Toni Aswegan, LMHC, NCC, ACS (she/her)

“I believe that healing comes when you connect to the core truth that you are exactly enough as you are. It is from this place of self-acceptance that you can build the life you want. I approach the therapy relationship with respect, empathy, compassion, and a deep curiosity about what makes you YOU.”

In a nutshell, what I am really all about is connecting you to a deeply felt sense of wholeness. I believe that much of the pain in life comes from a belief that “I am not good enough.” This belief can be instilled by ourselves, our families and the social-political systems we live in. It can manifest in many different ways: depression, anxiety, PTSD, addictions, difficult or toxic relationships, disconnection, loneliness, and general unhappiness.

Before I tell you more about myself, I’d like to describe the kinds of clients who see the most success with me, so you can decide if you might be a good fit for my practice. Clients who do well with me:

  • do not want to be given the answers and understand that I don’t have them all anyway. Therapy is a collaborative process where we unearth answers together.

  • are ready to invest time and energy and are willing to do the work between sessions. This will support you in making the changes that we discuss in session, and give us information about what is working and what needs to be adjusted.

  • understand that healing can be a messy and non-linear process. They embrace intuition and are open to both evidenced-based practices and nontraditional approaches.

My approach to therapy

I work individually with adults and adolescents, in-person only. My therapy style is heavily grounded in mindfulness practices and philosophy. If it is helpful for you to know the names of the specific theories I draw from, they are:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Sensorimotor psychotherapy and somatics

  • Existential therapy

I incorporate movement and body awareness into therapy. This combination of talk therapy and movement therapy works because research has shown that the body holds onto past trauma, negative beliefs, and emotional and behavioral patterns. At times these cannot be addressed by talk therapy alone. The inclusion of movement might include breathwork, seated movement, or movement around the room. You get to decide whether and how movement is included in your sessions.

Ultimately, I believe in listening to your story with acceptance and compassion to co-create a space that facilitates learning, growth, and self-discovery.

MEET THE TEAM

Areas of focus

Education and training

  • Master of Arts in Counselor Education (Clinical Mental Health Counseling) from Virginia Tech

  • Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Virginia Tech

  • 200 hour Yoga teacher training through the Craft of Teaching Yoga

Credentials

  • Licensed Mental Health Counselor (WA #60536340)

  • National Certified Counselor (certification through NBCC)

  • Approved Clinical Supervisor (through NBCC CCE)

Mentorship and consultation

I also provide: