The Daring Way™ in Mount Pleasant, SC

The Daring Way™ therapy is Brené Brown’s research-based, psychoeducational, experiential approach to building shame resilience, self-compassion, vulnerability, and more honest connection. At Long Point Counseling, I integrate this work into trauma-informed therapy for adults and couples in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and statewide by secure telehealth.

What Is The Daring Way™ Therapy?

The Daring Way™ is Brené Brown’s psychoeducational, experiential approach based on research about shame, vulnerability, courage, and worthiness. In plain language, it helps people notice the stories and protective habits that show up when they feel exposed, not enough, or afraid of being truly seen.

In therapy, that often looks like learning how shame operates in real time: the perfectionism, people-pleasing, overfunctioning, emotional shutdown, control, anger, or withdrawal that tries to keep you safe. The goal is not more vulnerability at any cost. The goal is shame resilience—the ability to stay grounded, speak more honestly, and respond with more self-compassion and choice.

In my practice, I use The Daring Way™ as a framework within individualized psychotherapy, not as a rigid script or one-size-fits-all program. This page is educational and is not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis, or crisis care; whether this approach fits your needs is something we would evaluate together.

Who The Daring Way™ May Help

Many people who benefit from The Daring Way™ therapy look high-functioning from the outside. They are competent, responsible, and often the ones others depend on. Underneath, though, they may be driven by self-criticism, guilt, overfunctioning, or a constant sense that no matter how much they do, it is never quite enough.

This work often resonates with:

• Adults exhausted by perfectionism, harsh self-talk, or the pressure to hold everything together
• People who struggle with vulnerability, boundaries, self-worth, or asking for help without feeling weak or guilty
• Partners who want more honesty, empathy, accountability, and real repair in their relationship
• People who feel emotionally disconnected, hard to know, or afraid that being fully seen will lead to rejection

When clinically appropriate, I also integrate this work with trauma therapy, betrayal trauma recovery, grief, anxiety, depression, and addiction recovery. Shame is often woven into those experiences, and addressing it can make other therapy work more effective and more enduring.

If the word vulnerability makes you tense, that is normal. You do not need to share everything immediately to begin. Good therapy respects pace, safety, and readiness.

Jeff Marcino’s Approach to The Daring Way™

I’m Jeff Marcino, Psy.D., LPC, and I’m certified in The Daring Way™. I bring 20 years of clinical experience to this work, including extensive experience with trauma, betrayal trauma, compulsive sexual behavior and sex addiction recovery, and couples therapy. My style is trauma-informed, relational, direct, and compassionate: I will be honest with you, and I will work hard not to shame you while doing it.

What makes this approach different in my practice is integration. Shame rarely shows up by itself. It may sit underneath infidelity recovery, compulsive sexual behavior, chronic people-pleasing, unresolved grief, depression, anxiety, or long-standing relationship conflict. With couples, I may pair The Daring Way™ with couples therapy informed by Relational Life Therapy, helping partners speak more honestly, hear impact with less defensiveness, and move toward accountability and repair.

I also pay close attention to timing. If your nervous system is already overloaded by trauma or acute stress, I am not going to push vulnerability as a performance. Sometimes the first step is steadier grounding, clearer boundaries, or more stabilization. My private practice is based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, serving the greater Charleston area in person, and you can view all therapy services if you want a broader sense of my work.

What Sessions Are Like

Your first session is about understanding the whole picture. We will discuss your history, what is bringing you in now, the patterns you keep running into, your goals, and whether The Daring Way™ therapy is actually a good fit. If I think another approach, a different pace, or a different level of care would serve you better, I will tell you.

Ongoing sessions may include identifying shame triggers, noticing the protective strategies you rely on, exploring where those patterns came from, building self-compassion that feels believable, and practicing more honest connection with the people who matter to you. That can include boundaries, repair conversations, tolerating healthy discomfort, and learning how to ask for help without collapsing into shame.

The tone is confidential, non-shaming, warm, and appropriately challenging. Meaningful change usually takes time, honesty, and practice between sessions. The work is not about becoming emotionally exposed all at once; it is about becoming more real, more grounded, and more free in how you live and relate.

In-Person in Mount Pleasant or Online Across South Carolina

I offer in-person therapy in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, for clients in the greater Charleston area, and secure telehealth for clients anywhere in South Carolina. Both formats can be effective, and together they let more people access specialized care for shame, trauma, and relationship struggles.

Some clients prefer in-person sessions because the office feels containing and separate from daily life. Others prefer telehealth because it reduces commuting, fits demanding schedules, or allows them to meet from the privacy of home. In either format, I work to provide a consistent, focused therapy experience, and I review privacy, confidentiality, and practical setup so care feels secure and usable over time.

Fees and How to Get Started

I am a private-pay practice. Working outside of insurance keeps your care confidential and shaped entirely around your goals, never capped by session limits or diagnosis codes. I’m glad to talk through current fees directly, so the financial side is clear from the start. I am not an in-network insurance provider, and I do not bill insurance directly. If you want to pursue out-of-network reimbursement, I can provide documentation for you to submit to your plan.

New clients begin with a brief confidential request that I review personally. If it seems like a good fit, the next step is straightforward. When you are ready, you can request a confidential consultation. There is no pressure—just a simple, private way to reach out and see whether working together makes sense.

A note on safety: If you are in immediate danger or in a mental health crisis, please call or text 988 now, or call 911 in an emergency. Crisis support is the right next step when you need immediate help.

Reaching out can feel vulnerable. If something on this page fits, you are welcome to take the next step when you are ready.

Explore Jeff’s full range of therapy services, or when you’re ready, schedule a first appointment.

This content is educational and is not a substitute for therapy or diagnosis. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).