Meet Cassy
I'm a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Utah who works with adults on trauma, anxiety, depression, and the hard transitions in between.
I'm direct. Ask me a question and you'll get an answer. If I think you're avoiding something, I'll say so, kindly, but I'll say it. Clients describe me as competent and steady more often than they describe me as soft, and for a lot of people that is exactly what makes it possible to finally say the hard thing out loud. Steady doesn't mean distant, though. I'm tuned in to what's happening emotionally in the room, and big or uncomfortable feelings don't rattle me. If it comes apart in a session, I'm not going to rush you back together. I can stay in it with you for as long as that takes.
I've spent the last several years focused on trauma work. It's the part of the job I love. I work especially well with people who arrive skeptical. They've been told therapy would help, they aren't sure they believe it, and they want to know what they'll be doing in the room. I'm also a mother of four, so carrying a full life while trying to get better isn't abstract to me.
I earned my Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, and I'm fully licensed to practice independently in Utah. My EMDR training is EMDRIA-approved, which is the standard set by the field's governing body. I use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) day to day, and I'm also trained in trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT) and emotionally focused individual therapy (EFIT).
The point of all that training is that I have more than one way in. If the first approach doesn't fit you, we change the approach.
Underneath all the acronyms, here's what I'm actually doing. When you tell me something that happened to you, I'm listening for three things at once: what happened, what you felt, and what you've decided it means about you. That third one is where lasting change comes from. The meaning you've made of your life is what built the life you have now, and it's the part that can change.
How I work
Direct and collaborative
You'll get clear feedback, and I'll tell you why we're doing what we're doing. You shouldn't have to guess, and I'll treat you as someone capable of hearing the truth.
Your choices, your life
The work is about seeing your situation clearly and making decisions on purpose, instead of being managed by circumstances or by old reflexes.
Trauma processed, not just discussed
EMDR, TF-CBT and EFIT target the reaction underneath the story, so relief comes from the memory losing its grip rather than from working harder at coping.
What makes therapy work
I really do believe the biggest predictor of a good outcome is the relationship we build. It matters more than any particular technique, and it is what I pay the most attention to. What you bring to it matters too, and what you bring is mostly your willingness to stay engaged, which is not the same as being fine. Hard weeks and setbacks are part of trauma recovery, not evidence you're doing it wrong. I'll guide, push a little, and hold the plan. The rest of it we do together.
Credentials and training
- Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CMHC), State of Utah · license 13587991-6004 — look it up at Utah DOPL under the License Number tab
- M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (CACREP-accredited)
- EMDRIA-approved training in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
- 1,500+ client sessions to date, roughly a third of them EMDR
- Trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
- Trained in Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT)
- Practices with CBT and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)