Therapists in Buchanan County, MO

Sometimes life is hard. We experience stress, difficult experiences, wounding in relationships, and trauma along with many other experiences. We carry these with us and they show up in our daily lives - in our thoughts, emotions, physical body, relationships with others, relationship with our self. Maybe you've noticed feeling stuck and overwhelmed. Weighed down. Maybe anxious. Maybe you've noticed patterns in your relationships. Maybe physical discomfort and pain. Tension in your body. Maybe you're curious about what you're noticing. Or maybe you’re curious about who YOU are – the authentic you.

Life presents challenges that are difficult to face alone, and trusting someone to hold your thoughts and emotions as sacred takes courage. I consider it an honor to walk with you, side by side, through your journey of transformation, healing and restoration. I seek to connect the body and the brain to dig deeper, at your pace. Creating and being a safe, inviting, warm and connected space is a passion of mine. It is such a privilege to bear witness to people reclaiming themselves and finding freedom from trauma!

You may be struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, or carrying the weight of abuse and trama through life. Issues like these weigh you down as you continue to fulfill your roles at work, at home, and in your relationships. These struggles may be new to you, or you may have carried them alone for years. Perhaps you've even reached out for help but not yet found the right fit, yet you long to break through these challenges and feel like yourself again.

I have seen both professionally and personally how transformative the therapeutic process can be when seeking change, growth, and healing. I focus on individuals and couples whose concerns may include anxiety, depression, trauma, or relationship problems. My goal is to provide clients a safe and nonjudgmental space to explore and process their pain and help them reflect on how their experiences influence their perception of themselves, others, and the world. With empathy, understanding, acceptance, and encouragement, I work with clients on integrating changes so that they have the tools they need to live a happy and healthy life.

Knowing we can be loved exactly as we are gives us the best opportunity to grow into the healthiest people. I believe relational psychotherapy helps to restore hope and connection, even during seasons of immense pain and suffering. Having a place where you can be heard and feel known is essential while working through heavy feelings, emotions, thoughts, and processing difficult experiences. As therapy deepens, individuals I work with gain insight into presenting symptoms and patterns of behavior that initially brought them to see me.

I believe every person has the right to heal and experience personal growth. We all experience hardships and stress in life that can be overwhelming. I am here to help you understand you are not alone and deserve to be heard . My intention is to provide a safe, inclusive, trauma-informed space to support you on your path to healing and to enhance your relationship to self. There is no concern that is too small that you should have to endure by yourself. I believe each individual is unique and deserves a therapeutic experience that is tailored to their healing journey.

As humans, we are each created for connection and when personal connections are bent or broken it can cause problems in our lives. I strive to create a space to allow emotional exploration and vulnerability without judgment or criticism. We each have the capacity to experience joy through our own acceptance and love for self and others and when we experience acceptance and love from another we can find that joy. I desire to walk alongside each person as they explore their own unique journey. I also have a Masters Level Intern that can see client for as low as $30 per session.

If you're reading this, I want you to know how courageous it is that you've already taken the first step: asking for help. It's something no one wants to do, but I've been there, and it can be the change you need to live the life you were meant to. Being vulnerable and brave enough to tell your story is tough. But getting you to the place where you can actually own your story, and maybe even write a new ending, is totally worth it.

Hello! I'm Vanessa, co-owner of Secure Counseling Clinics. I've lived in KC for 20 years with my husband, 4 children, 3 dogs, 2 cats, 1 bearded dragon, and a flock of backyard chickens! I'm a Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in both MO and KS, Nationally Certified Counselor, Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and KS board-approved clinical supervisor. My heart work is helping humans with complex trauma. Couples, as well as parents and their children, work with me to form secure attachments with each other. I help clients experiencing relationship difficulties and those who experience pain from circumstances or losses.

Every person has a unique path to walk in life. Sometimes you need someone to walk with you to guide, support, validate and encourage . I would see it as a privilege to walk beside you on your journey. It's difficult to reach out and it takes courage to seek positive change. I'm here to help you navigate life transitions, trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship conflict and more.

We are not meant to live life alone, but rather deeply involved in relationships. Some of these relationships are highly successful, while others have come with great loss, significant struggle or just the every day difficulty of learning to live and enjoy life with another person. I believe in the value of working through personal problems in the context of building stronger relationships. I will help you work through this on a personal level or with whomever you are needing to have a restored relationship with.

In a world full of judgment, we need someone we can be vulnerable with. We need someone we can talk to about the uncomfortable thoughts and emotions associated with fears and insecurities. We need someone we can bounce ideas off of to find perspective. In a world full of judgment, we need a nonjudgmental someone who can be kind, empathetic, and psychological educated to help us grow in self and life contentment. My 32 years of cosmetology and services industry work, along with my achievement of honors in both my BA and MA, has allowed me to build acceptance, wisdom, perspective, and awareness in my therapeutic approach.

Life can be hard sometimes and full of stress, but my goal is to help provide a sense of inner peace and increase in happiness. I am passionate about the body and mind connection and identifying ways to improve overall happiness to live your best life. Life is meant to be lived and to feel empowered. Finding your own inner strength through improvement in mood, cognitions, and overall well-being. Having a safe space to talk and improve self growth and awareness is critical to improvement in daily functioning. My favorite saying is happiness is good for the soul and finding out that you are capable of that is my motivation!

Therapy can truly be life changing! I believe that a warm, accepting, non-judgemental, safe place to express one's true self is invaluable. That is my approach as a therapist. I have found that each session may be a bit different. We may focus on current life circumstances, process childhood trauma, or make goals for the future. What you can expect from each therapy session is to be heard, seen, validated and sometimes gently challenged.

"Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." C.G. Jung-- You might suffer from anxiety, depression, grief, and/or relationship issues, but the key is that you are willing to explore why. My philosophy is holistic in that I feel like it is important to examine each part of life because I truly believe everything is connected when it concerns mental, emotional, and physical suffering and pain. I have recently completed a yoga teacher certification so I am able to incorporate somatic principles and movement into my work with clients.

I specialize in High-performance individuals that live under a constant state of performance pressure, Parents who want to understand what their child needs in education (gifted or learning difficulties), and Attorneys that want fair and honest data to decide what needs to happen in complex child custody cases. As someone who has lived in these scenarios, I've developed tools and techniques to help you find the answers you need. Whether you are worried about your child, feeling burned out, or need an accurate assessment for court, I'll strive to give you the care and attention I'd want for my own family.

Our practice focuses on sexual addiction - for the person with addiction, the partner and the couple. If you struggle with sex addiction (including pornography) you want someone who understands this addiction and has a plan for your recovery. We do. If you are the partner of a sex addict, it's important to take care of yourself and seek counsel from a compassionate therapist who understands your situation. Both the addict and the betrayed partner get better faster with a highly trained, highly focused supportive therapy team. Men and women have regained and even improved relationships through their work with us.