Ashley Elder

I specialize in working with adolescents, and their families, who engage in high-risk behaviors and/or have experienced a traumatic event to help establish safety and develop and execute coping strategies to establish and maintain a life worth living. I also see very young children, birth to age 5, who have experienced a traumatic event. I work with the child and their caregiver conjointly to decrease child trauma symptoms and strengthen the child-caregiver attachment by conveying hope, enhancing safety and stabilization, and strengthening dyadic affect regulation and body-based regulation.

Specialties: Trauma/PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, Suicidal Ideation and self-injurious behaviors

My Counseling Specialties

 Trauma

 Early childhood trauma

 Anxiety

 Depression

 Suicidal Ideation

 Self-injurious behaviors

Professional Background and Mental Health Experience

I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Missouri and my master’s degree from University of Missouri. Additionally, I am nationally rostered in Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) by way of learning collaborative through the University of California San Francisco as the gold standard trauma treatment in children under the age of 5. I have a decade of experience working with children and families experiencing mental illness and trauma. I have spent the majority of my career in Columbia, Missouri working for the University of Missouri at both an inpatient psychiatric hospital and outpatient therapy clinic treating adolescents diagnosed with anxiety, depression and/or PTSD who engage in self injurious behaviors, experience suicidal ideation, or have attempted suicide. It is my passion to guide adolescents and their family to navigate the challenges that arise in life and help them find a life worth living. In addition to my work as a therapist, I have served as an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri School of Social Work teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses, supervising both bachelor’s and master’s level social work practicum students, teaching at Columbia College as an adjunct professor teaching courses on child welfare and a guest instructor with the University of Missouri School of Medicine teaching future physicians the importance of approaching healthcare with a patient-centered mindset building from basic principals of both Cognitive Theory and Behavior Theory.

My Approach to Therapy

I solely use evidence-based practices and interventions in my work, focusing on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). Children are naturally born with less rights and privileges than the authority figures surrounding them which subsequently can make them feel as though their thoughts and beliefs are of less value, or that they simply cannot be understood. I believe it is important to create a treatment environment where adolescents are not only heard, but their thoughts and beliefs hold priority in the room.

I not only welcome, but encourage honest feedback and truly value the therapeutic relationship with clients. While individual therapy with children alone is effective, I believe incorporating parents/caregivers into therapy is a huge contender on advancing the child’s progress in treatment. This can look like parents joining therapy sessions as clinically indicated or myself communicating with them on a consistent basis to ensure that parents have the full knowledge of how to best support their child. My approach to therapy focuses on empowering the adolescent to be in the driver seat of their own treatment while I guide them through each challenging obstacle, whether it be an environmental factor or their own distorted thoughts that prevent them from exceling at the life they desire. I realize that much of life occurs beyond our control and we are often left with trying to figure out how to put the pieces back together to something that we did not disassemble in the first place. I’m here to help children, adolescents, and families navigate the “now what?” after an unexpected or unfortunate circumstance occurs, or continues to occur.

Fun Facts About Me

I am originally from mid-Missouri and have lived in Kansas City for three years. I love spending time with my husband, chasing my very-busy daughter around, and snuggling with my overly-fluffy cat named London. My hobbies include exercising, trying new restaurants, traveling (warm destinations only, please!) and spending as much time outside as possible.

Ready to Start?

Schedule a free 30 minute consultation appointment where you can share what’s going on and we can explore the roadmaps to helping your child and your family begin to feel your best selves. Call our Client Care Coordinator at 573-328-2288 or use our contact form to reach out and learn about my current rates and openings.