About Tal Prince
Counseling Driven By Insight, Authenticity, And Personal Experience
My life has been an ever-narrowing funnel directing me toward a career as a therapist. Growing up, I was always that kid listening to everyone’s problems and challenges. And because I moved several times as a child and had an opportunity to visit many places, I was given a wonderful opportunity to engage firsthand with a variety of cultures and personality types. I took these experiences with me as I got older and began a successful career in international business. In my role as a corporate executive, I built strong interpersonal relationships with customers that I would later attribute to preparing me for my role as a counselor.
But before becoming a counselor, I left the world of commerce to pursue a calling toward ministry. One of my seminary requirements in divinity school was a counseling class with Dr. Langston Haygood, who proved to be a significant figure in my life. For years during and after seminary—12 to be exact—Dr. Haygood tried to convince me to become a therapist instead of a minister. He saw a natural talent for counseling in me, but I shrugged it off, figuring I already had my career path sorted out. I went on to plant a church, become a nationally recognized speaker, and host of my own show on Sirius Satellite Radio.
It took my own struggle with pornography and sex addiction to realize the power that counseling would have on my life, both personally and professionally. During my intervention, and at a time when life was particularly painful and chaotic, Dr. Haygood still had faith in me. He told me, “You’re the best natural counselor I have ever seen—you’re even better than me, and I have been doing this for 30 years. I’m done chasing you. I want you to quit your job, go to rehab, and come back for your master’s in counseling.”
The rest is history. And while mine was not the “conventional” path to becoming a therapist, there is little about me that could ever be described as conventional. Instead of ascribing a one-size-fits-all treatment plan or approaching clients’ addiction from a detached point-of-view, I get in the trenches with my clients and walk alongside them as fellow survivors on the path to recovery.
Who I Treat
As a practice, Insights Counseling Center is unique in that we have a fully trained team focused on treating sex addiction and its impact on individuals, marriages, and families. We bring an extensive battery of treatment and can bring to bear many of the tools of residential treatment in an outpatient setting. Our team knows sex addiction and betrayal trauma because most of us have been through it ourselves—this is what fuels our passion.
It is gratifying to help others find sobriety, restore their relationships, and heal from trauma. In fact, when I wake up in the morning to see a full day of sessions with clients who are genuinely invested in their recovery, I can’t wait to get started.
Though I am first and foremost a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT), I am also a Certified Partner Trauma Therapist (CPTT). These certifications give me the training and insight necessary to treat sex addiction and the partners and families their addictive choices have harmed. Dealing with both ends of this spectrum has led me to maintain a broad specialization in trauma. I believe that trauma is at the root of all addictions, and I’ve observed unprocessed pain and abuse in most of my clients. I also have training in Brainspotting and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Both of these therapies are designed to target trauma that is stored in the body. Recently, I have added Neurofeedback into the arsenal of weapons we have to treat trauma.
When working with couples, in particular, I draw from The Early Recovery Couples Empathy Model (ERCEM), The Gottman Method, and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). These approaches offer proven tools that can meaningfully repair the parts of marriages and relationships broken by betrayal. Using these counseling techniques, I have been honored to work with couples in deep despair and shepherd them on the path to recovery.
How I Approach My Work
When my wife, Teresa, and I decided what to name our counseling practice, I kept returning to what I believe is my superpower: insight. Again and again in my life, I have been validated for my unique perspectives on all kinds of people and situations. By breaking such insights down into memorable, easily communicated concepts, I can help facilitate meaningful change in my clients’ lives.
Not to mention, I maintain a diversity of experiences that not many conventional therapists have. I’ve lived all over the country, traveled all over the world, pursued several successful careers, and had the opportunity to sit with, interact and learn from some of the great thought leaders—especially in matters of pornography and sex addiction.
Given my expertise in the field, I have made numerous appearances on local television and radio networks to speak about addiction and betrayal. In addition, I have contributed to several publications, including a book by spiritual influencer George Barna and A Clinical Guide to Treating Behavioral Addictions – Conceptualizations, Assessments and Clinical Strategies by Dr. Amanda L. Giordano.
From my successes in the corporate world to the big-picture conclusions I came to in seminary to my own experience as an addict, I offer my clients unique insights that meet them exactly where they are on their journey. I know what it’s like when life quiets down and the urges surface. I know the heart-pounding fear of being exposed as someone different from the image that is portrayed to the rest of the world. These were the best worst experiences I’ve ever had, and they are what allows me to relate to my clients on a deep, authentic level.
Family, Faith, And FIFA
Outside of work, my family and faith are the most important things. However, a very close third is soccer, which is a huge passion of mine. I absolutely love watching the sport, and honestly, if ESPN aired matches between two beginner-level middle school soccer teams, I’d probably tune in.
I also love to watch movies and cook for my family. One of my favorite things is smoking up multiple slabs of ribs on my Big Green Egg and having friends over to watch US Soccer games.
I Know Recovery Is Possible Because I Wake Up Every Day And Choose It
You are not alone on your journey recovering from trauma, addiction, or betrayal—I have been in those dark places and know that recovery is possible. In therapy at Insights Counseling Center, you can feel cared for on your journey, working alongside an experienced clinician who understands your pain—and has a plan to help you with it.
To learn more about how I can help, please email me.
Tal Prince is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) serving in the community of Birmingham, Alabama and throughout the state via Telehealth and intensives. After receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University, and later, a Masters of Divinity from Samford University, Tal pursued a Masters of Clinical Mental Health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
He maintains the following additional credentials and trainings:
Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT)
Certified Partner Trauma Therapist (CPTT)
Completed Level 3 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy
Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy (PACT) Level 2 Therapist
Early Recovery Couples Empathy Model (ERCEM) Specialist
Certified BrainCore Neurofeedback Provider
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Levels 1-2 and with Attachment and Addiction specialty training
Brainspotting (BSP) Phases 1 and 2
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Externship & Advanced Core Skills 1 – 4
MBTI Certified Practitioner
