About John Pounds
Bearing One Another’s Burdens Is What Drew Me Here. Now I Sit With Kids, Teens, And Adults Walking Through Grief, Anxiety, And OCD.
I didn’t arrive at counseling in a straight line.
I’ve spent most of my life in Birmingham. I went to Auburn without this career in mind and changed my major a couple of times before it found me. What I remember most from those years is the people around me — friends, mentors, people who noticed something in me before I did — who kept pointing me toward this work. By my junior year, I’d made the decision. My faith is central to my life, and I knew I wanted a career where I could honor the Lord by serving and helping people every day.
I graduated from Auburn in 2024 with a degree in human development and family science and went straight into my master’s in counseling at the University of Montevallo, where I’m currently enrolled and seeing clients as a graduate intern under the supervision of Tal Prince, LPC-S.
How I Work With Clients
My favorite part of this work is getting to sit with people and listen — their stories, their experiences, the things that are hard and the things that are good. Opening up to someone about what’s going on in your life is a difficult thing to do, and I consider it an honor every time someone lets me step into it with them.
My approach is person-centered. I’m not going to hand you a plan in the first session. I let you share what you came in with, and then I come alongside you as we work toward your goals and your healing. I believe counseling is a place to pursue healing and freedom, and my aim is to keep it free of fear and shame.
If you’re nervous about reaching out — and a lot of people are — the thing I most want you to know is that you’ll never have to worry about being judged in that room. I want to give you a space where whatever you’re carrying can be brought out into the open.
Who I Help And How
I work with individuals of all ages, and I especially want to walk with people through grief, anxiety, and OCD. I hold a training certificate in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the gold-standard treatment for OCD and anxiety, and my coursework has focused on grief and loss, human development, and clinical mental health counseling.
While I’m glad to work with anyone, I bring a good deal of experience with kids and adolescents from years of camps and small groups.
A Few Things I Love
Family is a big one — my nephew and our family dog, Ari, get a lot of my time outside of work. Over the last couple of years, I’ve fallen for running, and I’m always looking for a new trail or park to try. I love getting together with friends to watch college football and basketball, even though my favorite team usually breaks my heart. I’ve also loved animals for as long as I can remember; for a long stretch I assumed I’d end up working with them. And I love to travel — after several years working for Chick-fil-A, I’ve earned a few trips.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” — Galatians 6:2
That verse has guided me since the beginning of this journey, and it’s what I hope to do with everyone I work with.
Ready When You Are
I see clients in person at our Cahaba Park office in Birmingham, under the supervision of Tal Prince, LPC-S.
You Don’t Have To Have The Words Ready Before You Reach Out.
The first step doesn’t have to be a big one.
Send me an email and we’ll start wherever you are.
For more information about how I can help, please email me.
John Pounds is a graduate intern. He earned his Human Development and Family Science, Auburn University (2024) and in the final year towards his Master’s in Counseling, University of Montevallo.
He maintains the following additional training:
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) — training certificate
Graduate coursework in grief and loss, human development, and clinical mental health counseling
John is currently under the clinical supervision of Tal Prince, LPC-S.