Hi! I’m Murphy McCoy, MS, LPC
Psychotherapist + Owner of The Centered Self LLC
Pronouns: She/They
Availability: Individual clients (15+), in person and online
Helping You Navigate:
Anxiety: For the ones whose minds never stop racing — helping your nervous system finally exhale.
Emerging Adults: Figuring out who you are outside of expectations? This is a space to explore, untangle, and become.
Friendships: Learning how to create more connected and fulfilling relationships - including your relationship with yourself.
People-Pleasing: For those who've learned to notice everyone else — learn to let go of over functioning and take up space in your own life.
Self-Esteem: Moving beyond self-doubt — reconnect with your inner confidence.
Trauma: When your past still feels present, healing doesn’t have to happen alone.
Therapy with me isn't about trying to become some perfect version of you. It's an invitation to better understand yourself, listen to what you need, and develop a deeper sense of trust in your own experience. Together we’ll create a space where you can be honest about where you are while discovering where you want to go next.
You don’t have to figure it all out on your own or wait until it’s "bad enough." Email me or book an intro call.
What working with me feels like
I welcome all parts of you! Every thought and emotion has a place. I want to know the thoughts you think you're not supposed to have, the feelings that don't make sense, and the contradictions you're still trying to figure out. You don't have to be polished here. Honestly, I'd rather you weren't.
I’m not here to judge. I don’t buy there are “good” or “bad” emotions. There are emotions that feel comfortable and ones that don’t—but all of them have something to tell us. Bring the anger. Bring the jealousy. Bring the grief, resentment, relief, uncertainty, and the thought you've been afraid to say out loud. I'm not here to shame you.
I bring joy and humor into the room. Yes, therapy can be deep. Sometimes it can be uncomfortable and at times exhausting. But there is also room for laughter, joy, humor, and the random stories that deserve to be celebrated. Yeah this work can be heavy, but you might be surprised how important joy and laughter are to healing!
Your body gets a seat in therapy, too. I'm not interested in only talking about what happened. I'm also interested in what happens inside you when you talk about it. Does your chest tighten? Does your stomach drop? Do you suddenly feel disconnected or unable to find the words? Sometimes understanding something isn't enough, noticing what is happening in your body can offer another pathway toward healing and change.
I'll be honest, I'm not going to sit back and nod at everything you say. I'm warm, compassionate, and deeply accepting—but I'm also willing to challenge you. Sometimes that means pointing out a pattern you haven't noticed. Sometimes it means asking the question you've been avoiding. I believe you can be supported and challenged at the same time—and that some of the most meaningful growth happens when both are present.
Education & Credentials
Wisconsin Licensed Professional Counselor #1221-125
MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Mount Mary University
Brainspotting Phase One Trained
Internal Family Systems Trained
ACT & Mindfulness Trained
Additionally, I receive regular supervision and consultation with several practitioners.
How I Practice
I take a holistic approach to healing, meaning that therapy with me address the whole person- mind, body, and soul. I'm interested in more than the problem that brought you through my door—I want to understand the story beneath it. The relationships, experiences, and moments that shaped how you see yourself, what you expect from others, and the ways you've learned to move through the world. See I believe your patterns have a history. The people-pleasing and perfectionist tendencies, the anxiety, self-doubt, or the need to stay in control didn't appear out of nowhere. I make space for all the different parts of you—especially the ones working hard to protect you!
I care about the mind-body connection too. Sometimes your mind understands that you're safe while your body hasn't quite gotten the message. That's why I pay attention to the nervous system and the ways your experiences continue to show up beneath the surface. I honor that healing happens not just through thinking differently, but through feeling and experiencing safety in new ways.
If jumping into that feels like a lot, don’t worry! When exploring certain parts of your story feels daunting I may integrate Brainspotting into our work. This type of therapy can be used as a way for you to experience processing and relief at a deeper level. Brainspotting Therapy is a focused approach that uses your visual field and awareness of what is happening internally to help access experiences that can be difficult to reach through words alone. You don't need to know exactly what to say or retell every detail of your story. Sometimes, healing asks us to do more than talk about what happened—it asks us to gently notice what is still being carried.
The Path That Led Me Here
Every person who walks into therapy carries a unique story. Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of working alongside people from a wide range of backgrounds and circumstances. These experiences have deepened my understanding of how relationships and our environments shape the way we experience ourselves and the world around us.
My clinical experience includes working with domestic violence survivors and their families, within a community mental health clinic, and providing therapy to children and families in an outpatient practice. Across each of these settings, I’ve had the opportunity to witness people’s capacity for growth even in moment’s of adversity.
A consistent thread throughout my work has been supporting individuals in finding their way back to themselves. Many people come to therapy not because something is “wrong,” but because something feels missing. They may feel disconnected from themselves, uncertain about what they want, or caught in a life that no longer feels meaningful or fulfilling. Beneath struggles with anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, relationships, or self-doubt, there can be a deeper longing to understand who they are and what matters to them.
My work has shaped the therapist, and person, I am today. It has furthered my belief that healing happens within relationships, and that real change happens through curiosity not judgement. My approach often centers on helping individuals move beyond simply managing what is difficult and toward developing a deeper understanding of themselves. Finding yourself is not about becoming someone new—it is about creating the space to recognize, understand, and move toward the person you were always meant to be.
Make space to discover yourself again
You've spent years being the strong one. The capable one. The one who holds it all together. This is a place where you don't have to perform, have all the answers, or carry everything by yourself. A place to slow down, feel seen, reconnect with yourself, and begin to imagine something different.