Teletherapy for Kirkwood, MO

I strive to create a safe and supportive environment for all my clients where a collaborative and goal-oriented relationship can develop. I assist people in increasing awareness of themselves and facilitate their journey towards healing, growth, understanding and peace.

Finding the right therapist can feel overwhelming, especially when you're already struggling and in need of support. I believe that feeling seen and heard can serve as a powerfully reparative experience, especially in a space of non-judgment and acceptance. I am honored and committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment to help clients connect with themselves in an authentic, safe, and self-compassionate way. I am a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, utilizing a neuro-biologically focused approach that assists restoration of the authentic self with self-regulation, wholeness, and a sense of aliveness.

My general approach with working with clients for over 20 years is highly individualized, relational and strengthen based. I believe most clients simply need an environment to communicate, process feelings and gain insight in order to create a more fulfilling and meaningful life. I offer individual therapy for adolescents, adults and family therapy. My passion has always been treating eating disorders and the underlying causes such as depression and anxiety. Another clinical passion and area of focus has been assisting women and mothers with identity development and navigating life transitions.

Have you found that no matter how hard you work on your relationship, you're not experiencing the type of spark and connection you long for? Are you struggling to make peace with a recent breakup or divorce? Do you find yourself grappling with feelings of anxiety, loneliness, or anger? Whether I am working with you as an individual or a couple, my goal is to help you piece together the puzzle of how your past is impacting your present.

I believe healing happens when we are reoriented toward what is truly good for us and entertain the possibility of more of it. You've learned ways to get by in life, and you pull it off well, maybe even perfectly. But along the way, you've picked up burdens you can't seem to set down. You're overwhelmed, and some days you aren't sure who you are anymore. There is a small part of you that wonders if maybe there's something more for your life, or if maybe there's a way forward that doesn't feel so hard.

Welcome. My approach to therapy revolves around insight, empowerment, and making meaningful changes in life. My areas of specialty include: navigating life transitions, overcoming traumatic experiences, processing grief, managing chronic illnesses, improving communication/relationship dynamics, strengthening the mind-body connection, enhancing self-esteem, and cultivating stress management practices. I also really enjoy working with other therapists and being a support/resource for a variety of wellness professionals.

Are you struggling with disordered eating, negative body image, anxiety, depression, and/or unresolved trauma? Creating Your Journey has three therapist that specializes in treating eating disorders, body dysmorphia, mood disorder and trauma related disorders.

I love working with teenagers, college students and young adults ages 13-30. I most enjoy working with anxiety disorders (including OCD, phobias, and panic disorder), the effects of trauma, as well as LGBTQ clients. The majority of my training as a therapist has been in treating trauma, OCD and generalized anxiety. I am also a native Spanish speaker and love working with immigrant clients. Feel free to email with any questions about my experience.

My clients describe me as someone they feel safe and comfortable with, someone they feel they can trust, and someone that genuinely cares for them. Some of my clients describe themselves as perfectionists or high achievers; others identify as "people pleasers" struggling with setting healthy boundaries. Many of my clients have unhealed childhood wounds, and struggle with anxiety, depression or interpersonal relationship issues. It is my passion to help my clients figure out why they feel or react the way they do so that they can feel "good enough" about themselves on the inside and build healthier relationship with others.

If you are struggling with relationship challenges, stress and anxiety, depression and grief, trauma and PTSD, or other life challenges, I would like to help. Humans have an amazing capacity to heal, but we are not meant to do it alone. I provide support, education, short-term and long-term therapies, and other techniques that are customized to fit your needs and preferences. I have special expertise in the art and science of recovering from trauma, abuse, narcissistic abuse, and complex PTSD. I also have advanced training in attachment theory and therapy, expressive arts therapies, communication, CBT, mindfulness, yoga, etc.

I understand how challenging being an adolescent can be. I have worked with adolescents for over 25 years. I can offer a private, confidential and safe environment to be able to work through those challenges. I can help with: anxiety, depression, school issues, being bullied, resolving conflicts, Asperger's Syndrome, social skills, identity struggles, drugs and alcohol issues, and a stressful home life. I am ready to take on those challenges with you and show you that you can overcome them.

My goal is to help an individual or family get past the feelings of anxiety, depression, frustration, aggravation, and the complexities in life that are holding them back from living longer and more meaningful lives. This could be accomplished by either resolving the problem or issue that is tormenting the person or family, or finding out better ways to live with it. Although there cannot always be total resolution over life’s problems or issues, given the right treatment plan we have worked on together, inner peace can be achieved.

Lily has over a decade of experience serving individuals, couples, adolescents, families & relationship systems. She specializes in eating disorders, sexual disorders and relationship issues. Further, she is skilled in addressing mood disorders (anxiety, depression, OCD), trauma-related disorders (sexual, physical, emotional abuse, PTSD), and personality disorders (borderline personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder). Her integrative approach includes Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Systems Theory, the Gottman Method, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and other modalities in order to meet each client's individual needs.

At some point in life, most of us will find ourselves stuck and overwhelmed. The ways we have navigated life aren’t working, and the uncertainty we face is too much to bear alone. We need space to wrestle and a calm presence to join with us as we consider the way forward. For others of us, life has felt like one hit after another. We need a safe place to fall apart and permission to grieve at our own pace.

*Winner-Best of Kirkwood, 4 consecutive years in Counseling & Mental Health, 2016-2019! Welcome. Life can be hard, but I am committed to identifying and resolving your painful problem, getting you the Results you want quickly. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Hypnotherapist, providing you a safe, comfortable and supportive environment in which to achieve your Success! My approach is holistic and integrative, which means I use a variety of techniques and interventions to target the whole person (mind, body, and spirit) and I tailor them to each client and their unique, individual needs.

When we are suffering in this world, there are usually patterns of suffering that have hold of us. If we confront the patterns, they can teach us. I know it takes courage to walk through the door of a therapist's office. Let me give space to face the hard stuff.

Sometimes life gets uncomfortable, and there may be days where it feels like you expend all of your energy just getting through the day. I will work with you to not only ‘look back’ at the choices, events or biological factors that may have caused the current distress or situation, but also gently guide you to a place of personal change and healing.

As a counselor, my goal is to provide my clients the space and support which help them feel safe and comfortable to feel, think, change, grow and explore. I utilize a warm, empathetic, motivational and encouraging style of communication with my clients in order to help them seek changes and growth they desire for they lives. I utilize many theories and techniques from multiple types of therapy in order to find the best fit for each individual client. I also utilize humor (when appropriate) when you need someone to share joy with. Please see below for my specializations.

With compassionate guidance, I believe in a therapeutic partnership with my clients to draw on your personal strengths, build new skills, increase awareness, and assist you in creating positive change. For more than 30 years I have worked with children, teens, adults, couples, and families. My focus includes relationship issues, pre-marital counseling, family stressors, trauma related experiences, anxiety, depression, self-injurious behaviors, parenting issues, & grief and loss. By starting where you are, I can help you identify your needs, and together we will begin the journey towards a deeper level of change and satisfaction.