Luisa Vanden Bush

I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) who works with adults navigating trauma, relationship challenges, life transitions, anxiety, and patterns of self-abandonment. Many of the clients I work with are high-functioning on the outside but internally feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure of themselves, especially in relationships.

I earned my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and use a trauma-informed, culturally sensitive approach to therapy. I specialize in helping clients explore patterns such as people-pleasing, difficulty setting boundaries, negative self-beliefs, attachment wounds, and feeling stuck between different roles, expectations, or identities.

I believe therapy should be collaborative, individualized, and focused on both understanding patterns and creating change. My style is warm, supportive, and direct when helpful. I view clients as the experts of their own lives, and my role is to help guide the process while creating a space where you can safely explore difficult emotions and experiences.

I integrate evidence-based approaches such as CBT, EMDR, Brainspotting, DBT-informed skills, somatic work, and attachment-focused interventions depending on each client’s needs and goals. I often work with clients who have learned to prioritize others’ needs over their own, struggle with boundaries, or feel disconnected from themselves because of past experiences or long-standing relational patterns.

My goal is not just symptom reduction, but helping clients build a stronger sense of self, develop healthier relationships, increase emotional awareness, and feel more grounded and authentic in their daily lives. I also believe it’s important to balance deeper processing work with practical tools so clients feel supported both inside and outside of sessions.

The first session is focused on helping you feel comfortable, understood, and supported while also beginning to explore what brought you to therapy. We’ll discuss your current concerns, relevant background experiences, goals for therapy, and what you hope to gain from the process.

I understand that starting therapy can feel vulnerable, especially if you’re used to carrying things on your own. My goal is to create a nonjudgmental environment where you do not feel pressured to share everything all at once. We’ll move at a pace that feels manageable and safe for you.

By the end of the first session, clients often leave with a better understanding of how therapy may help, initial ideas for treatment goals, and a clearer sense of what working together could look like. We’ll build a therapy plan tailored to your needs, balancing emotional processing, self-understanding, and practical coping strategies.