Several years ago, I became burned out by the never ending cycle of pain that I was stuck in with my then husband. He and I had three beautiful children and the idea of divorce was too painful to bear. How could I do that to them? Would they ever be OK? Would I be OK? I kept thinking it would get better except that after too many conflicts where we both thought, “here we go again”, I just shut down. As though letting part of myself die was the only way the marriage could survive. Well, it didn’t survive. After four years of marriage therapy that often left me feeling even more hurt and alone, we ended up divorcing anyway AND we are all OK.

But, when I was exposed in 2017 to Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) about four months after the divorce was final, it was as though I had found the explanation for all of our marital problems. Things finally made sense and I wanted to know more. I became focused on learning EFT (which many have compared to getting a second masters degree) because I knew that if my ex-husband and I had had access to EFT couples therapy, we might not have saved the marriage but we certainly would have ended it much less hurt and angry.

A year and a few months after starting this journey I received my certification as an EFT couples therapist and it has been my honor and joy to offer this beautiful model to the people of West Virginia. I am proud to say I am no longer the only certified couples’ therapist in the Valley. I enjoy using EFT with my couples, and I also find great reward in training other therapists in this model. Not only do I work with couples and relationship issues, I also treat trauma, depression and anxiety, parenting issues, issues related to marginalized groups - especially people of color and LGBTQ+ populations, etc.

I am licensed in both West Virginia and Louisiana. I graduated from Tulane School of Social Work in 1993 where I worked for one of the largest hospital systems as an out-patient therapist. I moved to Atlanta where I spent a year training at Emory Hospital’s out-patient therapy center and finally found my way to West Virginia in 1998. I worked at Highland Hospital before taking a position as Assistant Commissioner and then Acting Commissioner for the Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities. I took off time to raise three children and have been practicing therapy again since 2017.

I love to read, share a laugh, and travel. I have three children in college and live in Charleston.

Allyson and I have over 45 years of combined experience as therapists, yet we never stop training to be the best in our field. We are so excited to offer you Crescent Counseling Group!

I have been a counselor for 24 years. My dad is also a counselor, so I grew up in an introspective environment where we talked about our feelings A LOT. This likely led to my career choice but it also led to a lifelong habit of over analyzing and trying to control EVERYTHING. Not surprisingly I developed one heck of an anxiety disorder that I tried desperately to control (not always in the healthiest of ways). It wasn’t until life really kicked my butt (a divorce, pregnancy loss etc.,) that I started to reflect on how the more I tried to control things the less control I felt I had. Through my own therapy and experiences, I have come out on the other side with the knowledge that it may all fall apart again.

Pema Chodron says “We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together, and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It's just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy. ”

Professionally I have worked as a therapist in both inpatient and outpatient settings. I received my MA in Clinical Psychology in 1997 and became a Licensed Professional Counselor in WV shortly after graduation. My passion is working with adults who have experienced trauma and I have consistently done this throughout my career. I am Certified in Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) and use emotionally focused therapies including Accelerated Experiential-Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).

I have found the key to effective therapy is in connection, so I practice from a relational place with a collaborative approach. My clients know themselves better than I do and I trust them to make the best decisions for themselves.

I live with my husband, son, and two Dachsunds, Fred and Ethel. I love to read, travel, garden, cook, and practice yoga.

At Crescent Counseling Group we hope to create safety, ease suffering, and provide excellent therapy to the clients we serve.

I was born and raised just outside of Charleston. Like many in West Virginia, I moved out of state in 2005 to experience new people and places. For the first 18 years of my career, my work was with corporations and non-profit organizations in administrative roles. My experience ranges from event planning, marketing, fundraising, grant-writing, graphic design, communications, and development.

In late 2014, I found myself in a broken marriage on the precipice of divorce. Facing terrible financial trouble and struggling with depression and crippling anxiety, I returned to Charleston with my 9-month-old to be closer to my family. I was an exhausted, empty, shell of my former self. I was so consumed and injured by the fractures that occurred in my marriage that I truly didn’t know who I was anymore.

In a brave attempt to find myself, I started seeing a counselor. I spent almost four years in therapy. It was life-changing for me. So life-changing in fact that I decided to go back to school to become a counselor myself. I wanted to be able to use my experiences for something good. I wanted to be able to do for others what my counselor had done for me.

In processing my trauma, I learned how to set boundaries. I learned that my happiness did not have to be contingent on the happiness of those around me. I learned how trauma shapes our behaviors. And most importantly, I learned that vulnerability and empathy are not weaknesses; instead, they are tools for connection and healing.

I graduated with an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2021 and received my Trauma Certification (CTP) in 2022. I work with individuals who have experienced trauma, emotional, and narcissistic abuse. I also treat teens and adults struggling with self-esteem, anxiety, depression, codependency, and other attachment issues using experiential therapies like Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), Accelerated Experiential-Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).

Trained in Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT), my experience also includes over six years of leading weekly groups and offering support for families who have addicted loved ones.

I love music, reading, and traveling. I am a volunteer soccer coach and I live with my son, our cats, Clover and Reese, and our dog, Benny.

When I was in seventh grade, I had already decided what I was going to be when I grew up. I wanted to be a psychiatrist. I was so fascinated with psychology and how the human brain functions. What thirteen-year-old chooses to be a psychiatrist? Well, that was me! I had big plans for my future! However, that all changed when I began to lose my identity and sense of purpose. Why didn’t I trust my own decisions and desires anymore? Why did l let my bad experiences affect me so much? I let others take control of my life and lose myself in the process. After high school, I entered college and changed majors a few times. I entered relationships with men who were not the right fit for me, and some who caused emotional pain. I was trapped in patterns that did not serve me and surrounded myself with people who didn’t meet my needs. I felt trapped, like I had no longer control of my life. It was like a tornado came and stole everything I thought I was and scattered all parts of my internal self. How can I put the pieces together?

Once I entered my mid-twenties I had enough. To take control of my life, I decided I’m going to choose the path I want. I began a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. I completed my BA in psychology at the University of Charleston and my MA in Mental Health Counseling at Marshall. I spent an additional year to focus on receiving my Graduate Certificate (VOLT) of Advanced Studies in Violence, Loss, and Trauma Counseling. I had finally listened to myself and had gone back to my original desired path that I had decided on when I was a young adolescent. It’s a shame I had to take a few detours to get there! However, with these detours, I gained strength and resilience, and meaningful connections with some great people. People say to others “It will be okay.” Well, sometimes things aren’t okay, but no matter what I will find a way to be okay, and that’s what I did. I developed a strong sense of identity, began to repair, and heal my attachment injuries, set healthy boundaries, and became empowered. I no longer had to be trapped in my past. I chose happiness and an authentic life.

I always had so much empathy and compassion for others and didn’t know what to do with it. I found a career path that felt like my purpose. I feel like this with what I was meant to do.

During my years as a counselor, I have provided therapy to adolescents, and adults with severe mental health disorders in an inpatient hospital setting and to clients in an outpatient setting who have substance abuse struggles and various disorders and life struggles. I use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Experiential Therapy, and Schema Therapy to treat adults, adolescents, families, and couples. I treat anxiety, depression, ADHD, relational issues, personality disorders, domestic abuse, substance abuse disorders, grief, and trauma.

I have a special interest in helping adolescents and adults find their identity, overcome childhood attachment injuries, gain empowerment and boundaries, break unhealthy life patterns, and heal trauma. We don’t have to be stuck in our past. I found a way out, and so can you!

I live with my son, my cats and Boxer. In my free time, I love to read, spend time with friends, family, and my partner, travel, attend music concerts and connect with nature.

When I think of the trajectory of my life, I like to believe I was destined to be here doing this work. I learned that life was not like the TV shows at an early age. Growing up in poverty and as a minority in West Virginia, adversity and challenges were the norm. I learned to suppress emotions “because they didn’t help solve the issue.” Even in the face of sexual assault, I still didn’t believe that any “bad” had happened to me. Living life in a haze and denial, eventually the emotions began to catch up to me.

Not knowing what to do with them, I learned to suppress them, but this time using drugs, alcohol, food, or whatever do numb and distract me from the truth of what I was feeling and what was happening around me. This eventually led to dire circumstances, and I was forced to look at myself and my life if I wanted things to change. I sought my own therapy to begin addressing my trauma and pain and began to see that there is a way to live and feel at the same time. This inspired me to pursue a career in counseling because I wanted to give to others what I experienced in my own journey of recovery and healing.

I received my BA in psychology from Marshall University and my MS in Health Care Administration in 2018 and MSW in Social Work from Marshall University in 2020 as well. I knew I wanted to work with individuals who had experienced trauma so while working on my MSW, I became trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and recently became trained Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). Both are evidence based therapeutic modalities to help treat trauma along with other mood and substance use disorders. I work with adults (18+) with a variety of mental health issues, traumatic experiences, addiction, and intrapersonal/interpersonal conflicts.

I live in South Charleston with my amazing son and our cat, Cornelius. In my free time, I love to travel, read, craft, get outdoors and spend time with family and friends.

I made my first cross-country move in second grade. I went to three different high schools located in three different states. To say the very least, I experienced a lot of chaos during my childhood. I quickly learned to be very adaptable to change and made friends everywhere I went. But, there were countless times when I needed a social worker or counselor to help me improve my mental health and process all of the turbulence in my life. I knew early on that I wanted to follow in their footsteps by choosing the helping profession.

While getting my undergraduate degree, I worked as a recovery care specialist at an inpatient treatment center for eating disorders in Toledo, Ohio. I helped patients with Anorexia, Bulimia, BED, Body Dysmorphia, and ARFID providing meal supervision and emotional support. I worked alongside therapists, dietitians, and nurses to develop and maintain treatment and meal plans. There, I was exposed to the intuitive eating approach and learned how to help others heal from toxic diet culture. I will never forget the “breakthrough moments” my patients had when they overcame their fears around food or could say something positive about their bodies. I celebrated those victories with them and was also there to guide them through the most challenging moments of treatment. I loved cheering them on during every step of their recovery journey.

I received my MSW from the University of South Carolina and completed their mental health specialization. During this time, I worked at an animal shelter, researching the human-animal bond and its benefits within mental health settings. After graduation, I moved to the wild and wonderful state of West Virginia and got to work. It became evident to me that communities throughout Appalachia have not always had access to mental health services and I encountered some mental health stigma or general fears around seeking help. As someone who has sat in both the client chair and the therapist chair, I will say this: seeking counseling is an act of self-compassion and it is one of the bravest things a person can do. If and when you are ready to take that leap, I would love to be there to welcome you.

I have experience providing care for individuals with anxiety, depression, trauma, and eating disorders. I use an integrative approach with elements of client-centered, dialectical behavioral, and narrative theories.

I live with my wonderful partner and my spoiled mainecoon cat, Bukowski. I enjoy photography, reading, swimming, baking, and all things Halloween/fall-related.