Compassion Focused Therapists in Hawk Point, MO

Allow me to help you transition from uncertainty to hope, healing and personal growth. I have over 20 years of experience working with people in a safe, caring, supportive environment. My position is to help you find solutions in managing and coping with life changes.

Feelings are messengers, and they often don't follow the rules of logic. However, emotions still carry important information about what we need, what we want, and what is (and isn’t) working. I will help guide you to listen to your emotions and experiences in a way that finally makes sense. It is my aim to provide insight so you are able to move from the long-held belief of, “What is wrong with me?” to “What is my pain trying to tell me?” We will work together to decode the confusion of emotions and access the inner strengths you already possess. I will guide you on your journey back to Yourself. You are worthy of that.

I specialize in working with young children and adolescents navigating anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, and other challenges. My focus also includes counseling with prenatal/postpartum clients working through the challenges of becoming a new mother, including anxiety and depression. I am passionate about working with mothers who may be experiencing burnout or other challenges that come with the demands of motherhood. This includes helping to empower women to reach their fullest potential.

Change takes time and hard work, and frequently also requires compassion, perspectives, and ideas from outside our own minds. Therapy is one way to help make the changes you want in your life. Using compassion-focused therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and solution-focused models, I help adolescents and adults practice ways to move away from self-defeating behaviors into more peace.

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.

Searching for a therapist, filling out paperwork, finding time and making sure the therapist is a good fit can often feel like A LOT. I know this and I am here to provide any support that I can when taking the difficult steps to ask for help. My goal is to make the process as painless as possible, putting my clients and their needs first. Whether those needs include help for anxiety, depression, an eating disorder, substance use struggles, panic disorder, impulse control struggles or trauma processing, I am here to help. My clients will gain a better understanding of themselves and learn how take an active role in their healing.

The past few years have undoubtedly taken a toll on people, and families' emotional and mental health. The effects are evident, but not irreversible. Circumstances have changed our mood, how we react, interact and cope with the world and those around us. Family, intimate, personal, and work relationships have been affected. Coping skills that have worked in the past, may no longer serve us well, and could be hindering our overall health, happiness, contentment and wellbeing.

Whatever the reason that has led you to seek therapy services, I am here to listen. I offer a gentle, compassionate and non-judgmental environment, providing my clients with a safe space where they will feel heard and supported. Whether you are struggling with a significant life event, feeling unsatisfied in a relationship or job, coping with loss, or experiencing feelings of depression or anxiety, I believe that you are capable of making meaningful change. Employing a strengths-based, collaborative approach, together we will work toward developing a clear path to achieve your goals and lead a more purposeful and satisfying life.

I believe counseling is most powerful when it sensitizes you to what’s happening in your mind, heart, and body and helps you meet whatever you find with compassion. Feeling your feels (literally) is the first step to making sense of them. Within that confusion is the possibility of deeper self-knowledge and freedom. I find it helpful to use yoga and mindfulness practices to keep you grounded as you explore big emotions, and I enjoy working with people who want to bring the wisdom of the body into their therapeutic work—whether that’s processing loss, trauma, change, overwhelm, spiritual concerns, or feeling stuck and disconnected.

Welcome! I’m passionate about helping individuals find a sense of groundedness and connection while learning to navigate an overwhelming part of life. Feeling overwhelmed can cause us to question ourselves and feel untethered. I am here to hold space and walk with you as you reconnect to your innate ability to regulate, explore your experiences with greater curiosity and compassion, and find deeper connection with yourself and others.

What makes counseling work? A study found that resilience, relationship and faith make a difference. Together we can figure out your capacity for resilience - yes you have a capacity for change. One of the best things about counseling is building relationship. You can't know someone without allowing them to know you. Building that relationship is my primary focus and greatest strength. Believing that change is possible and using that belief can help your process. What are your values and beliefs? How do they guide you? I use my faith in my process, I will encourage you to use yours, whatever it may be - all are welcome.

Arie Baker utilizes a non-judgmental and empowering approach that helps clients build skills and recognize their internal strengths. She provides a warm and welcoming environment to process your experiences and life's difficulties.

Are you feeling stuck and confused about how to manage stress in your life? Do you have a problem(s)/decision(s) that you are not sure how to resolve? Sometimes the thought of seeking a therapist can be scary and intimidating. You may discover, it can ease the struggles that often appear in one's life. I have been a clinician for over 20 yrs with experience from a variety of settings, such as, private practice, in-patient and outpatient behavioral health. I am dedicated to making your journey easier. Whether you are faced with a daily stressor or have major concerns, I am here to support you to find comfort and solutions regarding your challenges.

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.

People look for counselors/therapists/life coach for all reasons. I work with clients with a variety of backgrounds and issues to help them reach goals or navigate through transitions in a therapeutic supportive way. I work with clients who are of middle school age through adulthood including Seniors. I work with individuals, couples and families. From depression, anxiety, addictions, relationship issues, communication problems, women's and men's health specific related issues to general support, I have worked with and helped many people over the years. Throughout Life we often need a professional to help us achieve our very best.

Taking the steps to find a therapist is a courageous leap in your journey. I take pride in helping clients process difficult emotions and create a secure sense of self. Your issue, need, or goal will be unique, but I strive to provide a safe space to assist you in this difficult process.

My goal as an eclectic counselor is to help others grow, regain peace, joy and healing in their lives by providing empathy, encouragement and support. I help my clients define the tools needed to overcome obstacles, deescalate situations, make better choices and negotiate positive outcomes to be the best they can be via individual and group counseling. I am a dedicated, knowledgeable counselor with experience working with adults of all ages from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds using clinically tested and evidence-based interventions.

Do you find yourself caught between moments of joy and love, yet overwhelmed and adrift? Are you grappling with guilt as you navigate what should be a joyful time? Does your toddler's behavior make you feel like you are boiling over? The "what if's" of motherhood are keeping you on edge? Regardless what stage of motherhood you're in, together, we will ride the waves of motherhood with ease, grace, & confidence. For more information, visit wavesofmotherhood.com.

I embody a relatable and strengths-based approach in my sessions, and offer a nonjudgmental and safe space to process past experiences, current issues, or future stressors. My goal is to empower each client to overcome whatever obstacles they may be facing and reach their full potential in an empathetic therapy environment.