Alice Leaf, LCPC, NCC
INDIVIDUAL & COUPLES THERAPIST
Locations: Virtual Only
Specialties:
EMDR & Trauma
Cross-cultural experiences
Anxiety
Rate: $185/ session; BCBS PPO
Alice@cultivatecounselinggroup.com
Hey there,
To be human means we will inevitably experience various levels of loss, harm or violation in life. Just as there are various kinds of physical wounds and symptoms, so it is with the wounds of our inner life. Depending on the severity of one’s experience or trauma (i.e. physical, emotional, sexual, verbal abuse and/or neglect) one has experienced, the path to healing differs. No one’s story is the same.
It is an honor to enter these spaces and stories with you to begin to uncover how it is you’ve come to be who you are today. And who is it you would like to become? Unlike a physical wound, wounds inside us often go left unaddressed until we are in crisis and struggling with unwanted thoughts, feelings, behaviors or relationship(s) within one’s family are becoming distant and/or hostile. Wounds often manifest as disordered eating, unwanted sexual behavior, feelings of depression, anxiety, anger or turning to substances for relief. Often people feel a pain inside they are unable to understand or articulate. The reality is until we experience healing we will transmit our pain upon others. The ones we love most may become the very people we hurt most deeply.
Alice believes there are not only strategies to build one’s resilience but new ways for an individual to experience life in their internal (emotions, mind and body) and external (relational) world. Alice takes a developmental and holistic approach rooted in the latest attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology and narrative therapy in working with teenagers, adults and the family system to promote the desired change individual(s) seek. Humans are complex beings and Alice incorporates a variety of therapeutic interventions including EMDR, Mindfulness, CBT, DBT, CPRT (child-parent relationship therapy), and art therapy as appropriate to further understanding and healing.
Alice has extensive cross-cultural experience and specialized training in working with third-culture individuals (TCK's) and families in global transition. She offers preventative research based care for TCK's and their families so they can flourish through each stage of their journey and development.
Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Concordia University Chicago
Narrative Focused Trauma Care Level I & II certificate program from The Allender Center
TCK Debriefing: certified through TCK Training
EMDR certified
With specialized training in trauma care, Alice has experience working in out-patient clinics with adults and treatment centers for children and teenagers