Dana Crooks

My name is Dana (she/her/they), therapist and founder of Stone & Summit Counseling, LLC. I grew up in New Mexico and have lived in Colorado since 2018. I love cooking, hiking, art, and teaching my dogs and cats to do tricks.

I became a therapist because I too have struggled, been to those dark places, felt completely broken by traumas and stuck in cycles of the past. I have blown up my entire life and started over absolutely terrified with no idea what I was doing...But with one foot in front of the other, and a little (more like a lot) of help along the way, I was able to slowly figure out who I want to be and how I want to live.

I bring 6+ years of experience in the mental health field. I have a master’s in clinical social work and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). I have experience working with anxiety, depression, and trauma across the lifespan. With an extensive background in psychology, criminology, sociology, I have worked in juvenile and adult detention, schools, and outpatient clinics. I utilize multiple modalities to meet the unique needs of every client because everyone is different. My modalities include cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, solution-focused approaches, narrative therapy, play therapy, art in therapy, IFS/parts work, and EMDR.

It's hard navigating the amazing, terrifying, and awkward experiences that come with being human! Therapy can be figuring out who we are and how we fit into the world, or working toward how we want to fit...or maybe accepting that there are only so many ways we can fit.

Therapy is connection, like real human connection, in a world where so much happens behind screens, constant notifications, doom scrolling, small-talk conversations about the weather, and auto-replies of "I'm fine, how about you?".

It’s validating that we exist and that we matter, because we want to feel seen, heard, and understood. We want to know that we make sense...or maybe learn to accept that not everything has to.

Maybe therapy is discovering how to become who we want to be. Or it could be realizing that we are okay as we are.

Sometimes therapy is desperate...desperate to change, to be better, to feel safer, or simply to make it through the next day or hour or minute.

But therapy is also uncovering the strength and resilience that already exists within you...because amongst the chaos of the world, you already make sense.

I work with preteens, teens and adults navigating anxiety, depression, trauma/PTSD, family conflict, behavioral concerns at home/school, relationship concerns, and major life transitions. I use a mix of approaches to meet your specific needs and goals including EMDR, IFS/parts work, DBT/CBT, and creative alternatives such as art and play. Sessions might include deep processing, practical skill-building, rehearsing difficult conversations, or simply having a safe place to just exist...because sometimes existing is hard.

I view mental health struggles as stemming from attachments and traumas that we adapted to in order to survive, and we did survive, but these tactics have started to do more harm than good. “The work”, and it is work, starts from building awareness about how our past can impact our present, and then we can create and explore new paths towards a future we want. Sometimes this means starting what we’ve been avoiding, setting healthier boundaries, reparenting ourselves, slowing down to reconnect, practicing tough conversations, or making the scary but necessary leap to rebuild the life we deserve.

My style is warm, casual, and collaborative. Above all, I strive to create a safe, non-judgmental space where you can bring the real, unfiltered you. And together, I know we can find the right tools and figure out whatever comes next.