About me.

Hi, I’m Ashley, a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW, MN #29347). I earned my MSW from the University of Minnesota in 2020, and I’ve worked in the mental health field for nine years, six of them as a therapist.

Prior to starting my own practice in 2024, I worked in an outpatient therapy clinic, a psychiatric hospital, a mental health and chemical health residential treatment program, and crisis mental health response. I chose those settings on purpose, so I’d know how to work with people at very different levels of acuity.

My path to becoming a therapist was about more than education, licenses, and certifications. It came from my own struggles with my mental health, turning my life around, and wanting to help other people do the same. I have ADHD, and I wasn’t diagnosed until years after I’d been called “too much,” “too sensitive,” “smart but doesn’t try,” and “passionate but inconsistent.” I know what it’s like to have big ideas and real ambition, and a brain moving so fast that it’s hard to organize, break things into steps, or even start a simple task, followed by emotional dysregulation, task paralysis, and a cycle of shame and guilt.

In our work, we’ll figure out why your current systems keep failing and build ones that fit how your brain works: tools for task management, emotional regulation, and getting through the day, plus a clear look at what actually motivates you. I’ll help you take realistic steps and hold yourself accountable, without the harsh self-criticism. ADHD is hard. A bad week, or a system that stops working, doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means we adjust and try the next thing.

Beyond ADHD, I specialize in complex trauma, relationships and attachment (anxious and avoidant), and the effects of abusive relationships, including relationships with narcissistic partners. I completed EMDR training in 2021 because I wanted a trauma-specific method that actually helps, not just talking around it.

I also have extensive experience with serious, long-term conditions like bipolar disorder and psychotic disorders, from my time in high-acuity settings. I’m especially interested in working with adults who are showing emerging symptoms of bipolar disorder or are new to the diagnosis and want guidance on healthy habits and routines, mood tracking, coordination with their psychiatric medication prescriber, and, when weekly therapy isn’t enough on its own, a referral to a higher level of care.