Family therapy and counseling in Saint Louis, MO

When you’re living with trauma, the effects of a brain injury, or facing difficult health or end-of-life realities, it can feel isolating and exhausting.

I help adults navigating PTSD, TBI, grief, anxiety, and end-of-life concerns feel more supported, understood, and emotionally grounded. My goal is to provide a calm space where you don’t have to carry everything alone.

I've been a provider for the Adult Brain Injury Program for many years. If you do not have insurance, please contact me for possible financial assistance for Adjustment Counseling in Missouri through this program.

I am deeply committed to helping individuals discover meaning and purpose in their lives. With more than four decades of experience as a counselor, I specialize in guiding clients through recovery from addictions, anxiety disorders, and PTSD.

As an Associate Professor in the Online Department of Community Care and Counseling within the School of Behavioral Sciences at Liberty University, I facilitate courses designed to help students and clients rediscover their zest for life and cultivate lasting emotional well-being.

In my private practice, I work extensively with couples, equipping them with practical tools and proven techniques to restore joy, strengthen relational intimacy, and build fulfilling, resilient relationships.

I live in Lynchburg, Virginia, where I remain actively engaged in my community. My areas of specialization include trauma and complex trauma, anxiety, depression, child abuse recovery, and relational intimacy. I am also the author of Joy on the Same Page (2023), which outlines my Relational Intimacy approach.

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Partner 1: “I reach for you, but it feels like you’re already gone.” I’m left wondering if I matter to you at all.” Partner 2: “When you come close, I feel the pressure to be perfect, so I pull back to protect us both.” These unspoken messages leave couples lonely and stuck. I help break this anxious–avoidant cycle so partners feel safe, seen, and deeply connected again.

“I don’t understand why I want closeness so badly, yet feel disappointed when I have it. Why do I feel lonelier than others, even when I’m not alone?” Or: “I care deeply, but people say I’m distant or hard to read. When emotions get intense, I shut down—not because I don’t feel, but because it feels like too much.”

These quiet tensions live beneath awareness for many people. Longing and self-protection pull in opposite directions. Needs feel confusing, emotions feel overwhelming or unsafe, and core beliefs quietly form—I’m too much, I’m not enough, connection costs me something.

I help people loosen these patterns, reconcile the Self with more truthful and adaptive beliefs, and move toward self-acceptance and interdependence—where connection no longer threatens safety, but deepens it.

After nine years serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, I realized my deepest fulfillment came not from fixing systems, but from walking with people. Leaving the military was not a departure from service—it was a continuation of it. I pursued social work and theological training to better support people in their most important relationships. Today, my practice is devoted to couples counseling and trauma-informed care. Drawing primarily from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and EMDR, I help couples slow conflict, understand what drives disconnection, and emotional safety. As a veteran and seminary-trained therapist, I bring structure, compassion, and steady hope—meeting clients with respect, grace, and a belief in lasting change.

Ana is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Perinatal Mental Health Certified (PMH-C) clinician at 816 Counseling Services, serving clients throughout Missouri and Kansas via telehealth. She works with children, teens, adults, and families navigating anxiety, depression, ADHD, life transitions, relationship struggles, and emotional overwhelm. Ana’s approach is warm, supportive, and relationship-centered, helping clients feel safe, understood, and empowered to create meaningful change while building healthier connections and practical coping skills.

I’m a licensed therapist with a background in Marriage and Family Therapy. I work with individuals, couples and families who are navigating depression, anxiety, relationship challenges, or just feeling stuck. My approach is collaborative, supportive, and grounded in research—I’m here to help you make sense of what you’re going through and find a path forward. Whether you're facing a tough transition or looking to strengthen your emotional well-being, we’ll work together to create meaningful change.

I have 26 years of experience dealing with individuals, couples, families in therapy. We will work together to develop plans that are unique and right for you.