Tiara A. Nichole Griffis, PhD, LCMHC, BCC
Clinical Director | Psychotherapist | Family Life Coach
Tiara has a passion for helping people better understand who they are and how they function. Her work centers on Personality + Functionality, recognizing that meaningful growth requires more than addressing symptoms or changing behaviors—it requires understanding the person behind them.
Having navigated her own experiences with mental health and trauma growing up, Tiara developed a passion for helping others identify the experiences, patterns, and barriers that influence how they see themselves and move through the world. Her goal is to help clients develop greater self-awareness, move beyond what has held them back, and live more intentionally and purposefully.
Tiara’s therapeutic approach is eclectic, grounded in psychodynamic and psychoeducational principles while integrating cognitive-behavioral, relational, and reality-based techniques according to each client’s needs and goals. Her work explores who a person is, what has shaped them, and how those experiences influence the way they currently function. From there, she helps clients connect insight with practical strategies for growth and change.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach in Tiara’s work. Personality helps us understand who we are, while functionality helps us understand how we operate within our relationships, responsibilities, environments, and everyday lives. Understanding both can help clients recognize what is working, what is not, and what may need to change.
Tiara is the Clinical Director and Psychotherapist at Crowned Life Counseling Center, PLLC, which she co-founded with her husband, Rich. Together, they also founded Crowned Collaborative, a ministry and movement centered on community, purpose, faith, and applying godly principles to everyday life. They are the parents of three daughters: Kierstyn, Reign, and Lennox.
Professionally, Tiara is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Board Certified Coach, and Licensed Professional School Counselor. She also serves as a Military and Family Life Counselor and teaches counseling at the graduate level. Throughout her career, she has developed and facilitated groups including INSPiRE, Iron Sharpens Iron, and D.A.M.S.E.L., all centered on self-awareness, connection, growth, and purpose.
Tiara earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from North Carolina State University, where her research focused on narcissistic parenting and parenting dynamics. Her background spans clinical mental health, education, human development, family systems, and military communities. She is currently pursuing her Master of Divinity (M.Div.) at Duke University, further expanding her work at the intersection of psychology, faith, identity, relationships, and purpose.
She is also the author of Quick Reminders from Being Quarantined with The King, Parts 1, 2, and 3.
At the heart of Tiara’s work is a simple framework:
Personality: Who you are.
Functionality: How you are.
Identity: You.
Her work helps people understand the connection between the three so they can move toward healthier, more intentional ways of doing, feeling, and being.
Rich Griffis, M.Ed., LCMHCA
Executive Director | Psychotherapist
Rich is dedicated to assisting clients with their life goals and helping them find a healthy way to process their past traumas to live out their best future. By utilizing an eclectic approach to therapy, he aims to provide a safe and supportive space where he collaborates to help clients reach their desired goals.
His therapeutic approaches are customarily, but not limited to Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Psychodynamic Therapy. Rich also uses Christian concepts in his sessions for those desiring to incorporate spirituality.
Rich works with individuals from a variety of backgrounds on issues including, but not limited to depression, anxiety, stress management, trauma, codependent relationships, grief and loss, parenting, and other mental health-related or life distresses.
In addition to counseling, Rich holds a BFA in Graphic Design and has worked in the marketing industry for over a decade. He enjoys helping his design clients build their own visual identity through brand development and believes that simplicity and attention to details are the best way to communicate clearly and strongly. (Click here to visit his freelance website)
Rich currently serves as Crowned Life’s Executive Director and Visual Designer. He is married to Crowned Life’s co-founder, Tiara. He received his degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at NC State and is a licensed clinician.
Stella Jackman-Ryan, PhD, BCC
Family Life Coach + Consultant
Life is filled with changes and uncertainties that can leave us feeling scared, frustrated, hopeless, and out of control. We may feel like we are losing ourselves in vulnerability and may struggle to navigate the experience. Life does not get easier and more lenient. Instead, we become bolder, stronger, and more resilient.
Dr. Stella specializes in guiding individuals through the intricate landscape of life changes. She uses a person-centered approach with elements of cognitive behavioral therapy to support clients in uncovering limiting beliefs that might be getting in the way of their emotional freedom. Stella equips clients with tools to not only understand their emotions but to harness their power for growth and healthy decision-making.
Dr. Stella has 11 years of experience working with international populations. She is attuned to the cultural backgrounds, beliefs, values, and experiences of her clients. She respects and affirms the inherent value of each individual.
Dr. Stella has a Master of Sciences in Clinical Psychology and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from NC State. She is married and is a mom to three incredible boys. She views herself as a lifelong learner, and with her clients, she celebrates the remarkable journey of discovery and growth.