Compassion Focused Therapists in Saint Louis, MO

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.

My hope is to be a first step in overcoming feelings of isolation and loneliness. If your world has been turned upside-down, either from the loss of a loved one or life's hardships, let's connect. Learning how to trust and practice new life skills are foundational in moving forward in relationships.

Brienna is a Licensed Professional Counselor with more than 5 years of experience. She is committed to helping children, adolescents, adults, and couples develop strategies for daily living that address their unique challenges. She specializes in depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, and child behavioral issues. Brienna completed her Master's in Clinical Psychology at the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology.

Life is not always easy. Transitions, such as becoming an adult or becoming a parent, can be welcome changes but can also be hard to manage. We also come across challenges in our day to day life that we may have a hard time coping with. Sometimes these things lead to issues like anxiety, depression, grief, struggles in relationships, or issues with school or work. My background in both Social Work and Child Development gives me a unique, holistic perspective that informs my practice. I particularly enjoy using my background to help both young adults and parents work through the challenges that come with their stages in life.

I come to the counseling room as a fellow traveller with a strong desire to create emotional and spiritual safety, regardless of what must be faced. Much of my experience has been focused on helping men find hope and a voice amid brokenness, loneliness, and relational trouble. I meet with individuals wrestling with anxiety, depression, past or present abuse, sexual confusion, sexual addiction, and spiritual and emotional health in general. Real relief and real growth are really possible!

Life is a struggle and it is difficult to find someone down-to-Earth to talk about life's problems with. My name is Eris and I am passionate about working with LGBTQIA+ adolescents and young adults as a safe space for identity exploration and acceptance. You are the expert of your life and know yourself better than anyone. I am here to help guide you toward the next step in life toward becoming your ideal self. I am also available to do Autism Testing (ADOS-2).

Stuck? People-Pleasing? Burnt out by life? Almost like no matter what you try to change or improve, those wheels just keep spinning, and you are exhausted. My ideal client is someone who is just ready to feel better. You may not exactly know what is going on or why these feelings are coming up all of a sudden. That's okay! You deserve someone who will collaborate with you no matter what you are dealing with. I believe connection and authenticity is the most vital part of the therapy process. Therapy is not just for fears and tears, but laughter and smiles too :) Let's tackle this together! (I hope you enjoy analogies!)

It takes courage to walk in and sit down with someone to share your story. An honest story that includes stress, anxieties, sadness, grief, and emotional suffering. My intention as a therapist is to create a safe and inclusive space for clients. This space allows individuals to open up and be present with the emotions, thoughts, and feelings that make up the human experience. I currently specialize in working with adults struggling with depression, anxiety, grief and loss, life transitions, and relationship issues.

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.

I find that often a person is suffering with one or more unresolved issues and continues to hope things will change. When things don't change or get better, they may be ready to seek counseling and become open to talking with a stranger. That's often a big step to take. The goal is to improve the situation, handle a crisis and/or just stop the pain. There are many issues that result in reaching out to a counselor including a relationship crisis, loss of some sort, surviving trauma, addictions, difficulty with family or significant others, and changes that may occur within the person such as depression or anxiety.

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.

Hello! Often our life transitions challenge our former identities; a new work role, changing relationship dynamics, or parenthood. Feeling overwhelmed or exhausted by the demands of the day to day is real. We often feel inadequate and powerless in new roles.

Are you struggling because of something that happened in the recent or distant past? Have you experienced something traumatic like abuse, combat, physical violence, rape or robbery? Do you view the world negatively? Have you re-experienced the past or feel like 'it's happening all over again"? Do you avoid things you used to do for fear of being reminded of the past? Do you hate when people bring it up? You may be struggling with trauma triggers.

May Intakes Open! - You know how to juggle a million things. You’re constantly on the go and doing everything for everyone. There’s no time to stop and not a second to spare. Sometimes you get in a flow and think, “I’ve got this!” But when you hit a bump in the road - your strong exterior comes crashing down. Suddenly everything is a disaster and nothing is working. You hate this. You don’t know why you feel this way - nothing is seriously “wrong” or “bad” in your life. You are wondering, “Why does it seem like everyone else has it figured out?” The harder that you work to get things together - the worse you feel.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Weighed down by anxiety? Difficulties in relationships or tensions with your children? I can provide you with tools and teach you how to use them, which can help to provide a more satisfying life and to help you become a healthier individual. I am driven by a passion for improving the lives of others and work diligently to provide a custom approach to meet client’s needs. I want to help individuals discover their true identities and God-given gifts, potential, and purposes in life. My approach is to provide empathy and challenge and help clients move toward transformation to make necessary changes.

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.

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.

The journey to wellness starts with the choice to hope that there is the possibility for tomorrow to be a better day. Our mission is to assist others in finding hope on their journey to wellness by providing practical solution focused options, including therapy, psychological assessment, life coaching, education, information, professional development trainings and more.

You sometimes feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders and you don’t know where to start. Feeling stressed, irritated, sad, heavy, or hopeless happens to all of us, and it can be hard to show our feelings when we think no one will understand or that we will be judged. You are never alone even when you feel like you are! I am here to listen and to help you feel supported. Let’s work together to help you find more successful ways to utilize your current strengths and resilience in the face of life’s challenges.