Simply talking about a problem does little to change a problem!

At Authentic-Life Counseling, we go beyond simply talking.
Our therapy services are designed to help you identify and implement changes that will improve your well-being.
When you are ready for change, we are here to support and guide you every step of the way.

Authentic-Life Counseling provides effective, results-oriented individual therapy and marriage counseling to clients in Suwanee, Duluth, Sugar Hill, and Buford Georgia.

Call For Free Assessment

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Specializing In Individual Therapy
& Marriage Counseling

Individual Therapy

Life can become overwhelming, and at times, our usual coping mechanisms are no longer effective.

To navigate challenges and improve your mental and emotional health, recognizing and embracing the need for change is crucial. Therapy's insights may feel unsettling at first, but the growth from facing challenges with balance is invaluable,

If you're ready to embark on this transformative journey, I would be honored to accompany and support you every step of the way.

Begin Healing Today

Marriage Counseling

Relationships are HARD to maneuver. We might love our partner a great deal, but we can’t talk to them, please them, or trust them.

Like a living organism, couples can be in a variety of stages of growth and development, from pre-marriage to trying to divorce as friends, with many stages in between.

I will help you and your partner learn strategies to improve your ability to re-connect and enhance levels of intimacy and friendship and improve communication.

Transform Your Relationship

Anxiety
Therapy

Anxiety manifests in significant ways, impacting mood, thoughts, life goals and dreams, and even relationships.

Therapy serves as a valuable resource to address symptoms, provide individuals with a supportive environment to explore and understand the root causes of their anxiety and identify coping skills.

Through therapeutic techniques, individuals can learn effective coping strategies, develop mindfulness practices, and gain insights into their thought patterns.

Overcome Anxiety

Depression
Therapy

Depression can profoundly affect emotional and physical well-being, derailing goals, dreams, and straining relationships.

Therapy provides a compassionate, structured approach to explore underlying causes, understand negative thought patterns, and develop coping strategies.

Through therapy, individuals can rediscover purpose, joy, and resilience in their lives.

Reclaim Your Happiness

Symptoms I Can Help You Manage

Depression

Are you feeling sad, dissatisfied, or unmotivated? Our therapist our dedicated to reducing the symptoms of depression and show you how to bring a sense of peace and joy back into your life.

Find Help For Depression

Obsessive compulsive disorder concept. Woman obsessively washing her hands.

OCD

OCD is a common mental health challenge, but the good news is it's treatable. Our therapist are here to help you explore effective therapies, tailored to reduce the impact of symptoms, providing support on your path to relief and recovery.

Explore OCD Treatment

PTSD

If you're like most people, you've experienced some level of trauma in your life. Ther therapist at Authentic-Life Counseling are committed to helping you get to the root of your suffering and find healing though various therapeutic approaches.

Find PTSD Relief

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia, a condition often triggered by panic attacks, can significantly impact daily life, causing distress and avoidance behaviors. At Authentic-Life Counseling, we provide effective treatment to address and improve the symptoms associated with agoraphobia.

Overcome Agoraphobia

Welcome to Authentic-Life Counseling! Offering individual therapy and marriage counseling in Suwanee, Duluth, Sugar Hill, and Buford.

I'm Diane Chrestman, LCSW, and from my office in Suwanee, Georgia I provide an approach to therapy that is "results-oriented."

For therapy to be effective, there needs to be a time and space for clients to "tell their story".

I provide a safe and non-judgmental environment where you can talk about your history as well as the incidents that make your world feel like it is crumbling.

Once I have a good sense of why you have come to therapy, it is time to roll up your sleeves and begin the hard work of changing the ineffective responses and patterns that no longer serve you.

You have limited control over the problems that are causing you pain, but you have unlimited control over how you respond to those problems.

Creating new patterns is not easy. But until new emotional, cognitive, and behavioral patterns are identified and developed it is unlikely that you will cope or respond to your problems any differently.

You won't be leaving your appointment without "homework assignments".

The homework assignments are designed to help you live and love and adapt to the crazy roller coaster of life more effectively.

The value I bring to your journey is in identifying tools that will help you realize the changes you want.

Change and growth are not necessarily easy, but with the right tools, the process is definitely easier.

A Buddhist Psychology Approach to Therapy

My approach to psychotherapy is quite different because I am one of the few therapists in Georgia that utilize a theoretical approach of Buddhist Psychology.

One of the main differences between Buddhist Psychology and many "Western" therapeutic approaches is the lens through which "mental health disorders" are defined and treated.

In very general terms, Buddhist Psychology focuses on conducting a personal investigation to understand your suffering. Freedom from that suffering relies on personal autonomy, building strength, and more than a dab of courage and diligence.

Consider an analogy of your sense organs. Your eyes, nose, ears, skin, and mouth provide sensory data about your environment. The sensory input from the eyes, which allows you to see colors, shapes, and objects is not better or worse than the sensory input of sound waves you receive from your ears. Both provide information about the environment. One is not better or worse than the other.

In the same way, Buddhist Psychology is just a different experience of recognizing what is going on around us and within us. The therapeutic approaches of Buddhist Psychology provides very beneficial perspectives in regards to how we respond to those conditions.

Buddhist Psychology is not a theoretical approach that requires the exclusion of any spiritual belief including Christianity. It does provide a path that helps us to be free from suffering through self-examination, awareness, and personal autonomy. I work, and am spirituall cross-pollinated by clients of many faiths, which is quite beautiful.

Explore My Therapy Style

Therapy Is Offered Either Through Telehealth Or In Person Conveniently Serving Suwanee, Duluth, Sugar Hill, and Buford Ga

Our office is located at
4485 Tench Rd Suite 1220 A, Suwanee, GA 30024
and conveniently serves the local communities of Suwanee, Sugar Hill, and Lawrenceville, GA.

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Services

Meet Your Therapist
Diane Chrestman, LCSW

For over 10 years I have been providing therapy to clients in Georgia, and I feel grateful to be doing the life's work that I was intended to do.

l obtained a Master's Degree from Georgia State University and later obtained additional certifications in "alternative" treatment approaches such as Energy Psychology. I hold a professional License of Clinical Social Work from the state of Georgia.

In 2019 I published Zenergy Mindfulness which examines perspectives of energy and Buddhist Psychology for mental health healing. I have also contributed to several online publications most often related to the topic of mindfulness and meditation and offer regular meditation instruction to the community.

My greatest education, however, bar none, has been the education I received sitting on my meditation pillow.

More About Diane

Testimonials

"Diane is amazing! She is very professional, knowledgeable, and possesses so many tools and techniques. I thoroughly enjoyed my visits and have learned so much from her. She’s a rare gem!"

-CC