Abbey Gardner

I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (CPC) and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) with experience providing mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults. I hold a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a Master’s Degree in Education. My experience across a variety of behavioral health settings has allowed me to work with individuals and families with diverse needs, backgrounds, and life experiences.

I especially enjoy working with children and adolescents and helping young people feel comfortable, understood, and accepted in therapy. Because kids and teens don’t always communicate best through traditional conversation, I often incorporate creativity, games, activities, art, and other developmentally appropriate approaches. I also value collaborating with parents and caregivers when appropriate.

My areas of focus include anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, emotional regulation, self-esteem, behavioral concerns, family and relationship difficulties, and life transitions. I also have experience in substance use and recovery when these concerns are part of a client’s story.

My therapeutic style is warm, genuine, down-to-earth, and nonjudgmental. I believe a strong therapeutic relationship creates the foundation for meaningful change, and I want clients to feel comfortable being themselves. I take a collaborative, individualized approach and tailor therapy to each client’s age, personality, strengths, needs, and goals.

I believe people are much more than a diagnosis or the difficult experiences they have been through. My goal is to meet you where you are, build on your strengths, develop practical tools, increase self-understanding, and help you create meaningful and lasting change.

My approach to therapy is eclectic, meaning I draw from a variety of therapeutic approaches and tailor treatment to the individual rather than believing that one method works for everyone. I meet clients where they are and consider their age, personality, experiences, strengths, needs, and goals when determining what will be most helpful.

I incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills, Family Systems approaches, Positive Psychology, and compassion-focused interventions. I also enjoy incorporating art, play, games, and other creative and experiential activities, particularly when working with children and adolescents. These approaches can provide different ways to communicate, express emotions, build confidence, practice coping and emotional regulation skills, and make therapy feel more engaging and approachable.

My style is warm, compassionate, collaborative, and down-to-earth. I believe the therapeutic relationship is an important part of meaningful change, so I focus on creating a space where clients feel heard, respected, supported, and comfortable being themselves. At the same time, I believe therapy should provide practical tools that clients can take with them into their everyday lives.

Ultimately, I want therapy to fit the person sitting in front of me. Some clients benefit from structure and concrete skills, while others need space to process, explore patterns, strengthen relationships, express themselves creatively, or recognize strengths they may have overlooked. I enjoy bringing these approaches together to create an individualized therapy experience that supports growth, resilience, self-understanding, and meaningful change.

Your first session with me is about getting to know each other and beginning to build a relationship where you feel comfortable, safe, and accepted. I understand that starting therapy—or starting over with a new therapist—can feel intimidating, so I don't expect you to walk into the first session ready to share everything or immediately dive into the most difficult parts of your life.

We'll spend time talking about what brings you to therapy, what's currently going on in your life, what is important to you, and what you hope might be different as a result of therapy. Together, we'll begin identifying your strengths, needs, and goals and develop a direction for our work that feels meaningful and realistic for you.

When working with children and adolescents, I recognize that sitting across from an adult and answering questions isn't always the easiest way to build trust. Depending on the child's age and personality, our first sessions may include games, art, creative activities, or simply talking about their interests while we get to know one another. My goal is to create an environment where young people can gradually feel comfortable being themselves while parents and caregivers feel supported and included when appropriate.

You can expect me to be warm, genuine, curious, compassionate, and nonjudgmental. I value humor and authenticity in the therapy room, and I want therapy to feel human rather than overly clinical. There is no expectation that you have everything figured out before you come in. We'll start wherever you are and work together from there.