Hanna Benkowski, MA

Hanna Benkowski is a doctoral trainee therapist at Nashville Psych who works with adults navigating anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, identity development, and major life transitions.

She has a particular interest in supporting people through emerging adulthood, including the college years, early career decisions, changing relationships, and questions about who they are becoming. These years can bring new independence and possibility, but they can also involve uncertainty, pressure, comparison, and the feeling that everyone else has things figured out.

Hanna offers a warm, collaborative space where clients can slow down, better understand themselves, and explore what they want their lives and relationships to look like.

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How Hanna works

Hanna takes an integrative, client-centered approach to therapy. Rather than assuming one type of therapy will work for everyone, she draws from different therapeutic perspectives based on each client’s needs, identities, experiences, and goals.

She views the therapeutic relationship as an important foundation for growth. Hanna works to create an environment where clients feel respected, supported, and comfortable being honest about what they are experiencing.

Therapy with Hanna may involve exploring current challenges, understanding how earlier experiences continue to shape the present, identifying patterns in relationships, and developing new ways of responding to difficult emotions or situations.

She works to help clients:

• Better understand their emotions and reactions
• Navigate anxiety, depression, and uncertainty
• Explore identity, values, and questions of belonging
• Develop greater self-acceptance
• Understand recurring relationship patterns
• Communicate needs and boundaries more clearly
• Adjust to college, work, or other life transitions
• Make choices that feel more aligned with who they are
• Build confidence while allowing room for uncertainty

Hanna’s approach is both relationally grounded and informed by evidence-based practices. She collaborates with clients to determine what feels most useful rather than directing them toward a predetermined version of growth.

Areas of focus

Hanna supports clients navigating:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Identity development and self-understanding
• Relationship concerns
• College transitions
• Early career uncertainty
• Changing friendships and romantic relationships
• Family expectations
• Questions of purpose and belonging
• Adjustment to greater independence
• LGBTQ+ related concerns

Hanna welcomes clients of diverse identities and backgrounds. She is affirming of LGBTQ+ clients and is attentive to how culture, identity, relationships, and social context can influence emotional wellbeing.

A list of specialties cannot capture every reason someone may seek therapy. Our Client Care team can learn more about what you are experiencing and help determine whether Hanna or another Nashville Psych therapist may be the best fit.

Therapy during emerging adulthood

Emerging adulthood can be an exciting and disorienting time. People may be making decisions about education, work, relationships, identity, finances, family expectations, and where they want their lives to go, often without feeling fully prepared to make them.

It can also be a time when familiar sources of structure begin to change. Friendships may shift, family relationships may feel different, and choices that once seemed temporary can begin to feel more significant.

Hanna helps clients make space for the uncertainty of this stage while developing a clearer understanding of their own needs, values, and priorities.

Therapy can help with:

• Adjusting to college or life after college
• Feeling uncertain about a career path
• Comparing yourself to peers
• Navigating changing friendships
• Building or ending romantic relationships
• Separating personal goals from outside expectations
• Developing independence while staying connected to family
• Making decisions without needing complete certainty
• Exploring who you are beyond achievement or other people’s expectations

The goal is not to have every part of adulthood figured out. Therapy can provide a place to understand what matters to you and build greater trust in your ability to navigate what comes next.

Education and clinical training

Hanna is pursuing her PhD in Counseling Psychology at Tennessee State University. She previously earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. As a doctoral trainee, Hanna is completing advanced clinical training as part of her doctoral program. She provides therapy under the supervision of Dr. Nisha Bhatt, a licensed psychologist at Nashville Psych.

Supervision gives Hanna regular opportunities to reflect on her clinical work, receive guidance, and continue developing her skills. Clients benefit from Hanna’s direct care as well as the support and experience of her clinical supervisor.

Outside of her clinical work, Hanna enjoys taking long walks with her dog, reading with a cup or two of coffee, and trying new Nashville restaurants with people she loves.

Exploring whether Hanna may be a good fit

You do not need to know exactly what to say or have a clear plan for therapy before reaching out. A free phone consultation gives you the opportunity to share what you are looking for, ask questions, and learn more about Hanna’s approach. Our Client Care team can help you consider whether Hanna or another Nashville Psych therapist may best fit your needs, preferences, scheduling needs, and budget.

Schedule a Free Phone Consultation

Frequently asked questions

Related resources

• Individual Therapy in Nashville
• Lower Cost Counseling With Therapist Trainees
• The Hidden Risks of “AI” Therapy
• Schedule a free phone consultation