COUNSELING
ANXIETY | DEPRESSION | OCD | CODEPENDENCY | PTSD | DIVORCE | INSECURITIES | ADHD | REACTIVITY
Therapy Results You Can Actually Feel
Learn, Heal and Create Balance within Your Nervous System
Skills-building therapy methods to heal the root cause of symptoms, insecurities, reactivity and relationship distress.
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"I've had dozens of therapists throughout my life but never felt benefits until now. I can feel such a shift. Thank you!"
Client, Age 42
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Hi, I'm Athena
Best of Scottsdale, Counselor Awardee
I am a licensed counselor and certified trauma professional with 10+ years of counseling experience, 40+ years of life experience and a mom of two 😉😉. My vibe is warm and kind-hearted yet empowering, real and grounded.
As a client-centered therapist we attune your sessions and goals based on your comfort and priorities. I provide a safe space to learn social-emotional health skills, navigate life's ups and downs, and even heal from heartbreak, trauma or c-PTSD.
Nervous System Geek
Learn emotional regulation, secure relating, communication, boundaries skills and more. I also incorporate nervous system informed, skills-building therapies and practices, such as Somatic Attachment Focused EMDR (SAFE), DBT and IFS.
With time, you'll strengthen your ability to regulate and create balance within your nervous system, for more calm and experience a more consistent supply of energizing, 'feel good' neurochemicals like serotonin and oxytocin.
What is Nervous System Informed Therapy?
Are you tired of feeling stuck with...
Anxiety and Panic Attacks
People-Pleasing
Overthinking or Overwhelm
Out of Control OCD or ADHD
Low Confidence
Body Image Insecurities
Inner Critic Shame Spirals
Sabotaging Goals
Self-Berating or Self-Harm
Painful Divorce or Breakup
Codependency
Relationship Difficulties
Outbursts and Reactivity
It's not you. It's your chronic nervous system activation, maladaptive coping and lack of adaptive skills.
In fact, neuropsychological research shows us that most emotional and mental health disorders and social and relational distress patterns are due to chronic nervous system activation and maladaptive Fight, Flight, Freeze or Fawn modes.
This is due to the lack of awareness and skills needed for emotional processing and secure relating. Since our nervous system is our 'attachment system' we need skills to ensure a belonging, security, purpose and self-worth
Without nervous system and secure relating skills... we are left with...
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Unprocessed emotions, insecurities
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Triggers and core beliefs about ourselves and others
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Leading to chronic nervous system activation and...
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Maladaptive coping: Four F's for temporary relief
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Only to feel worse and powerless, with attempts to blame ourselves (Inner Critic) or others (Outer Critic), grappling for a sense of power, only to end up more powerless
Until we get support, with social-emotional health and secure relating skills... the cycle continues...
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Impacts All Areas of Life
Your Self
Self-Care, Health, Self-Security, Wisdom from Your Past, Self-Love
Your Village
Family and Friends
Sense of Belonging, Safety, Memories, Joy
Your Partner
Secure Connection
Partnership, Trust, Bond, Intimacy
Your Drive
Career, Values, Interests, Future, Plans Purpose, Inspiration, Desire, Accomplishments, Goals
Credentials
Licensure
Licensed Professional Counselor: Arizona / LPC-23927
Certifications and Awards
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Best of Scottsdale Award, Best Counselor 2019
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Certified Relationship Coach / 08101704
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Certified Clinical Trauma Professional / IAPT
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IFS-Informed Therapist (Parts Work) / IFS Institute
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Level 1 Gottman Method Therapist
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Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapist
Education
MASTER OF SCIENCE COUNSELING
2019, Grand Canyon University / Phoenix, AZ
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA)
Human and Organizational Behavior
2012, Grand Canyon University / Phoenix, AZ
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE ECONOMICS
2005, Arizona State University / Tempe, AZ
A current event can have only the vaguest resemblance to a past situation — and this can be enough to trigger the psyche’s hard-wiring for a fight, flight, fawn or freeze response.
Pete Walker, MS
Author ComplexPTSD: From Surviving to Thriving
Truly grateful. I've had dozens of therapists throughout my life but never felt benefits until now. I can feel such a shift. Thank you!
— Client Age 50
I just wanted to say thank you. It is wonderful... for the first time in my life, I am seeing and feeling healing!!!!
— Client Age 42
I used to have panic attacks. Now if I feel anxious I trust myself to self-soothe and feel better in a few minutes.
— Client Age 19
The ability to calm my nervous system with regulation is something I didn't even know existed. Learning DBT has improved my entire life.
— Client Age 28
Thank you for your help over the past several weeks. You helped me restore my self-worth and push my confidence to move forward with my life and career.
— Client Age 38
I hope you have a smile knowing how you are really having a healing impact on people! Thank you for helping me heal and learn to love myself.
— Client Age 47
When repeatedly criticized, ignored or traumatized in childhood, we learn to survive by over-relying on the use of one or two of the 4F's. This severely impairs our ability to relax into an undefended state, circumscribing us to a very narrow, impoverished experience of life.
Pete Walker, MS
cPTSD: From Surviving to Thriving
Chronic Nervous System Activation Stress and Maladaptive Coping
Nervous System Informed IFS Therapy
Learn how to get unstuck from automatic reactions and behaviors, activated and triggered emotions, automatic assumptions, insecurities, thoughts and limiting beliefs and relational patterns that impact your nervous system, both causes and effects.
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Neurochemicals and Symptoms
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Core Beliefs and Trauma Triangle Patterns
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Maladaptive Reactions Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn
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Secure Sense of Self vs Insecurities
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Secure Attachment vs Insecure Attachment
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If we lack emotional health skills, whenever stress arises the human brain switches to autopilot and has an inherent tendency to do more of the same, only harder [maladaptive protective reactions]. Which is precisely, more often than not, the wrong approach in today's world.
Robert Cooper, PhD
