Darin Short serves as the Care and Counseling Director. He is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He has been practicing since 2013 and is an ordained pastor. Darin’s passion is to foster a safe environment for people to encounter God and to better know themselves. He sees counseling as a particularly unique way to experience God as both healer and sustainer. Darin works primarily with individual adults, couples, and families. He integrates several psychological modalities in his work which include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), EMDR, and Family Systems Theory. Darin has a broad experience working with those experiencing anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, pornography addiction, life transitions, family of origin issues, identity and self-esteem, spiritual issues, premarital and marital challenges. He is married and a father of four. Darin loves being outside and adventuring on his mountain bike and snowboard.

Maria Brady serves as the Clinical Supervisor of Care and Counseling and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (both NC & SC). Maria has been practicing for over 10 years. She hopes to provide a safe environment to allow all of her clients to feel seen and heard as they do the brave work of counseling. Maria specializes in working with couples and individual women (ages 19+) on a variety of issues including infidelity, communication/conflict struggles, parenting, identity formation, life transitions, infertility, trauma, anxiety/depression, relational struggles, and family of origin issues. She views counseling as a collaborative process integrating the mind, the body, the emotions, and faith/spirituality through the use of several therapeutic modalities including Attachment Theory, Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Family Systems Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) and Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT). She is also able to provide care in Spanish. Maria is a wife and mama to two sweet little ones and enjoys dates with her love, gathering people over good food, traveling, and cheering for the Tarheels!

Rev. Dr. Scott Carpenter is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor serving Forest Hill Church for over ten years. He loves Jesus and incorporates a number of modalities in the care and counsel of men, women, and couples (ages 15+). Scott is passionate about creating a warm and safe environment for clients to draw closer to Jesus (James 4:8), develop a clear understanding of who they are in Christ (Galatians 2:20), and “to know the fullness of the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 3:19). Christian competent counseling approaches a number of mental health issues – (taking into account the spiritual, emotional and physical attributes that make us unique). Scott has always felt like those who are healthy, choose to go to counseling and it is his honor and privilege to pray, challenge and encourage as you address a number of concerns. Those concerns could be, (but are not limited to), depression, anxiety, trauma, self-esteem, family or origin issues, spiritual issues, infertility, pornography addiction, life transitions, grief, premarital and marital challenges. Scott is married and has two children. He enjoys movies, art, reading, football, and baseball.

Tim strongly believes in the inherent (God-given) value, dignity, and strength of every client. Each individual has the unique opportunity to enjoy a meaningful life in the committed pursuit of their values and goals. He seeks to provide a safe therapeutic environment where clients are accepted, understood, and given practical tools for healing and growth. As a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC), Tim seeks to help children, teens, and adults work through diverse concerns including depression and anxiety, grief and loss, behavioral and developmental concerns, as well as acculturation challenges. Tim is committed to Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) to provide children (4-12) with the environment and the relationship necessary to process difficult emotions while also rehearsing social skills and problem-solving. With adolescents and adults, he employs the comprehensive application of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the context of Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy. Tim has been married to his wife since 1990 and they have four adult children with whom they lived and ministered in Central America for more than two decades. As a bilingual counselor (English and Spanish), he is committed to providing informed and compassionate professional care to a diverse population.

Belinda is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in both North Carolina and South Carolina. She has 13 years of clinical experience counseling individuals, older teens, and couples. Her specialty is working with women. Her counseling experience includes depression and anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief and loss, relationship difficulties, adjustment and life transitions, codependency and addiction, premarital and marital counseling, women’s issues, and spiritual identity and direction. She views each client as bearing the image of God and therefore values very highly the trust placed in her as she walks with individuals through their healing journey. She s an integrated approach to counseling that stems from combining Biblical truths with psychological principles. She utilizes primarily a psychodynamic framework with an emphasis on family of origin including attachment theory. She works from an experiential perspective and also employs cognitive behavioral therapy when appropriate. She is trained in EMDR and Brainspotting. Belinda is married 42 years to her high school sweetheart, has two adult daughters and 2 son-in-laws, and 3 amazing grandchildren! She loves to be active – running, hiking, biking, and yoga. Being outdoors is her favorite place to be!

Mackenzie Hawisher is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate in the state of North Carolina, primarily walking alongside couples and adult individuals as they work through depression, anxiety, spiritual abuse, attachment issues, and trauma. She graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2023 with her Master of Arts in Christian Counseling. Mackenzie works primarily through the modalities of Psychodynamic Therapy and Emotionally-Focused Therapy. In her free time, she loves to read, write, exercise, spend time with her favorite people, and visit new places.

Hannah Ashley is a graduate student intern at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary where she is pursuing licensure as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor. Hannah is passionate about creating a safe and caring environment for clients to explore their stories and encounter hope in the midst of their suffering. Hannah uses a client-centered approach and incorporates elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). In her free time, Hannah loves being outside, visiting new coffee shops around Charlotte, and spending time with her husband and friends.

Leslie Long serves as the Care and Counseling Office Coordinator and loves providing support to the counseling ministry behind the scenes. Leslie counts it an honor to steward well the courage of congregants who call in and ask for a counselor to walk alongside them in a difficult season. When she is not on the phone, Leslie is supporting the care and counseling team and clients with all administrative needs so that the ministry runs smoothly for all involved. Leslie enjoys reading, walking on the greenway with friends, and having picnics in the driveway with her kids. Leslie is married and blessed with two precious children and a little cat, too.

Kim Nelson has served in Pastoral Care for over 17 years at Forest Hill and is an Ordained Pastor. Her passion for helping those who are hurting in the body of Christ includes prayer, mentoring, hospital visits, benevolence, funeral planning, training chaplains, and working with the deacons. She is pastor of the Second Season Senior Group where she plans monthly events for seniors, helping them to grow spiritually and thrive socially. Kim completed her Master’s degree at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (2020) in Religious Studies with a Concentration in Counseling and is currently serving as interim Care Pastor for the South Park Campus. She is married to John who serves as an Elder and has two grown children, and three adorable grandsons. Kim loves being out in nature, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family & friends.