You have a hard time asking for help. You believe you should be able to do it all and if you are struggling it is because you aren't working hard enough. You work so hard to be the best mom, partner, daughter, friend, and professional. You feel the weight of the world on your shoulders and you feel like you can't breathe. You sacrifice your sleep, diet, and overall well-being for everyone else. You're starting to get resentful that others can make time for themselves, but you can't. You wonder how you look in the eyes of your partner, kids, and co-workers and if they can tell something has changed.

When difficult things happen--trauma, loss, extreme stress--our brains and bodies have an amazing capacity cope; for example, we are flooded with adrenaline to help us survive or we go into shock to protect from the depths of loss. However, sometimes events overwhelm all our capacities, and we get stuck in those events. Using both talk therapy and EMDR, I can help you understand how your mind and body is attempting to cope, learn how to reduce, tolerate and manage the lingering effects, appreciate and reconnect to your emotions, become more embodied, process past events, and find meaningful purpose and connection in the present.

My goal as a therapist is to help people get back on track with what is truly important in their lives and let go of the unnecessary struggle that psychological pain can create. I believe that everyone can learn to take a new perspective on pain and suffering in order to prevent it from acting as a barrier to the most important parts of their lives.

I help Individuals and couples who have a desire to be more mindful and move beyond their stress, insecurity, fear, anxiety and discomfort. Together we will set goals to help you help yourself in creating peace, satisfaction, meaning, understanding and acceptance within yourself, family, work and community. Perhaps you are grieving the death of a husband, wife, or significant other. Working together, we will move your strained marriage/relationship to a place of understanding and growth. Also, if you are experiencing the fallout of infidelity, we can work together on healing the hurt.

Have you've felt stuck in your life or relationships? Sense you need a new direction? Wondering how to shake the current mood you're living in? My style is to partner with you to create conditions for change. My holistic approach focuses on deeply listening to your concerns, and working to develop new life competencies toward results that matter to you. My ideal client is one who comes with a desire to change the feelings, behaviors, and patterns that contribute to current pain or suffering, and a willingness to work together to meet the challenges you face.

**I have daytime availability Monday-Friday and morning availability on Fridays.** I practice in an integrative fashion, combining aspects of psychodynamic, relational, cognitive-behavioral and existential perspectives. I view therapy as a collaborative process and work with my clients to help create and maintain a safe space to explore and interact with one's thoughts and feelings. I seek to help my clients live fully and authentically and see therapy as an opportunity to learn new ways of walking in the world that bring happiness and fulfillment.

What on Earth are you doing here? Things were going along pretty well, then perhaps something happened. How did your life go off the rails? And, more importantly, how can you get back on track? Kudos to you for Googling your way here looking for assistance. Anxiety, depression, grief, family conflict, relationship issues, stress… If there were easy answers for the issues causing your suffering you’d have found them yourself by now. You realize that you need to find a therapist – not just anybody, but someone you can trust, someone who really gets you and speaks your language. That’s where I come in.

Ashley works with and has a passion for providing services to individuals living with and battling mental health, learning, mood, and traumatic disorders from the ages of 12-years old and above. She specializes in athletic/performance psychology and enhancement, and addictions. Along with providing services, she has a dedication to being a light and a gatekeeper for the fields of mental health, counseling, and clinical supervision. It is her desire to see folks live in their purpose(s) and be the optimal versions of their true and authentic selves.

My general approach to therapy is to provide relatability and a strong therapeutic relationship in an environment, where clients feel respected and understood. Developed over 17 years of experience working with adolescents and families with a diversity of backgrounds and situations, I enjoy seeing clients with a range of presenting issues. I have a particular interest in helping clients through life’s many transitions, including relationship and family issues, career changes and supporting young adults (and their parents!) struggling with post high school transition or failure to launch.

I support women who may have the plan, direction and tools to get reach their dreams, but still find themselves feeling unmotivated, stuck and caught in a loop of self sabotage. When we partner together, I empower them to overcome the obstacles that hold them back and help them walk confidently towards their dreams. I do this through a two step, results driven process which gives women a deep understanding of themselves and redirects their path in life.

I know that starting this process can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Using warmth, empathy, direct feedback and skill building I can help you more fully understand yourself and your relationships and therefore feel empowered to start living the life you want to live. While it is important to minimize daily struggles that get in the way of being fully present in your life and relationships, I firmly believe that healing comes from exploring how our past experiences have affected the ways in which we interpret and interact with our world in the present.

I specialize in trauma therapy. I work people who have had a recent traumatic event and those who have a long history of traumatic events. I am trained in EMDR, a researched-based treatment that can greatly relieve the negative effects of traumatic experiences, depression and anxiety. PTSD is a treatable condition, not a lifetime burden! Through EMDR therapy you will make peace with your past and learn how to manage your feelings and emotions as they arise. I offer relaxation training, guided imagery, and mindfulness. I am comfortable working within your spiritual framework and your cultural background.

Psychotherapy has the potential to improve and even transform people's lives. If you're feeling like there's something missing in your life, psychotherapy can help. You deserve support if you’re experiencing anxiety, depression or the lingering effects of trauma and loss. If you're dealing with challenging life transitions or difficult personal and professional relationships, psychotherapy can be an valuable resource to help you navigate and cope more constructively.

I specialize in couples counseling, family counseling, counseling with men, and premarital counseling. I help clients make meaning of their struggles, articulate their desires, and collaborate to reach their goals. I normalize and interpret conflict in terms of differences, identity, connection, and power issues. Intimacy and anger, stress and time constraints, are often the focus of our work together. I tend to be fairly transparent and strengths-focused. I also specialize in the integration of spirituality and psychotherapy.

I support women and families through infertility, pregnancy, postpartum and parenthood. Additionally, I see women who are experiencing depression, anxiety, grief/loss & life transitions. I have had the honor of walking through this season, with all its highs and lows, alongside many patients, clients, and friends. We are complex, as people, often having many different emotions at once. I aim to help you find space for all of it.

I believe that therapy is a healing process. We find the parts of ourselves that need healing to get to who we want to be and how we want to live. I believe that everyone has the ability to create those changes. In therapy, I focus on providing a safe space and joining you in this work, because I believe that much of healing needs to happen in relationship. My approach is relational, person-centered, and trauma-informed. That means I think the therapeutic relationship is a means of healing, that I allow you to lead the process, and that I am aware of how much trauma can impact our lives. I practice from a social justice lens.

Disorders such as depression and anxiety are often complicated by substance abuse, and vice versa. I'm experienced in treating such co-occurring disorders and other issues in a supportive, open and effective way that respects clients' autonomy and values. What this means in practice is a customized approach to each individual, based on their specific needs, that draws on different therapeutic traditions and techniques. These may include psychodynamic, looking at close early relationships and issues; cognitive-behavioral therapy, untangling connections between thoughts, feelings and behaviors; mindfulness, drawing on ancient mind-body practices such as meditation that neuroscience has increasingly validated; as well as others.

If you have considered counseling and feel it is time to begin a therapeutic journey, congratulations! My initial approach with each client is to join with them in the process of building a safe and trusting relationship, regardless of how and why they come to counseling. I try to provide my clients support in facing and accepting their circumstances with mindfulness and compassion. Issues could include anxiety, depression or loneliness; life's "adjustments," e.g., divorce, illness, job changes; Grief work; Marital/Partnership and Parenting issues; Substance abuse, Addiction/Recovery and Adult Children of Alcoholics issues.

You are undoubtedly tired of having the same argument over and over again without any resolution. Or your relationship may have lost it's spark and you really want it back! Perhaps you and your partner have different interests sexually and you want to work those out. Or, if there has been infidelity, you may want to repair, heal the wounds before you decide to end the relationship for good. For some, relationships just don't seem to work out and you want to figure out why. Whether you come alone or with your partner,We are here to help.

**ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS** Trudy, LPC, holds a Masters’ degree in Clinical Counseling from National Louis University. Trudy assists clients across the life-span, tailoring therapy to meet the specific needs of each individual. She approaches therapy with a holistic perspective, exploring the impact of stress on the mind, body, and spirit. She emphasizes the importance of establishing an open and trusting relationship with her clients. Her goal is to foster a sense of self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-acceptance that will ultimately lead clients to a more fulfilling life.