Therapy with Ali
As a counselor, my goal is to provide an open, transparent, safe, inclusive, and nonjudgmental space for you to better understand yourself and your pathway to self-acceptance, self-efficacy, and empowerment. I aim to do this through direct yet empathic, compassionate, and collaborative dialogue. Drawing upon a trauma-informed lens, cognitive behavioral therapy, attachment theory, and existentialist psychotherapy, we can discuss your personal goals and my knowledge of the coping skills and tools to achieve them. I hope to join you in navigating the dark tunnel you may be moving through toward a place filled with light through practicing mindfulness, grounding, challenging unhelpful thoughts, identity exploration, art, and creativity.
My passion lies in helping people better understand and affirm their own gender identity and sexual and romantic orientations, and the challenges that they may face along that journey. I am open and eager to meeting with and supporting families in their journey of supporting their queer children in their coming out process. I have maintained a long-standing passion for supporting and advocating for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and mental health struggles including anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and emotional regulation.
Professional Development
Ali (they/them/theirs) is a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) in the state of NJ (full name Alexis). They received their bachelor’s degree in Psychology with minors in Women’s and Gender Studies and LGBTQ Studies from Montclair State University in 2014, and completed a semester abroad with the School for International Training in 2013 in Amsterdam and Morocco to learn about International Perspectives on Sexuality and Gender. Ali went on to graduate with their masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2019, also at Montclair State University. Some of Ali’s personal hobbies that inform their counseling work include dance and movement, acting and theatre, performance poetry, writing, and completing a 200 hour yoga teacher training in Bali, Indonesia in 2016. In their current full-time role as an interpersonal violence counselor, Ali was trained in the introductory trainings for trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and is currently enrolled in the learning collaborative to complete advanced training to provide the structured therapy modality to children, adolescents, and their caregivers who have experienced or witnessed trauma(s).