Penelope Asay

As a Board Certified Counseling Psychologist, I am deeply rooted in understanding the whole person, focusing on strengths, previous successes, and current distress in the context of identity, culture, and our unique being in the world. I bring feminist and existential perspectives to help clients answer the current questions of their lives, to live more authentically, and to feel more fulfilled and free. I employ CBT, psychodynamic, interpersonal, and multicultural & social justice perspectives in whatever combination works for clients. As a professor of clinical graduate students for almost 20 years, I bring a spirit of curiosity and a wealth of knowledge.

I’m grounded in empathy and compassion and curiosity, of course. But, I’m also grounded in the absurd existential realities and our deep need to be human and to play, laugh, and embrace moments of joy and profound connection. I can be direct, I always endeavor to be collaborative, and I treasure those flow moments in therapy, in teaching, in groups, when being present with the moment and each other is..magic.

My therapy approach is relational, supportive, and engaged. I’m grounded in feminist, multicultural, existential, and interpersonal perspectives and draw from a few others (CBT, psychodynamic). I fundamentally believe that on some level, we are all seeking meaning, connection, and healthy relationships. We are striving to live authentically and find fulfillment and belonging in a society and world that makes all of those things pretty challenging (as if life itself weren’t hard enough!

In our work, we’ll focus on identifying and capitalizing on strengths that you already have to meet your current challenges and keep on eye on issues of power, identity, and social locations that might be playing into some of those challenges. We may also telescope out to see how some common group dynamics (family, workplace, friendship) are contributing. Along the way, we’ll also work to tap into your sources of joy, laughter, and delight.

Our first session is a chance to get a sense of how we feel working together and if we'd like to continue, so it's active, dynamic, and engaged from the start.