Ashley Carney

(she/her)

LCSW, 13 years of experience
Empowering
Authentic
Warm

You don’t have to hold it all alone. I offer fiercely affirming therapy for highly sensitive people, adult children of emotionally immature parents, and parents doing the hard, beautiful work of healing while raising others. My approach is rooted in trauma-informed care, attachment-based work, and nervous system healing. As a mother of two young children, I don’t just understand attachment theory, I live it. That lived experience shows up in my work every day. Both therapy and parenting ask us to keep showing up; even when it's hard, even when it's not perfect. I’m in it with you, and I’m honored to be part of that process. I have a particular passion for working with folks who grew up being told they were too much, too sensitive, too emotional. People who learned to stay small to stay connected. Together, we unlearn those survival strategies and build something more intentional, more grounded, and more authentically yours. All sexual orientations, gender identities, and relationship structures are welcome. If the world hasn't felt safe, especially for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ folks, and women, you’re not imagining it. You don’t have to prove your worth here. You get to take up space, as you are.

Get to know me

In our first session together, here's what you can expect

Our first session is less about 'getting it right' and more about getting to know each other. There's no pressure to have your story perfectly organized or to know exactly what you need; we'll figure that out together. By the end of our first session together my hope is that you leave feeling genuinely seen, a little lighter, and with a sense that this might be the right space for you.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

You won't find a blank slate here. I'm a feminist, anti-racist, social-justice-aligned therapist who shows up as a real person with warmth, occasional humor, and a deep appreciation for the messy, unfiltered parts of being human. Leave the mask at the door. Authenticity over performance, always. Feedback, questions, tears, laughter, and existential crises are equally welcome.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

If you’ve spent years being the strong one, the overthinker, the person holding it all together, this might be the space where you finally get to set that down. You don’t have to be fully ready. You just have to show up. I work only with individuals and do not currently see couples or families.

Specialties

Top specialties
Other specialties

Anxiety

Depression

I identify as

Serves ages

Licensed in

California

Accepts

Location

Virtual

My treatment methods

Brainspotting

Brainspotting is a trauma-informed, body-based therapy that helps process unresolved experiences stored in the nervous system. Many clients come to me feeling stuck in patterns they can understand intellectually, but can’t shift emotionally—like chronic anxiety, panic, shutdown, shame, hypervigilance, or relationship triggers. Brainspotting can support deep healing for trauma/PTSD, complex trauma (C-PTSD), dissociation, attachment wounds, and somatic stress, often without needing to “talk it to death.” It’s especially helpful for highly sensitive people (HSPs) and clients who feel overwhelmed by traditional talk therapy.

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

IFS is an evidence-based, non-pathologizing approach that helps you understand and heal the “parts” of you that developed in response to your life experiences. This can include inner critics, perfectionistic parts, people-pleasing protectors, numb/shutdown parts, and younger wounded parts holding grief, fear, or shame. IFS is especially powerful for childhood trauma, emotional neglect, attachment wounds, anxiety, and relationship patterns, helping you build inner trust, self-compassion, and more choice in how you respond.

Attachment-based

Attachment-based therapy helps us explore how early relationships shaped your nervous system, boundaries, self-worth, and sense of safety in connection. Many clients I work with are adult children of emotionally immature parents—caregivers who were loving at times but emotionally unpredictable, critical, unavailable, or unsafe. This can show up in adulthood as anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, fear of conflict, over-responsibility, difficulty trusting, and relationship distress. Together we’ll focus on building secure attachment internally and relationally—so you can create connections that feel safe, mutual, and authentic.

Feminist

I bring a feminist, anti-racist, and social-justice aligned lens to therapy, honoring how systems of oppression, identity-based stress, and lived experience shape mental health, safety, and relationships.

Trauma Informed Care

My work is trauma-informed and trauma-focused, supporting healing from complex trauma, emotional neglect, relationship wounds, and the long-term impact of chronic stress.

, 25 ratings

1 rating with written reviews

May 23, 2025

I've learned so much from Ashley and feel like I've come a long way with her guidance. She's empowered me to, not only overcome agoraphobia, but to settle in the moment and accept whatever conflicts I may feel - I see them now as opportunities for growth and self-knowledge.

Verified client, age 65+
Review shared after session 38 with Ashley