Tampa Therapist Specializing in Women's Mental Health, Chronic Illness & Life Transitions
Annie Mowbray, MA
Specialized training in treating invisible disabilities, chronic health conditions, and family adjustment to disability
Registered Mental Health Counseling Intern
About Annie
Annie Mowbray, MA is a trauma-informed therapist at It Begins Within Healing Center, offering individual therapy and couples counseling in Tampa, Florida, and through statewide telehealth across the state. Annie works exclusively with adults, with deep specialty experience supporting young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 navigating anxiety, OCD, relational trauma, chronic illness, and significant life transitions.
Credentials & Education
Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern — Florida | License #IMH28330
M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Sciences from the University of South Florida
Trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) & Gestalt Therapy
Specialized knowledge in chronic illness, invisible disabilities, and health-related psychological support
Video Introduction
Who Annie Works With
Annie partners with adults seeking honest, focused therapy for the concerns that quietly shape daily life. Her individual clients are often high-functioning adults who appear successful on the outside while privately struggling with anxiety, intrusive thoughts, perfectionism, or the long-term effects of relational trauma. She also works extensively with adults navigating chronic illness, autoimmune conditions, chronic pain, and invisible disabilities, as well as the loved ones and caregivers supporting them.
In couples work, Annie helps partners rebuild after infidelity, restore communication and emotional safety, and navigate the relational strain that often accompanies in-law dynamics, infertility, chronic illness, or parenting a child with a disability.
Annie Specializes In
High-Functioning Anxiety, OCD, and Perfectionism
Annie has particular expertise working with adults whose internal experience does not match the composed, capable image they present to the world. These clients frequently meet criteria for OCD, generalized anxiety, or a complex trauma history, and they often arrive in therapy because the cost of holding it all together has become unsustainable. Annie creates space for the parts of the self that have been protected, hidden, or unseen, and she helps clients build a relationship with their own inner life that is honest, sustainable, and their own.
Relational Trauma, PTSD, and Complex Trauma
Annie supports adults processing the lasting impact of relational wounding, childhood adversity, and past abusive relationships, including how those experiences continue to show up in current partnerships and self-perception. She provides trauma-informed therapy, at every level, and she paces sessions to the nervous system of the person in the room rather than to a protocol.
Chronic Illness, Disability, and Invisible Conditions
Annie holds a Master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Sciences and brings rare specialty depth to therapy for adults living with autoimmune conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis, along with chronic pain, neurodivergence, and other invisible disabilities. She also supports family members and caregivers navigating the grief, identity shifts, and relational strain that accompany a loved one's serious illness or disability, including the experience of caring for, or losing, someone to cancer.
Couples Therapy
Annie's couples work centers on rebuilding emotional safety. She supports partners after infidelity, helps couples navigate complex trauma carried into the relationship, and provides specialized support for couples facing infertility, chronic illness, or the demands of parenting a child with an invisible disability. She also works with couples in which one or both partners is navigating their own disability or chronic condition, and with couples whose connection has been strained by in-law or family dynamics.
Life Transitions and Identity Work
For young adults in particular, Annie supports the work of figuring out who you are when the structures that shaped you fall away. She helps clients move through adjustment disorders, post-graduate identity questions, relationship reorganization, career changes, and the slower, harder process of building an internal life that finally belongs to you.
What Annie Helps Clients With
Annie supports Tampa clients experiencing:
Life transitions and adjustment challenges
Chronic illness and invisible disabilities
Anxiety and panic
Trauma and PTSD
Interpersonal relationship difficulties
Caregiver stress and family adjustment to disability
Body image and self-esteem struggles
Annie’s Background & Training
Annie brings diverse experience working with clients of all ages and backgrounds across various therapeutic settings.
Her professional experience includes:
Providing specialized care for individuals with chronic illnesses, invisible disabilities, and health concerns
Working with eating disorders and disordered eating
Supporting families navigating disability and chronic illness
Her advanced training includes:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety, depression, and behavioral change
Gestalt Therapy emphasizing present-moment awareness and personal responsibility
Trauma-Informed Care ensuring safety and sensitivity for diverse populations
Person-Centered Therapy creating non-directive, compassionate therapeutic relationships
A Message From Annie
"Seeking help takes courage, and I want you to know that this is a space where you can show up exactly as you are, without judgment, without pressure. Whether you're navigating chronic illness, working through a difficult transition, or simply trying to feel more like yourself, I'm here to walk alongside you at your pace."
Ready to work with Annie?
We invite you to schedule a FREE CONSULTATION with us to begin your healing journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is person-centered therapy and how is it different from other approaches?
Person-centered therapy (also called client-centered or Rogerian therapy) is an approach where the client leads the conversation and the therapist acts as a compassionate facilitator. Unlike CBT, which focuses on changing thoughts and behaviors, or psychodynamic therapy, person-centered therapy trusts that you have the answers within yourself and creates the conditions for you to discover them. The therapist provides unconditional positive regard and empathy, allowing you to explore your experiences without judgment or an agenda. This approach is particularly effective for people seeking self-discovery, autonomy, and personal growth.
How does therapy help with chronic illness or invisible disabilities?
Chronic illness and invisible disabilities create psychological and emotional challenges that often go unaddressed, such as grief over lost abilities, identity shifts, isolation, medical trauma, frustration with being misunderstood, and the constant stress of managing symptoms. Therapy provides a space to process these experiences, develop coping strategies for pain and fatigue, address anxiety and depression related to health challenges, and rebuild a sense of identity and purpose beyond illness.
What's the difference between eating disorders and disordered eating?
Eating disorders (like anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder) are diagnosable mental health conditions with specific clinical criteria. Disordered eating refers to a broader range of irregular eating behaviors that may not meet diagnostic thresholds but still cause distress, restrictive eating, obsessive calorie counting, using food to cope with emotions, chronic dieting, or negative body image impacting daily life. Both deserve therapeutic support. Therapy addresses the underlying emotional, psychological, and relational factors driving unhealthy relationships with food and body image.
Can therapy help if I'm not sure whether to leave a relationship or stay?
Yes. Therapy can provide clarity when you're feeling stuck in relationship ambivalence. Rather than telling you what to do, person-centered and Gestalt approaches help you explore what you truly want, what's keeping you stuck, what fears or beliefs are influencing your decision, and what a healthy relationship looks like for you. The goal isn't to push you toward a decision but to help you access your own wisdom and make a choice that aligns with your values and wellbeing.
Do you work with family members or caregivers of people with disabilities?
Yes. Supporting a loved one with a chronic illness or disability creates unique emotional, relational, and practical challenges, caregiver burnout, grief over changed family dynamics, navigating medical systems, balancing care responsibilities with personal needs, and managing guilt or resentment. Annie provides support for family members and caregivers, helping them process these experiences, develop healthy boundaries, and find sustainable ways to care for themselves while supporting their loved one.
How does Gestalt therapy work?
Gestalt therapy focuses on present-moment awareness, personal responsibility, and the whole person (mind, body, emotions, environment). Rather than analyzing the past or planning the future, Gestalt emphasizes what's happening right now, your thoughts, feelings, body sensations, and patterns. Techniques might include exploring "unfinished business," noticing how you avoid certain emotions, or using creative exercises to increase self-awareness. The goal is to help you become more aware of how you're showing up in life and make conscious choices rather than operating on autopilot.