Ashton Barnes, NCC

 Hello! My name is Ashton Barnes, and I am a National Certified Counselor and a Resident in Counseling working towards full licensure as an LPC in Virginia. I believe that if we are met with compassion, authenticity, and unconditional positive regard, we are all capable of maximizing our internal strengths to drive us towards healing.

I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from James Madison University and completed a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University. I have experience working with individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders in a community-based setting as well as individuals struggling with anxiety, adjustment challenges, relational conflict, grief, and self-esteem.

 I consider a warm and nurturing therapeutic relationship to be paramount in creating a safe environment for you to explore and process your life stories and move towards a future grounded in peace. I value an individualized approach to therapy as everyone is unique and deserves to be treated as such. I mainly utilize a client-centered approach to ensure you feel accepted, supported, and understood in the therapeutic space; I strive to meet you where you are in your journey as you are the captain of your own ship! I use an attachment-based lens that can guide us in understanding the impact your relationships have had in your life as well as mindfulness techniques to support emotional regulation and grounding. Additionally, the internal family systems framework gives us an opportunity to explore the protective strategies and tactics we often engage in to manage the impacts of trauma and ways to move towards more adaptive coping. Please contact me if you are in need of a safe and warm environment to grow – I look forward to walking alongside you through it all!