Neurodiversity Affirming Care in Middle Tennessee.
We are a one stop shop for our neurodivergent families! We offer individual, family and group therapy!
~
We are a one stop shop for our neurodivergent families! We offer individual, family and group therapy! ~
Our Skills
We believe in integrated wrap-around services. The TTS Wrap provides intentional collaboration, communication, and treatment planning for families.
-
Traditional talk therapy doesn’t work for everyone. To help clients who need a more concrete and physical connection to their mental growth, we have therapists certified in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and brainspotting. Using your eye movement and other physical movements, your therapist can help you make connections that fully integrate your emotions and physical feelings.
-
This theory approaches each person as if their mind is a “family.” Instead of viewing a client as someone with one personality, the various sub-personalities of the client are examined and brought together to help the person as a whole.
-
For people who experience their emotions very intensely, it can be difficult to maintain healthy relationships and regulate those emotions. DBT is a form of therapy mostly used for people with borderline personality disorder, but it is an extremely effective method of talk therapy that can help anyone.
-
One of the most difficult steps in healing is having compassion for yourself. You have to learn to give yourself grace as you grow. Narrative therapy can help foster that self-compassion and self-love by changing the story you tell yourself about yourself.
-
Learning how to regulate your emotions involves learning coping skills and self-awareness, and it can also mean learning more about your vagus nerve and the part it plays in your emotional health and behavior.
-
Mindfulness might be a buzzword for you since our social media feeds are flooded with mindfulness practices. However, your therapist can help you navigate all the different ways you can meaningfully practice mindfulness in your daily life.
-
The creative process is an excellent way to make huge breakthroughs on your healing journey. We have dedicated therapists certified in art therapy who can help you achieve your goals and feel more in tune with your emotions.
-
Our therapists can help you look at all aspects of your mental health and every contributing factor. We combine traditional and complementary methods to address you as a whole person and not one aspect of yourself.
-
Children often have the most difficult time expressing their feelings because they have not yet developed the necessary vocabulary. Play therapists help children understand and explore their feelings through play and other creative activities.
-
Somatic experiencing is a method most commonly used for those struggling with trauma and PTSD. It’s an alternative therapy that uses bottom-up processing, specifically addressing internal sensations rather than feelings or emotions.
-
Sometimes we need to be the author of our own stories, and narrative therapy focuses on that value. Your provider will take the time to help you identify your values and reevaluate your life story with those values in mind.
Specialty Services Offered
Our Mission
The mission of The Therapeutic Studio (TTS) is to provide compassionate, individualized, and integrative care that supports individuals and families across the lifespan—from early childhood through adolescence, adulthood, and the transition into greater independence.
We believe meaningful therapeutic work does not happen only within the walls of a counseling office. TTS strives to meet clients where life happens—in our clinics, schools, homes, and communities—while collaborating with families, educators, healthcare professionals, and other members of a client’s support system.
Our goal is to wrap families in meaningful support by creating opportunities for connection, regulation, growth, advocacy, and belonging. Through evidence-based and relationship-centered care, we help clients better understand themselves, recognize their strengths, develop skills, and move toward becoming the most authentic version of themselves.
TTS values Christ, community, connection, compassion, integrity, and individualized care. We believe that every person deserves to be seen, understood, supported, and valued for who they are.
Our Story
The story of The Therapeutic Studio began long before its doors officially opened.
TTS was founded by Leiah Drew-Hightower, LPC-MHSP-S, whose professional roots have always centered around children, families, schools, neurodiversity, mental health, and community-based care.
Early in her career, Leiah completed her counseling internship at New Hope Academy, a local private Christian school serving students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Her experiences working alongside children, families, educators, and multidisciplinary teams helped shape what would eventually become one of the core philosophies of TTS: support is most effective when we understand the whole person and the environments in which that person lives, learns, plays, and connects.
In 2013, Williamson County Schools contracted with Leiah to provide mental health support for its behavioral program located at Winstead Elementary School. This work became an important foundation for developing a model of accessible, school-based mental health care.
In 2015, United Way of Williamson County provided grant funding that allowed the team to place licensed counselors within Fairview schools. Through this initiative, Leiah and her colleagues began developing a sustainable model for providing counseling services directly within school communities.
The program continued to grow.
In 2018, counseling services expanded into Franklin Special School District and Marshall County Schools.
By 2019, five additional high schools within Williamson County Schools had been added through contractual partnerships, bringing the program's reach to approximately 31 schools.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in the spring of 2020, school-based services were significantly impacted, and the program ultimately withdrew from several school partnerships. By the time Leiah transitioned away from Mercy Community Healthcare, the program continued to serve eight schools in Marshall County, eight schools within Franklin Special School District, and one school in Williamson County.
Those years shaped Leiah's belief that mental health services should not exist in isolation. Children and families often need more than weekly therapy. They may need collaboration with schools, parent support, advocacy, behavioral services, developmental understanding, community connection, groups, or coordination among multiple providers.
That vision became The Therapeutic Studio.
In December 2022, Leiah opened The Therapeutic Studio as a private counseling practice. TTS quickly grew into a multidisciplinary group practice, attracting clinicians and professionals who shared a passion for neurodiversity, trauma-informed care, relationship-based intervention, and individualized support.
Today, TTS serves individuals and families across the lifespan, from early development through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and transitional stages of life.
Rather than asking every client to fit into one traditional model of therapy, we strive to build services around the individual.
Clients may receive support:
In one of our TTS clinic locations
Within their school environment
In their home
Within the community
Through telehealth when clinically appropriate
Through individual, family, or group services
TTS has continued to expand its services to include counseling and psychotherapy, family support, group programming, autism and neurodevelopmental services, Applied Behavior Analysis and behavioral consultation, educational advocacy, school consultation, parent support, social and community-based programming, professional training, and clinical internship and supervision opportunities.
Leiah's clinical work integrates a variety of evidence-based and experiential approaches, including Narrative Therapy, Play Therapy, expressive and creative interventions, Sand Tray Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy principles, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Brainspotting, EMDR-informed interventions, Internal Family Systems and parts work, Somatic Experiencing-informed practices, Applied Behavior Analysis, parent consultation, and educational advocacy.
She also provides training and consultation for therapists, parents, schools, churches, and community organizations on topics including autism and neurodiversity, ADHD, trauma, anxiety, emotional regulation, school-based mental health, challenging behavior, parenting, educational advocacy, and creating environments in which neurodivergent individuals can thrive.
At the heart of TTS remains a simple belief:
People heal and grow through safe relationships, meaningful connection, increased understanding of themselves, and communities where they are allowed to belong.
Explore Our Spaces
Designed for Comfort. Created for Healing.
Our spaces are warm, safe, and welcoming for children, teens, adults, and families. Each room is designed to encourage comfort, connection, creativity, and clarity.
106 A: The Pink & Green Room
This space invites clients to let their emotions flow through color, shape, and texture. It’s a room where silence feels safe, and art becomes the language of healing. By creating, clients find calm, regulate overwhelming feelings, and discover a sense of safety that allows them to explore emotions at their own pace.
106 B: The Play Room
For children, words can feel heavy — but play feels natural. This room is filled with toys that become their voice. Here, laughter, imagination, and play create a safe bridge to process grief, trauma, and anxiety. It’s a space where young clients feel understood without pressure, and healing begins through joy and connection.
Room 103: The Bloom Room at Lewisburg Pike
Bright and abundant, this room is filled with toys that spark imagination and connection. From kitchen sets to board games, it’s a space where children feel safe to explore big emotions through play. Here, joy and creativity open the door to processing complex feelings, making healing feel less intimidating and more natural.
Room 201: Expression Center at Lewisburg Pike
This is TTS Lewisburg Pike’s art therapy room. This room is alive with possibility. Whether painting a canvas, sewing a plush, or shaping sand, clients find freedom in expression. It’s a place where emotions are gently released, regulation feels attainable, and creativity becomes a pathway to self-discovery and healing.
106 C: The Nest
This is Suite 106’s hybrid therapy room. A cozy blend of art and play, The Nest offers both creativity and imagination. With toys, sand trays, and art supplies, clients can choose how they want to express themselves. It’s a space that feels nurturing and flexible — where emotions can be processed through painting, building, or play, and coping strategies are discovered in ways that feel natural and comforting.
Room 106: Zen Den
This is Suite 106’s hybrid therapy room. This room holds the power of shared voices. In the presence of others, clients feel less alone and more supported. It’s a space where courage grows, communication feels safe, and healing happens together. The Zen Den nurtures collaboration, empathy, and the strength that comes from community.
We love receiving feedback from you and other professionals.
Meet the Founder
As a young teen Leiah developed a deep connection with individuals with special needs when she cared for a neighborhood child with autism. This ignited an interest to study mental health and prompted her to choose psychology as her major in college. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee in 2006.
After graduation, Leiah served as the Assistant Director at The King’s Daughters’ Center for Autism (KDS CFA) for six years, working directly with children and young adults with severe autism and intellectual disabilities. Seeing the importance of increasing her knowledge of mental health and social-emotional regulation, she enrolled in Trevecca University’s counseling psychology program and graduated with honors with her master’s degree.
If you want to learn more about us and our founder Leiah, you can check out Nashville Voyager and read their interview with her!
Would you like to provide professional feedback for our clinic? You can submit a review to be posted here on our website!