Ashley has a Bachelor of Science from National-Louis University and a master’s in counseling psychology from Trinity Christian College. Becoming a counselor is a second career for her. Prior to returning to school later in life, Ashley had a 20-year career in the healthcare system, specializing in radiation oncology. As a result of several industry changes, Ashley found herself at a crossroads because of experiencing a few company mergers: do I stay in the unpredictable nature of no job stability, or do I leave? The answer came after much self-reflection, and gaining the insight that Ashley no longer felt of service to the cancer patient. Committed to the helping professions, she decided to pursue a degree in counseling psychology. Today, Ashley is not only the proud owner of Safe Haven Counseling PLLC, but a humble counselor to those in need of her services. Practicing from the lens of attachment theory, Ashley is passionate about building a secure attachment with her clients, motivated to support her client’s needs in a therapeutic setting, and is humbled when she earns her client’s trust. Some of her specialties include: substance abuse including process addictions, addiction recovery management, anxiety, bipolar, attachment issues, adjustment disorders, interpersonal relationship issues, grief, PTSD, complex trauma, and stage of life stressors. Ashley also provides couples counseling, specifically when addiction has caused harm to the relationship. Ashley is passionate about teaching couples about the recovery process of the relationship once an addiction is in remission and supporting the couple through this fragile process. Ashley supports couples through the lens of Emotionally Focused Therapy. Ashley also is passionate to support first responders and their families. Being the wife of a firefighter opened her eyes to the need of not only culturally competent counselors, but the vital backing of being a trauma trained counselor. Ashley has received training to understand the culture of first responders and their families as well as trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD. Ashley’s passions to help from the lens of attachment theory is the culture behind Safe Haven Counseling PLLC. “The propensity to make strong emotional bonds to particular individuals is a basic component of human nature”. John Bowlby