Allison Woods

-I’ve been a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado for fourteen years and in private practice for five years. In the past, I worked on a research team at the University of Colorado Anschutz in Denver, in public health in Boulder, and in another organization providing therapy in Fort Collins. My first career was in alternative, experiential, and sometimes outdoor education with youth.

-I have a Master’s in Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology from the University of Colorado Denver and a BA in English Literature from Princeton University. I’m a National Certified Counselor and a member of the EMDR International Association.

-I tend to work with clients who have attachment injuries and trauma, depression, and anxiety. The age range of the clients I see spans from late teens to seniors.

My approach to therapy begins with the foundation of the therapeutic relationship, which is safe, nonjudgmental, collaborative, and sometimes fun! We’ll look at your patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving with curiosity and address questions like: How did you arrive at these patterns? How have they helped you survive? How do they attempt to or succeed in helping you emotionally regulate? We’ll also identify trauma or high distress that has not been processed and therefore manifests in symptoms like depression and anxiety; there are trauma modalities I use that can reprocess that trauma. Finally, with clients who are interested, I can facilitate their process of developing meaning and purpose in their lives. We’ll also consistently acknowledge and reference your strengths, since you’re a full person and because they’re necessary in the healing process.

In the first session with me (after an intake), we’ll start figuring out where you want to begin. Some people come into a therapy session with a clear idea of what they want to talk about, while others know that they want to feel better but don’t know where to begin. Both are excellent starting points. I’ll come to a first session (and subsequent ones) prepared with different directions we could explore based on the themes that have come up so far in your consultation and intake. Then, you’ll have options about what to explore. The great news is that whatever therapeutic topic you bring into therapy or choose, the themes and topics are interrelated, so the session will be productive.