health from Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta, GA. Thomas is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of South Carolina and a National Certified Counselor (NCC). When he is not helping clients, Thomas enjoys time with his wife, two children and dog. They love camping and exploring the great outdoors, or simply relaxing at home together.
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Thomas would love to be a helpful resource to you. Please feel free to contact him at tbuchanan@greenvillecounseling.com or 864.877.7025 x716 .

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, many linemen and first responders have had experiences they could have never imagined. ...
10/10/2024

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, many linemen and first responders have had experiences they could have never imagined.

I am a trauma trained therapist in Greenville SC. If you are lineman/first responder or you know one who is experiencing traumatic symptoms (nightmares, flashbacks, isolation, spacing out, unexplained anxiety/sadness/anger/guilt, trouble sleeping or waking, out of body experiences) from what you/they have witnessed in the aftermath of hurricane Helene, I'm offering virtual trauma therapy, free of charge, to the extent my schedule allows. You are not alone.
Please contact me at tbuchanan@greenvillecounseling.com for more information.

03/21/2020

As we deal with our world changing around us faster than we can process, our mental and emotional health can suffer while we focus on such confusing physical health concerns. We are being asked to distance ourselves socially which seems to be the best way to “flatten the curve” of impact from the virus. And as we distance ourselves, we can feel isolated and alone. In isolation, anxiety is magnified and depression is deepened. Circumstances feel more overwhelming when we tackle them alone.

The good news is we are not tackling this alone. Millions of others are tackling this issue at the same time. We CAN feel connected through isolation.

It’s helpful to remind yourself “I am not the only one going through this right now.” It’s also helpful to allow yourself to feel what you feel without ignoring or burying the emotion to “just get through.” As you’re feeling anxious, take a deep breathe (or ten) and acknowledge “I am feeling anxious about the future AND I have things to be thankful for right now.” Let yourself feel the weight of anxiety and then allow yourself to feel the weight of gratitude for things that often go unnoticed. It’s easy to focus on the negative when we are panic scrolling through content to “stay informed”. Information is good; it’s empowering. But that’s not the only thing going on right now. Coffee still tastes good. Sunsets are still beautiful. Music is still transformative. Goodness is still present… even in the midst of confusion, doubt and chaos. I invite you to find the beauty in the storm and the communion in distance.

02/14/2020

Change is hard. Any change to something unfamiliar seems, at best, inconvenient and, a lot of times, unthinkable.

Why?

Because the familiar feels safe and the unfamiliar seems scary. So, how can we change when the unknown feels so terrifying and overwhelming?

I think the answer is different for each of us because we are all wired differently and the things we want to change take wildly diverse approaches. One key aspect of change is being honest; first with ourselves and then with the people that care about us. It's incredibly helpful and often quite difficult to be honest with ourselves and our support systems about 1) our capability, 2) our conscience, and 3) our consent to change.

Most of the time, we focus on our conscience or what we "should" do and ignore the other two key aspects of sustainable change. For example, we may say, “I SHOULD wake up earlier because I would be more productive." So, we set or alarm for an hour earlier and then we hit snooze 14 times until our normal (comfortable) wake time, and then we say "I just can't wake up early. I've tried and it doesn't work, however, this is less likely to happen if we pay attention to the honest levels of consent and capability for earlier wake up times.

I'm lying to myself if I say I'm 100% on board with waking up an hour earlier. And I'm also lying if I say my body is capable of making the change all at once.

I could say honestly, perhaps, I am 30% on board and fully capable of waking up 5 minutes earlier. Now I'm entering this endeavor expecting discomfort and small amounts of progress, and I'm not disappointed by falling short of an impossible goal. I'm actually encouraged and energized that I did it and it was less uncomfortable than I feared. Now, being honest, I’m 40% on board and 100% more confident. And my experiences involve small successes rather than big failures.

What have you always thought you "should" change and consistently fail at? What is your realistic capacity and consent for that change? What is a smaller piece of that big change that is possible?

12/15/2019

It's easy to get overwhelmed during this season with all the chaos of to-do's and family and responsibility and expectations. There can be a hundred things going on in our heads and all of them feel as pressing and stressful as the next. This is how it FEELS. The reality, however, is much easier to handle: it is only possible to address one issue at a time. So why have a million rolling around in your head?

Next time you feel overwhelmed with to-do's and expectations, ask yourself "what can I do about this in this moment?" It could be setting a reminder on your phone or getting one step in the process done or it could be..... nothing. It's hard to tell yourself "don't think about that because I can't do anything about it now." because the more you think "don't think about that" the more you are thinking about it. So try SHIFTING your focus, instead, to something that is productive, joyful, and PRESENT.

12/02/2019

Distractions are a part of life. A calm mind doesn't come from getting rid of distractions as much as becoming increasingly comfortable with refocusing your attention back to your desired subject. This, as with any skill, comes from practice. Next time you are distracted try treating it as a welcomed practice session for refocusing your attention. Acknowledge the existence of distraction and gently focus back on the subject at hand. Embrace the process!

11/28/2019

I am passionate about meeting people where they are, in whatever circumstance or struggle they find themselves. I want each person I encounter to feel valued and heard. Healing and breakthrough are on the horizon.

Call or email today if you would like to set up a meeting. I look forward to talking with you!

11/27/2019

Even though anxiety can make us feel like we are going to die its true purpose is to keep us alive. Imagine crossing a busy street. Anxiety tells us that speeding cars are dangerous and to wait until the street is clear before walking. Sometimes, unfortunately, an experience connects our anxiety to other things involved. Maybe we saw on the news someone got hit by a car crossing a specific street and now our anxiety is triggered, not by cars, but by that street. After a while of being anxious around that street our anxiety moves to other streets until one day we can't cross a street because "streets are dangerous." The anxiety is still trying to keep you safe it's just associated with something other than a true threat. The street is not the threat; oncoming cars are the threat.
Now comes the difficult task of seeing anxiety as a miscalibrated compass instead of the thing driving your car. What makes the task difficult is adopting the mindset "even though I feel anxious at this intersection I know logically no cars are coming so I must walk, full of anxiety, across the street." This uncomfortable process is the only way to slowly "recalibrate" your anxiety.

What triggers anxiety for you?
Is it a true danger like the car?
Or is it merely associated with danger like the street?
How can you recalibrate and use the anxiety rather than be driven by it?

11/27/2019

Anxiety is not an enemy; it is a tool we've yet to master. What is your anxiety telling you and how can you use that to your advantage?

11/27/2019

Anxiety pulls us forward and backward in our minds yet we can only exist in the present.

Address

4 Parkway Commons
Greer, SC
29650

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 7pm
Wednesday 9am - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 2pm

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+18648777025

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