Founded in 2014, Beauty for Ashes Counseling, LLC is one of the most respected counseling practices serving The Upstate and Sumter, South Carolina, Western North Carolina, and surrounding areas. Our counseling services earn their reputation from a deep and sustained commitment to quality care, innovative approaches, and creative methods.
Our therapists are dedicated to providing solace, emotional wellness, and healing to people in pain. Our ultimate goal is to help restore you to your most authentic self.
We have two in-person offices:
Taylors Office:
1527 Wade Hampton Blvd., Greenville, SC 29609
Sumter office:
533 Oxford street, Suite A Sumter, SC 29150
We also provide telehealth services to clients who reside in North Carolina, Florida and Alaska
Meet Our Team of Therapists:
Cheryl L. Childers, MSW, MA, LISW-CPS, LPC, ATR-BC, RPTS, CDWF
Beauty for Ashes Counseling Founder Cheryl Childers is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor, Licensed Professional Counselor, Board Certified Art Therapist, and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor.
Cheryl is also a Certified Daring Way™ facilitator, specifically trained to utilize the research of Dr. Brené Brown.
A graduate of Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire, Cheryl earned her social work degree at The College of Social Work at The University of South Carolina in Columbia. Since earning that degree in 1998, Cheryl has been lucky to serve children, adults, and families in a variety of settings, all of which have informed her current approach to mental health and healing.
For over twenty years, Cheryl worked as a medical social worker in long-term care, hospice, inpatient and outpatient rehab, dialysis, and mental health facilities. In 2009, Cheryl studied with Joni Eareckson Tada at the Joni and Friends International Disability Center where she was awarded a certificate in disability ministry. In 2011, Cheryl was proud to receive the 4th highest honor a civilian can receive: The Commander's Award for Public Service by the United States Army. in 2017, Cheryl returned to graduate school at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Terre Haute, Indiana to earn her Master of Arts in Art Therapy in 2017. In 2020, Cheryl received her full Registered Play Therapy Supervisor (RPTS) credential from the Association for Play Therapy and her full Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC) credential from the Art Therapy Credentials Board. In 2022, Cheryl completed the Family Court Mediation Certification & Advanced Negotiation Workshop Training through the South Carolina Bar to become a Court Mediator in South Carolina.
Cheryl also focuses her professional attention on caring for fellow therapists, giving them the skills, confidence, and support they need to build the practices they desire and to serve their clients with compassion and competence by providing them with therapy, clinical supervision, clinical and business consulting, coaching, and provider of professional CEUs.
When she’s not working with clients or working on writing books, Cheryl enjoys illustrating, painting, photography, and anything that sets her free creatively.
Cheryl works out of the Taylors and Sumter offices and utilizes telehealth for North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Alaska clients. She is out of network with all insurance carriers except TriCare, and Medicare Part B. Still, She is happy to provide a superbill (a simple way to request out-of-network reimbursement from your insurance company).
**Cheryl currently has a waitlist
Wes Davis, MEd, LPCS, CCPT
Licensed Professional Counselor, Clinical Supervisor, Child-Centered Play Therapist
Wes…
has lived most of his life in upstate South Carolina. His interest in the helping arts developed during his years at Gardner-Webb University where he earned his undergraduate degree in 2001. In 2002, Wes earned his Master’s in Counselor Education from Clemson University.
Today, Wes has seventeen years of experience in clinical mental health work, including working with various populations and age groups. Though he has treated individuals for a wide range of issues, his expertise is in counseling persons with chronic mental illness and supporting them in their recovery.
In this work, Wes employs a holistic philosophy. By helping clients address the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of their lives, Wes helps people discover their potential.
Wes is in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, PAI, Tricare, and United Healthcare works out of the Beauty for Ashes office in Greenville, South Carolina, and provides telehealth to all of SC.
Wes is also available for clinicians who are seeking LPC supervision.
Angelica Means, MSW, LISW-CPS
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
School Counselor
ANGELICA…
is a Licensed Independent Social Worker in Clinical Practice (LISW-CP) and has been actively working in social work for 12 years. She enjoys working with individuals and families who are struggling with depression, anxiety, self-esteem, grief, or trauma as they navigate through life’s many challenges. Her ideal clients range from adolescents to older adults. She’s had experience working with many different populations in inpatient and outpatient settings.
Angelica is in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Healthy Blue/Blue Choice, Medicare, SC Medicaid, First Choice/Select Health, Tricare and United Healthcare. She works out of the Beauty for Ashes office in Greenville, South Carolina and offers telehealth to all of SC.
Angelica is also available for clinicians seeking LISW-CP supervision.
Jamie Manko, MA, LPC, NCC, ATR
Licensed Professional Counselor,
Art Therapist, Sumter Office Coordinator
JAMIE…
is deeply client-centered in her work. She works closely with her clients to help them tackle points of difficulty and struggle. In sessions, she utilizes art therapy and mindfulness to ease anxiety, reduce stress, and improve sleep and focus. She also believes in the value of engaging in the creative process to work through whatever is holding you back from achieving your goals.
Jamie received her Master’s in Art Therapy from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and focuses her clinical practice on grief, loss, trauma, and depression. She is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and incorporates that skill into her client-centered approach.
Jamie sees clients via telehealth and in person in our Sumter office. She can see clients who have SC Medicaid, Healthy Blue/Blue Choice Medicaid, Molina Medicaid and Select Health/First Choice Medicaid, Medicare, and BCBS. She is out of network with all other insurance carriers but has a sliding-fee scale to meet your financial needs.
Jamie is also available for clinicians seeking LPC supervision.
April Titus, LPCA
Licensed Professional Counselor Associate
April…
is an attachment-focused therapist utilizing emotion-focused therapy, acceptance, and commitment therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. She is a believer in the mind, body, and soul connection and utilizes my yoga certification, art, play, and other techniques to incorporate somatic bodywork into the session. She is a Gottman 1 (couples) and SYMBIS (pre-marital) certified, TREM (Trauma, Recovery, and Empowerment Model), and ADC (Alcohol and Drug Counselor) certified, as well as a certified Yoga instructor. Her niche is working with attachment wounds, trauma, complex trauma, PTSD, and co-occurring issues such as anxiety, depression, and grief with individuals 17+, Veterans (I myself am a Navy Veteran), and helping professionals and couples.
April currently utilizes telehealth and in-person from our Greenville office. She can see clients who have SC Medicaid, First Choice/Select Health Medicaid, and Blue Choice Medicaid under the supervision of Wes Davis, LPCS, and Cheryl Childers, MSW, LPC. She is out of network with all other insurance carriers but has a sliding fee scale to meet your financial needs.
Brianna Norwood, M.Ed., Ed.S, LPCA, NCC
Licensed Professional Counselor Associate
Brianna
is the newest addition to the BFAC team. She enables her clients to identify their strengths and support them in identifying steps toward achieving mental wellness. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of South Carolina in August 2018 and has worked for various organizations serving children and adolescents. She continued her education at Clemson University and while enrolled, she gained clinical experience in an Elementary School setting serving children and an Outpatient Addiction Facility serving adults.
Brianna received an M.Ed. in Counselor Education with a Clinical Mental Health emphasis from Clemson University in May 2023. She is a National Board Certified Counselor and a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate. She received special training to support individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, and navigating life adjustments.
She self-identifies as a neurodiversity-affirming therapist.
Brianna offers a person-centered approach to counseling including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Experiential techniques. In her free time, Brianna enjoys reading, creating art, cooking, and spending time in nature.
Brianna currently sees clients via telehealth and in person from our Greenville office. She can see clients who have SC Medicaid, First Choice/Select Health Medicaid, Absolute Total Care Medicaid, Molina Medicaid, and Blue Choice Medicaid under the supervision of Wes Davis, LPCS, and Cheryl Childers, MSW, LPC. She is out of network with all other insurance carriers but has a sliding fee scale to meet your financial needs.
Dara Kaiser, Counseling Intern
Dara…
centers her work around each individual client by using a client-centered approach. She enjoys working with younger clients ranging from toddlers to preschool and young school-aged children. Although she has experience with Autism Spectrum Disorder, she is happy to work with clients who are experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, behavioral or adjustment concerns. She incorporates play therapy techniques with clients and works to build strong, trusting therapeutic relationships with children and their families.
Dara is originally from Montana and is new to the upstate South Carolina area. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. She previously has experience as a behavioral therapist for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She is currently working towards her Master of Education and Education Specialist degrees in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Clemson University. She is a Master’s Level Intern under the clinical supervision of Cheryl Childers, LISW-CP, LPC, ATR-BC, RPTS, CDWF.
Dara currently utilizes telehealth and in-person from our Greenville office. She can see clients who have specialized financial needs offering sessions at significantly reduced rates.
Meet Our Support Staff:
Job Alexander
Office Manager
Job Alexander…
is the Beauty for Ashes office manager. He seconds as a marketer, producer, musician, and storyteller. He received his Bachelor of Science in Marketing from North Greenville University.
Job is happy to represent Beauty for Ashes team and is here to assist you with all of your scheduling and billing needs.
Shiloh, Certified Therapy Dog
Certified Therapy Dog
SHILOH…
Along with her four siblings were found on the side of the road right after they were born. A good samaritan found them and rescued them. She bottle-fed them and found three of them homes. Shiloh and her brother were sent to Greenville Animal Care to find their forever homes. Cheryl fell in love with her the moment she saw her, and their home has never been the same (literally).
Shiloh is a certified therapy dog, as well as a service dog. She has been a part of Beauty for Ashes Counseling from an early age and can be requested for therapy sessions.
Kyrie Eleison, Retired (Really Tired) Therapy K-9
Therapy Dog, Security Detail
Kyrie…
When the son of Beauty for Ashes founder Cheryl Childers lost his dog Kida, he was heartbroken. So it was a stroke of luck when Kida’s breeder learned of Kida’s untimely death and contacted Cheryl to let her know they were going to breed Kida’s parents again and would like to give Cheryl and her family the pick of the litter. Kyrie was well worth the wait! Her full name, Kyrie Eleison, is Greek for “Lord have mercy.”
Kyrie has been trained as a therapy dog, and is in training to become a service dog. She has been a part of Beauty for Ashes Counseling from the start but since COVID, she has retired. She is no longer available for therapy sessions.
