Therapists in Marthasville, MO

Hi, my name is River! I'm a therapist and I’m passionate about working with people who have been impacted by trauma and painful life experiences. I believe that our bodies and minds have innate wisdom and flexibility. When we are exposed to hardships we adapt to keep ourselves safe from danger. This may look like shutting down our emotions to cope, looking for warning signs everywhere we go, or being hesitant to trust those closest to us. These responses can become second nature, and we sometimes keep using them even after the danger is gone. In cases like these the behaviors that once protected us can start to cause pain instead.

Are you looking to connect with a more authentic version of yourself? As a queer therapist, I want to help support you through difficult times or times of self-discovery. Life can be demanding, and I aim to empower you with what you need. That can encompass many things from developing new skills to giving you a safe space to learn more about who you are. Together we will build a place that allows for reflection, growth, and compassion. Whether you are working through anxiety, depression, stress, relationship issues, all of the above, or more. I will work with you to overcome them and live the fulfilling life that you want.

I support people who are marginalized by society. I work with LGBTQIA+ individuals, people in ethically non-monogamous relationships, those of alternative faiths, and more. I help with issues related to the realm of sexuality and relationships, self discovery, and trauma processing. I help others find comfort in their authentic expression of themselves and overcome or cope with things which may be holding them back.

Clients work best with me when their goal is to strengthen relationships, when they feel stuck in relationship patterns that are no longer serving them, as they are navigating systems of oppression and questioning dominate narratives, and developing possibility models of what self-compassion healing could be.

Are you ready to set healthy boundaries in your relationships? Have you been wanting to explore your sexuality but didn't know where to start? Is your non-monogamous relationship experiencing friction? Maybe you are the survivor, strong friend, and problem solver who appears to have it all together. Yet on the inside you feel overwhelmed while also wondering, "Is this worth going to therapy for?" If your boundaries leave you questioning yourself, if you want to explore your sexuality, or if you and your partner(s) want support, it's worth going to therapy for. Our relationship, sexuality, and trauma experts are here for you.

Feeling fractured from your once-strong sense of self can be confusing, isolating, and painful. Oftentimes these feelings can arise from societal pressures to conform, living in a sex-negative society, or relationship and systemic trauma. Sex & relationship therapy can be a good fit for improving the relational quality of your life and accessing desire as a tool for living well. I specialize in supporting individuals and relationships (of all styles) who struggle to access authenticity and wholeness in their daily lives. I work best with engaged clients who practice active self reflection.

I am a psychologist with several years of experience providing psychotherapy to adult clients, as well as adolescent clients who have been identified as gifted and/or creative. I specialize in LGBTQIA+-affirming care and working with visual artists, musicians, and clients engaged in additional creative endeavors. Past clients have come to therapy with symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as distress related to life/career transitions, the sociopolitical climate, and identity. Additionally, I have experience in ADHD assessment and assisting clients with managing symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.

Are you looking to make a change but keep getting stuck in old, unsatisfying patterns? Is there a life transition (for example, opening up a relationship or a later-in-life coming out) you're having trouble with? I'm a queer therapist passionate about working with people who want support in navigating life's complexities. Together, in a non-judgmental space, we will find approaches that work to repair attachment wounds, address past traumas, and get curious about limiting beliefs so you can live a more expansive and authentic life.

Many of my clients come to me feeling overwhelmed, disconnected from family or loved ones, hopeless about the future, or like they’re struggling to make decisions or meaningful change. They may be uncertain of how to start the process of change or healing, though they’re ready for growth and understanding.

Hey! I’m Levi. I invite you to take a moment in your search to exhale with me. I appreciate you finding your way to me today. What’s more, I appreciate the world you exist in right now. No matter your stage of life, or which part(s) of your internal and external worlds you want to discuss – I will arrive in gentle kindness to strategize with you toward digestible approaches to life problems. You need not have “one big issue” that brings you to our space. In the words of my favorite band, Yo La Tengo: “Let’s be undecided, let’s take our time; and sooner or later, we will know our mind.”

Utilizing systemic principles and effective methodology, I work with clients of all backgrounds, sexualities, genders, and relationship dynamics. Clients come to me to work on sexual and/or sociosexual concerns, including low desire, infidelity, lack of partnership skills, poor impulsivity control, coming out, inner shame, exploring new dynamics and/or kinks, and also for vaginal pain and erectile dysfunction.

Many of us are grappling with the effects of disconnection – from our bodies, emotions, identities, relationships, communities, and the natural world. This disconnection often presents as shame, self-criticism, fear and anxiety, dissociation, depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and more. Folks who are seeking to interrogate those symptoms, process traumas (both interpersonal and from larger systems of oppression), nurture self-compassion, build healthy relationships and community, explore social and cultural identities, challenge expectations of how to live a life, and recenter your autonomy: I’d love to work with you.

Throughout our lives, many of us adopt narratives that don’t align with our actual experiences — they may leave out important details about our families or our make-up, the ways we were hurt, or the ways in which we have succeeded. But in all cases, they don’t do justice to the depth of our experiences, and in fact, when we have been abused or mistreated, the very purpose of these false narratives may be to obscure the truth of who we are and what we’ve been through. My greatest hope is that our work together will allow you to come home to yourself as you learn to tell stories that honor the core of who you are.

Shame expert, Brené Brown, puts it like this: “Shame loves secrecy. The most dangerous thing to do after a shaming experience is hide or bury our story. When we bury our story, the shame metastasizes.” You’ve been holding onto shame stories, weighing you down and consuming you; it’s torture. Shame paves the way for depression and anxiety, terrorizing your relationships, work, and personal life. I know you’d like to feel lighter, freer, and more connected and accepting of yourself. Let’s get you there.

As a relationship, sex, and gender therapist, I help couples, relationships, and individuals explore identities, navigate non-monogamy, and experience greater pleasure and intimacy. I am passionate about supporting LGBTQ+ folks in exploring and healing from the negative impacts of internalized homophobia, transphobia, and racism as they often manifest in shame, guilt, and low self-esteem.

People start to heal the moment they feel heard, and everyone has a story to tell. As your (or your teen's) therapist, I'll support you as you heal from your past and present, gain personal insight, release what no longer serves you, grow in your relationships, forgive yourself or others, embrace your authenticity, explore your purpose, claim your power, find your harmony and thrive. I will meet you where you are, provide a safe space for your unique story, and walk the journey with you. I'm passionate about helping teens and adults become more authentic, grounded versions of themselves.

Are you confused about what is going wrong in your life and don't know what to do anymore? Are you experiencing shame around who you are? If you are trying to understand your past emotional hurt and trauma that has gotten you to where you are and how to fix it, I can help.

Do you feel like you have been treading water for ages, barely able to keep your head above water? Or maybe you couldn’t tread any longer and have just been drowning? Maybe you’ve been searching for a lifeline, a pathway back to you. The you before all the hurt, pain, and confusion. You, who had a strong sense of self and who was not afraid to live authentically and vibrantly. But every time those bad experiences rise to the surface, you push them down. And the truth is that pushing it all down is just as tiring as you imagine addressing them head on would be. I know that you're tired of saying you’re okay when you are far from it.

The systems we live within (capitalism, colonialism, anti-fatness, etc.) and our early attachment experiences can leave us feeling disconnected from others, our bodies, our values, and our authentic selves. I offer a compassionate space to explore the ways these systems have impacted you. Together, we’ll develop resources, skills, and insights to make your life and relationships more manageable and meaningful.