Therapists in Missouri

I am an individual therapist with 20 years of experience working with survivors of childhood abuse, trauma, and intimate partner violence. More recently, my practice has expanded to focus on anxiety disorders, depression, and perfectionism. I am a trained teacher of Kristen Neff's Mindful Self-Compassion, a former DBT skills group facilitator, and have trained in RO-DBT. Over the past twenty years I have served as a teacher and trainer in settings ranging from elementary to graduate level classrooms and post-graduate continuing education workshops.

In a world riddled with sadness and struggle, I strive to provide a safe haven for my clients to find support and hope, recognizing that all too often these vital components for living just can't be found anywhere else. My hope is to be source of grounding as you face your struggle, and ultimately, yourself. Counseling can be a transformative and life-changing experience if we are brave enough to engage it with earnestness and sincerity. I'll be with you along the way.

I am privileged to work with clients of all ages across a broad variety of needs. My practice is largely focused on trauma, though I also see with clients experiencing depression, anxiety, interpersonal issues, relationship issues, and stress.

Our clients often identify as LGBTQIAs2+ / Queer, Non-monogamous, sex positive or sex neutral, neurodivergence, and or disabled and living within Missouri or Kansas. However, identifying in these communities is not a requirement for services through AAC. Clients often start therapy to work on goals to learn more about identities, setting boundaries with others in their lives, opening up their relationship, learning more about themselves or others gender or sexual expression. Through individual, relationship, or family counseling we work to increase healthy communication based on our values, instead of assumed social norms.

Hi! My name is Miranda and I am a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) in Kansas, Missouri & Texas. I'm currently under clinical supervision for my Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker (LSCSW) licensure. I'm a trauma-focused therapist with multiple certifications, who is EMDR trained. I have experience working with differently-abled individuals, refugees & asylum-seekers, and people from all backgrounds living with various challenges. I am very passionate about working with clients who have experienced trauma, particularly helping professionals. I also love serving the perinatal population.

Whether you're struggling to make sense of the past, overwhelmed and unsure of how or where to set boundaries, facing persistent negative self-beliefs, or navigating the many other complexities of life, you are not alone. I want to invite you into a safe and supportive space where whatever you’re struggling with can be witnessed and transformed. I love working with many different populations and have a lot of experience working with women, LGBTQ+ folks, clients living with chronic illness and/or invisible disabilities, and clients with attachment trauma and other early traumas.

Maybe you're feeling stuck. Maybe you are seeking answers but not able to see through the darkness. Maybe peace feels impossible. Maybe you're questioning who you are or going through a life transition. Maybe it's your relationship or parenting or past hurts. This life experience is filled with highs, lows, and in-between moments. At times, we all want someone to join in our journey and walk alongside us so we can feel supported. I am here to meet you where you are in your life right now. As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I believe that all of life is relational, whether that is within or outside with family, friends, society.

The stories we tell ourselves about the world and about our own abilities can propel us forward or hold us back. Only by fully understanding our stories and the way we tell them can we understand where our narratives are serving us and where they are hindering us. This work is key in developing a new outlook and beginning to create the life you want, with the ultimate goal of living a life that is authentic to who you are and what you believe in. It is difficult work, but it is so worth it!

The choice to seek counseling is the first step to a more fulfilling future for you and/or your child. I use a personalized, strength-based approach focusing on clients' positive virtues. I encourage the development of skills of each client to reach their full potential. I understand the importance of addressing the academic and social-emotional needs of adolescents and young adults in a safe environment. I assist clients in identifying potential roadblocks in daily function and happiness, including professional/ academic stress, anxiety, & depression.

I have been a psychotherapist for the past decade, working from a psychodynamic and trauma-informed perspective. I strive to provide a safe, respectful space in which to explore thoughts, feelings, dreams, and desires. I view symptoms as expressions of conflicts in our lives, some conscious, some unconscious, and believe that gaining insight into symptoms in a compassionate environment can help to relieve them and stop them from arising in different ways throughout our lives. It is a great privilege to work with people as they embark on the journey of knowing and accepting themselves.

I have learned that no one is immune to mental health stress, trauma, OR substance abuse. Most really can find recovery and wellness. In 2000, I began my career providing counseling services in a treatment center and have continued to specialize in coping methods vs. "using." Relationships are sacred. I work with all arrangements of families (CNM & polyamory). Expert family/couples counseling requires expert training. The Gottman Method is taught in three levels and I completed all three in 2017. My intensive couples approach is successful in improving communication and provides many tools and results in a reasonable time frame.

I enjoy working with individual adults and couples struggling with anxiety, depression, work/life balance, grief, and relationship issues as well as past trauma, and addiction. I believe in helping clients set boundaries to manage anger and anxiety as well as learning better communication skills to improve the quality of their relationships.

The clients I serve are often at a crossroads in their life story and unsure of how to close one chapter and begin anew. Clients I enjoy working with recognize that counseling continues outside of the session in self reflection, exploring behavior change, and shifting how we think and relate to ourselves. I find that counseling helps meet goals and needs as diverse as the client, and sometimes goals arise throughout the course of the relationship. No one needs a "good reason" to come to counseling, for the desire to reach out and try will always be sufficient.

Life can be chaotic and stressful. As a therapist, my passion is helping clients create more peace & presence in their stressful lives so that they can tap into their intuition and connect to their authentic selves. Through collaborative work and an emphasis on mind-body connection, I support clients as they explore their deepest pains, longings, & hopes. Through this reflective work, we can view our obstacles with new eyes, implement effective coping skills, cultivate mindfulness practices, & create change.

Young adulthood is an exciting journey of SELF discovery- so why is it so easy to obsess about the approval of OTHERS? Whether it’s food & body image, academics, or relationships, the pressure to compete & compare is not only overwhelming, it implies personal failure when we fall short of unrealistic standards. Imagine the possibilities if we all felt empowered to embrace uncertainty & authenticity- rejoicing in the knowledge that we don’t owe anyone perfection at the expense of being ourselves.

We all need help sometimes. Are you struggling with anxiety, trauma, life changes, issues around gender and/or sexual orientation, or relationships with unhealthy dynamics? I help people to work through things that may be getting in the way of what they want for their life. My hope for everyone is that they find more peace, strength, and joy in life. I specialize in working with lesbian, gay, queer, and transgender populations.

Do you feel overwhelmed? Perhaps you feel as though you're at a crossroads and not sure what path to take? Whatever the case may be, there's something that has empowered you to seek out someone to talk with. Allow me to journey alongside you in this thing we call life! It is my priority to provide a safe, non-judgmental space for you to explore and gain the insight, self-awareness, and self-acceptance you desire. I have a holistic approach and believe therapy is not a "one size fits all" model.

I seek to do whatever possible to help you feel safe in counseling. The relationship between you and I needs to be one that feels warm, inviting, non-judgmental, and encouraging. From the safety of this relationship, you can then feel supported enough to grieve what has been lost and push to fight for the things that have been taken from your life.

Feeling stuck? Not feeling like yourself? Do the stressors of daily life seem bigger to you than you believe they feel to others? I work with clients from early childhood through all phases of adulthood. I specialize in trauma, perinatal concerns (infertility, pregnancy, postpartum mood struggles, traumatic birth, and loss), as well as neurodivergence (Autism, ADHD, and more), gender/sexual expansiveness, and anxiety and depression.