Dialectical Behavior (DBT) Therapists in Saint Louis, MO

I believe that everyone can benefit from having an empowering, nonjudgmental therapist in their life. You may feel like you’re functioning okay on the outside but have disruptive thoughts, challenging relationships, or past situations that interrupt your life. I can provide you or your child with a space where you can be your authentic self while working towards making changes, overcoming difficulties, and coping with life’s variety of challenges. I specialize in OCD, anxiety disorders, depression, grief/loss, and emotional dysregulation.

Do you ever feel misunderstood or like you don’t fit in? Is this causing you to feel anxious or disconnected from life? As a queer mental health professional, I have experience working with autistic adults, ADHD, trauma, depression and anxiety.

I love working with individuals that are living with mood disorders or identify with being a neurodivergent mind that is figuring out how to navigate in a neurotypical world. I believe in empowering ourselves and granting ourselves the skills needed to succeed in a environment that might be challenging otherwise. My main goal is to connect with you, and help you achieve your goals in whatever capacity it may present as.

Welcome! If you are reading this profile, you are likely in the process of making a very important decision – choosing a therapist. I believe the client-therapist relationship is an essential component of growth and change, and I am happy to share more with you about myself and my approach to therapy. First, while I strive to create a safe, supportive, and affirming space for everyone, I recognize that safety is something that must be felt and not simply declared. I will meet you where you are at and work to build the trust necessary for vulnerability, growth, and change.

I believe a core element of growth lies in the understanding that the only thing you have control over is your thinking and response to any given situation. I seek to provide an atmosphere of non-judgmental support so that you can educate and empower yourself to no longer believe your happiness and contentment lies in anything outside yourself. I invite you, from the heart, to start your journey and discover how to take charge of your wellbeing.

I am here for you as you are right now. I can imagine that right now things may not be the way you want them. Do you find yourself feeling unsettled? Feeling stuck and just can't seem to make important changes? Find that powerful emotions keep taking you off track from what you truly want? Have you had painful events occur and have noticed you're not quite the same anymore? ... For 10+ years I've been helping people build a life full of meaning. Which often means figuring out how to make important changes while also finding acceptance. This can mean resolving past painful events, boosting skills and/or resolving current problems.

Welcome! I'm glad you found your way here! I'm a dedicated therapist with a passion for helping individuals live a life worth living. I hold a PLPC license and am supervised by an LPC. I have been endorsed by the National Board for Certified Counselors. My therapeutic approach is centered around creating a strong therapeutic alliance, practicing unconditional positive regard, empathy, and creating a space where you can feel vulnerable and validated as you work through challenges. I have developed a niche for working with self-harm, mood disorders, personality disorders, and trauma.

I am president of Alongside Counseling, Inc., a Licensed Professional Counselor engaged in private practice. I have been licensed since 2008 and approved to supervise counselors since 2014 by the state of Missouri; certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors; trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing therapy [EMDR], Emotional Freedom Technique and/or Energy Therapy [EFT] and Dialectical Behavior Therapy [DBT]. I earned Masters of Arts degrees from both Lindenwood University and Covenant Theological Seminary.

Hello! Are you tired of suffering from emotional and/or physical pain? I can help you in a way that is truly unique and you can see results very quickly. Through my experience I have developed an innate ability to help clients step out of their comfort zone through examination of their external environment from different points of view. I understand that the cornerstone of change is assisting each client with breaking down the walls that surround them to find deeper meaning. My sessions focus on engagement and the therapeutic alliance which leads to effective change. I promise that you will begin noticing changes immediately.

I am a nationally certified DBT therapist. Dialectical Behavior Therapy is my orientation and specialty. My orientation and personal experiences have inspired me to work toward the treatment of clients struggling with childhood trauma, PTSD, anxiousness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, relationship issues, LGBTQ concerns, NSSI(Self-Injury) and Borderline Personality Disorder.

I work with people of diverse beliefs, backgrounds, and cultures. I would love to work with you, not only to help you resolve the situations which brought you to counseling, but also to help you grow more into who you actually are. I utilize EMDR and DBT to help both teens and adults with life transitions, identity issues, abuse recovery, sex addictions, and life skills. I bring a balance to my counseling sessions. Clients can expect me to be honest and forward focused, while creating a space that feels at ease and judgment free. Please call to see if my services might be a fit for your needs.

Many of us long for genuine connection and safety in relation to ourselves and to others. Sometimes we want to better understand who we are and where we came from, but it can feel daunting to even know where to begin. Other times, we hope for tools and awareness that can enable us to feel more regulated, as we move forward through challenging moments. Whatever it is that brought you here today, Emily finds it to be an honor to walk alongside you. Through a fostering of safety and trust in the therapeutic relationship, she strives to create healthy settings for change, growth, and healing.

Helping clients, whether we meet individually, as couples or in groups, is my highest priority. As a compassionate active listener, I provide a safe, warm, non-judgmental space. Our close relationships within our lives can give us strength but can also create conflict, anxiety, and/or depression. The result may be physical discomfort, low self-esteem, even PTSD, as well as thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that can get in the way of making positive decisions. Working as a team, my clients and I identify behavioral patterns, set goals, and begin a plan to achieve resolution and healing.

Confronting life’s problems is a painful process which most folks want to avoid. Unfortunately, avoiding the problems just results in more pain. I believe that learning to radically accept life as it happens helps us to manage and embrace the temporary distress that comes from life’s disappointments. When we learn to tolerate distress, we improve the quality of our lives. Improving our lives means that we exact peace and power during times of celebration and disappointment. It is my goal to validate my client's experiences while providing them the skills needed to fully embrace the peaks and tolerate the valleys of life.

**CURRENTLY HAVE WAITLIST FOR NEW CLIENTS** Melissa has been practicing clinical social work/psychotherapy with adolescents and adults for over 15 years, specializing in eating disorders, anxiety, depression, self-injury and grief/loss. She has an eclectic approach, drawing from psychodynamic, interpersonal and skills-based therapies including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction. Her approach is compassionate, non-judgmental, collaborative and integrative. She has a profound respect for the complexity of people's lives and experiences.

I tailor my approach based on your needs, strengths, and personality. My approaches are very effective for helping find more balanced emotions, taming anxiety and stress, and building healthier relationships. I'm certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS).

On the outside, you look cool, calm and collected. On the inside...there is a whirling tornado of thoughts, sensations, emotions... You may be looking for guidance on your journey of learning the how's and why's behind the things you do and think. Maybe life can seem like a big, overwhelming, and never ending "to do" list that you are working hard to manage and looking for encouraging support to help you breathe, balance, decompress and re-focus. You are seeking a safe space to express yourself, collaborate and learn ways to cultivate self esteem, peace, and success with managing life.

Do you have intense or overwhelming emotions, feeling stressed or just “stuck” in life? While we all try to do the best we can to problem solve and manage life stressors, sometimes what we’ve been doing is no longer working for us. I can help you untangle strong emotions and thoughts by balancing the “see-saw” of acceptance of what won't change in life while also empowering you to use new skills to change. In doing so, we identify unhelpful behaviors that are no longer serving a purpose and work toward more healthy behaviors that are relevant to your goals to figure out the problems in your life.

I look forward to meeting you! I was born and raised in St. Louis, & obtained my undergraduate degree with honors in Counseling and Education followed by a Master of Arts in Counseling for Licensure in Professional Counseling from MBU. I utilize empirically proven interventions (such as Motivational Interviewing, CBT, DBT) interwoven with compassionate wisdom for the therapeutic goal of coming alongside you in your unique journey and extending the opportunity and hope for healing & growth through the situation you find yourself in. My desire is to provide an authentic and compassionate environment that fosters continuous healing.