How a Montgomery, Alabama Therapy Practice Is Changing the Conversation Around Mental Health

by Jeannette Bensen PhD, MS
Reviewed by Larry Stratton
Last Updated: Jun 11, 2026

The first principle of any worthwhile endeavor is knowing when to call in the backup. For the modern professional, that moment often arrives disguised as a persistent hum of anxiety, a flicker of burnout, or a quiet erosion of confidence. The Alabama Therapist—a sharp, client-focused practice based in Montgomery—is built for exactly that moment. It’s not a crisis center. It’s not a last resort. It’s a place you go before things fall apart, armed with a team of practitioners who bring as much science as empathy to the table.

The Alabama Therapist’s homepage is clean, direct, and built for action—no fluff, just access to care.

The Philosophy: Prevention Over Panic

While much of the therapy world is built on a reactive model—waiting for a breakdown to intervene—The Alabama Therapist operates on a different clock. Their mission is straightforward: equip clients with the tools for resilience and mental wholeness before a crisis hits. It’s the mental health equivalent of seeing a personal trainer, not a surgeon.

The firm operates under the supervision of Linda Holmberg, Ed.S, LPC-S, a seasoned professional with over two decades in the field and a specialization in trauma therapy using EMDR. Her oversight ensures that every session, whether in person or via telehealth, adheres to rigorous licensing standards, providing a layer of accountability that often gets lost in modern, app-based therapy.

The Roster: Meet the Brains Behind the Brand

A practice is only as good as the people on its roster, and the team here offers a fascinating blend of backgrounds. You’ve got a former geneticist who switched from decoding DNA to decoding the psyche, working alongside a family systems expert who cut their teeth in the wild terrain of marriage and children. That’s not your average psychology group chat.

Uduak Afangideh, M.Sc., ALC

Afangideh is the principal practitioner, and her origin story is worth the price of admission. After earning a Ph.D. in genetics and spending 24 years in university lecture halls, she pivoted hard into mental health counseling. That is a remarkably logical leap when you think about it: she simply moved from fixing the code of life to fixing the code of the mind. Her clients often report appreciating the analytical precision she brings to the woo-woo world of emotions. She’s an advocate for normalizing therapy across cultural lines, particularly within the African American and Nigerian communities where, as she notes, mental health is often a whispered secret rather than a spoken truth.

• Contact: (334) 549-9757
• Book online via acuityscheduling

Sam Boshell, M.S., M.F.T.

Boshell is the relational specialist—the guy you call when the “we need to talk” conversations have become circular firing squads. With a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy, he focuses on couples and families, tackling everything from parental burnout to the quiet resentment that builds up over years of miscommunication. He takes a trauma-informed approach, which is a fancy way of saying he doesn’t just look at what’s wrong now; he looks at the patterns that got you there.

• Contact: (334) 625-9528
• Book online via acuityscheduling

The Nitty-Gritty: Logistics, Cost, and Confidentiality

Here is where The Alabama Therapist breaks from the boutique therapy norm. They operate on a self-pay model, meaning they skip the insurance headaches. It’s a trade-off: you pay out of pocket, but you get total privacy (no insurance records to haunt you) and immediate access. The rates are refreshingly transparent:

Pricing is subject to change, but these figures provide a realistic budget for proactive mental health investment.

This pricing structure positions them as a mid-range option that is accessible to the professional class without requiring a second mortgage. There are no hidden fees for the paperwork, no fighting with a billing department. You pay, you talk, you leave.

The “Why Now” Factor

We live in a culture that glorifies the grind. The Alabama Therapist offers a counter-narrative: that real strength involves knowing your breaking point before you reach it. By combining high-level clinical supervision with a transparent, no-BS approach to pricing, this practice makes taking care of your head feel less like a diagnosis and more like a strategy session.

Whether you are an executive burning the midnight oil, a parent losing their cool, or just someone who feels like their internal dial is stuck on static, the team here has a seat for you. You don’t need to hit rock bottom to pick up the phone. Sometimes, you just need someone who gets it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Does The Alabama Therapist accept health insurance?

No, the practice operates on a self-pay model. They do not file claims with insurance providers. However, patients can choose to submit their receipts to their insurance for potential out-of-network reimbursement. This model offers faster access and greater privacy for clients.

2. How much does a therapy session cost?

Individual 50-minute sessions are $60, while couples sessions are $75. These are flat fees, so there are no surprise charges for cancellations within the proper window or administrative fees.

3. Is online therapy available for Alabama residents?

The practice is located in Montgomery, Alabama, and primarily serves the Central Alabama area. While virtual sessions may be available for existing clients, all practitioners are licensed specifically within the state of Alabama, ensuring compliance with local legal and ethical guidelines.

4. Who provides clinical supervision for the therapists?

Linda Holmberg, Ed.S, LPC-S, serves as the clinical supervisor. She holds License No. C3004A in Alabama and brings over 24 years of experience in professional counseling, specifically specializing in trauma and EMDR therapy.

5. What is Uduak Afangideh’s background before becoming a therapist?

Before transitioning to mental health, Afangideh earned a Ph.D. in genetics. She spent over 24 years teaching at the university level, which gave her a unique perspective on human behavior and the pressures facing modern professionals.

6. Does the practice offer specialized marriage or family therapy?

Yes. Sam Boshell holds a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy and specializes in couples counseling, family dynamics, and trauma-informed care for children and adults alike.

7. Is there a cancellation policy for appointments?

Yes. The practice requires a standard notice for cancellations to avoid being charged for the full session fee. Specific details regarding the cancellation window are provided during the scheduling process.

8. What types of mental health issues do they treat most often?

The practice focuses on resilience, anxiety, depression, relationship stress, and preventive mental health care. They also see clients dealing with trauma, parenting issues, and general life transitions using client-centered techniques.

About the Author
Dr. Jeannette Bensen is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Director of the UNC Health Registry and Cancer Survivorship Cohort at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research focuses on how genetic and environmental factors influence the risk, severity, and progression of prostate and breast cancer, with particular attention to health disparities and survivorship. In addition to her academic and research leadership, Dr. Bensen is dedicated to making complex medical and scientific topics accessible to broader audiences. She writes and contributes to medical articles that translate advanced research in genetics and epidemiology into clear, practical information for healthcare professionals and the public. Through her writing and teaching, she aims to empower readers with evidence-based knowledge to support informed health decisions.