Hi! I’m a licensed clinical social worker with a doctoral degree in community care and counseling specializing in trauma counseling, as well as a master’s degree in social work. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work in various care settings—from inpatient to outpatient—and with many different populations, including children and families in crisis, military personnel, and individuals facing dual diagnoses or severe mental health challenges. Trauma has become a central part of my work because it felt like nearly everyone I encountered had a story involving unprocessed trauma. Helping people work through those experiences has become my passion. A little about me: I’m originally from Northern New Jersey, but after serving six years in the Army as a combat medic, I settled in Texas. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out at the lake, traveling Texas with my husband in our camper, playing pickleball and golf (poorly), and spending time with my three kids. During the summer, I'll be poolside any chance I get!
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
Your processing trauma journey will begin with an intake going over history, and my policies and procedures. We will either complete diagnostic screening tools together, or we will review the results from your completed assessments. Next, you share with me your goals for counseling and we begin the process. Frequency will be determined based on what you feel you need, however I do ask that we do not conduct sessions less than once per month. My best practice is to begin with weekly or bi weekly, and taper to monthly check ins once we get closer to completing goals.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I am most knowledgeable regarding trauma so, if you've experience an event or multiple events that you feel are traumatic, I'm probably worth considering. Within the trauma sphere, I am especially adept in attachment trauma and veteran/military trauma. Attachment trauma can mean experiencing divorce, difficulty connecting with a child, processing your own childhood trauma, parent/child estrangement, or sibling conflict. I also have knowledge regarding blended family and divorce dynamics not only from my personal experience but from the time and effort I have put into understanding the unique challenges of step families such as insider/outsider dynamics and co-parenting conflict resolution. For my veterans, my personal experience in the Army from 2009-2014 is what I rely on to provide an empathetic and safe space for you to process, and I am particularly helpful with moral injury issues.
About Ashten G
Ashten G offers therapy covered by Buckeye Health Plan, Buckeye Health Plan (Managed Medicaid), CareSource, Medicaid - Buckeye Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare/Optum - Medicaid in Ohio.
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Cognitive Processing (CPT)
CPT is focused on identifying the things you believe about yourself, others, and the world based on the experiences you've had. Once we identify which beliefs aren't helping you live the life you want, we work to change that belief so that it is more empowering, self-compassionate, and balanced. Our beliefs guide our behaviors so I really focus on helping people identify those beliefs that keep them "stuck" using this method.
EMDR
EMDR is great for those who feel disconnected from their emotions and body. We can choose different methods such as eye movements or tapping, and really let you explore your own brain to identify those key moments in your life that shaped you. We take breaks to breathe, identify emotions, and help connect our awareness of how those emotions show up in our body. When I use EMDR , it's all about helping you re-visit life altering moments, understanding how your body "stored" them emotionally, and giving you the ability to redefine those moments, and yourself.
Trauma-Focused CBT
TF CBT is a great tool for understanding how thoughts works, how thoughts are a piece of a bigger cycle, and identifying behavioral changes we can make to improve our daily lives as well as create a sense of felt safety both now and in the future. I love to utilize TFCBT for the educational piece, which just means teaching you about trauma and how it impacts your thoughts and behaviors. We can't change what we don't understand! With this method, I pull heavily from the coping skills for daily life and making plans to ensure we are on a different path for the future- one you are excited about! Think of this one as being very solution and behavior oriented.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I am DBT informed, meaning that I have less extensive training in this method, but have been trained in a "crash course" of the basics. DBT is very skills based, and offers lots of coping skills for the most distressing, seemingly unbearable emotions we can experience when re-visiting trauma. I utilize this by teaching the DBT coping skills that are designed for the type of emotional distress you are experiencing, based on what you share with me. I also have virtual flash cards and workbooks for those who love something more concrete that they can reference between sessions.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
I am IFS informed, meaning I have not taken in depth trainings but more overviews and "crash courses" to understand the basics. Almost all of us have heard someone say or have said ourselves "there's this part of me..." and that's exactly what we focus on in IFS. We do basic "parts work" and get to know the different pieces of our personality that have developed to survive this life we have been given. I love to use IFS to help build self awareness as well as get a bigger picture overview of how you've pieced yourself together and made sense of life. This can be so helpful for understanding how you currently cope and identifying what may not be helpful. We do not seek to get rid of your "parts", only to give them the training and skills they need to do their job in a supportive, helpful way.