LMHC, 4 years of experience
New to Grow
Hi, I’m Ashley, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from UCF and a background in Psychology and Criminal Justice from FSU. I work full-time in inpatient care in a leadership role, supporting individuals navigating anxiety, depression, self-esteem challenges, stress, substance use, and co-occurring disorders. My clinical work spans individual, group, and family/couples therapy, along with supporting patients through medical and psychiatric recovery. My style is trauma-informed, collaborative, compassionate, and direct. I believe therapy should be accessible to everyone, which is why I offer a sliding scale so that cost never becomes a barrier to healing.
In our first session, you can expect a warm, grounded space where I’ll ask thoughtful questions to understand your history, your goals, and what’s bringing you to therapy at this moment. I blend compassion with directness, offering honest feedback while ensuring you feel supported, not judged. Together, we’ll begin identifying the patterns affecting your well-being and set realistic, meaningful goals tailored to your needs. My aim is to make the first session feel productive, comfortable, and collaborative—setting the foundation for a therapeutic relationship built on trust and openness.
My greatest strengths include creating a safe, authentic therapeutic relationship; offering clear, constructive feedback; and helping clients build insight in a way that feels grounded and empowering. I’m skilled at asking the right questions, even early in the process, to help clients deepen their self-understanding and move toward meaningful change. I work best with clients who are motivated, open to reflection, and willing to challenge old patterns. With a balance of empathy and directness, I help clients identify barriers, explore new perspectives, and make progress that feels both realistic and sustainable.
My ideal clients are motivated, open, and ready to engage in meaningful work. They value honest, direct feedback and are willing to explore both strengths and blind spots with curiosity. I work best with individuals who are seeking clarity, personal growth, and emotional healing—whether they’re navigating anxiety, depression, self-esteem challenges, stress, substance use, or major life transitions. Ideal clients are those who appreciate a collaborative partnership, are receptive to constructive insights, and are committed to trying new strategies both inside and outside of sessions. You don’t need to have everything figured out—you just need to show up willing to grow.
I have extensive experience applying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in inpatient and acute treatment settings, supporting individuals with substance use disorders, mood disorders, anxiety, and low self-esteem. My work focuses on helping clients identify maladaptive thought patterns, challenge cognitive distortions, and develop healthier behavioral responses. I regularly integrate structured interventions such as thought records, behavioral activation, exposure principles, and skills development to promote insight and sustainable change. I tailor CBT interventions to crisis stabilization as well as long-term recovery, ensuring clients gain practical tools they can immediately apply.
I consistently utilize Motivational Interviewing to enhance clients’ intrinsic motivation for change, particularly in the context of substance use treatment and behavioral health crises. I apply MI through a collaborative, strengths-based approach that honors autonomy and reduces resistance. My experience includes guiding clients through exploring ambivalence, identifying personal values, and reinforcing self-efficacy. Whether in individual or group settings, I use reflective listening, open-ended questioning, and strategic affirmation to help clients build commitment to meaningful behavioral shifts.
I incorporate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help clients build psychological flexibility, reduce avoidance strategies, and move toward value-aligned living. In inpatient settings, I focus on helping clients notice and unhook from unhelpful thoughts, tolerate distress, and cultivate acceptance of internal experiences. I frequently integrate ACT concepts such as cognitive defusion, values clarification, and committed action planning into both individual and group sessions. These interventions support individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma-related symptoms, and chronic emotional pain, allowing them to reconnect with purpose and self-compassion.
I utilize Dialectical Behavior Therapy principles to support clients with emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, self-harm urges, and interpersonal difficulties commonly present in inpatient SUD and SPMI populations. My work includes delivering DBT-informed skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness within groups and individual sessions. I emphasize a balance of acceptance and change, validating clients’ emotional experiences while helping them build practical coping strategies. I also incorporate crisis intervention techniques, behavioral chain analysis, and coaching moments to reinforce skill use in real time.
I apply Internal Family Systems concepts to help clients better understand and integrate their internal emotional landscape, particularly when working with trauma, shame, and deeply rooted patterns connected to addiction or mood instability. My approach involves helping clients identify protective parts, wounded parts, and their core Self with curiosity and compassion. I guide clients in developing internal dialogue, reducing self-criticism, and fostering healing between parts that may hold conflicting needs or fears. IFS-informed work supports clients in increasing self-leadership, emotional clarity, and resilience as they move through recovery.