INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING

How our Counseling Program Works

Our counselors provide a safe, supportive and compassionate place for women of all backgrounds to heal.

We provide mental health treatment for a variety of issues, such as depression, anxiety, stress, trauma and relationship problems. In the very first session we work with our clients to establish goals for healing and recovery.

Our staff uses a variety of evidence-based therapeutic approaches in order to best meet the unique needs of each woman. Our clinical team uses many types of treatment, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR), interactive guided imagery, and stress management techniques. More than 80% of our clients experience improved well-being within a brief treatment model.

Women who see us typically report feeling a sense of relief after the first session when they discover what it feels like to join in a therapeutic partnership. From the first contact to the last, we are committed to creating a sense of safety, acceptance, reliability, and trust in our work.

If you are interested in counseling at The Women’s Initiative, please come to or call into one of our walk-in or call-in clinics, which are available at various times and locations Monday through Thursday each week. There, you will have the opportunity to meet with one of our staff therapists to create a plan of care, which may include individual counseling with us or one of our community partners. If you have sufficient mental health insurance coverage, we will help you connect to a private provider in our community who can best meet your needs.

STAFF Therapists

  • Kassandra “Kassy” Baltazar Alarcon, MSW

  • Kara Castle, LCSW

  • Elizabeth Cobb, LCSW

  • Judith Curry-El, PhD

  • Alyson Davis, LMFT

  • Elise Gibson, LCSW

  • Kishara Joy Griffin, MSW

  • Juanika Howard, LPC

  • Elizabeth Irvin, LCSW

  • Miranda Pax, MSW

  • Ingrid Ramos, LPC

  • Paige Riddle, MSW

  • Laura “Lo” Somel, MSW

  • Audrey Stefenson, MA

  • Shelly Wood, LCSW

  • Emily Zeanah Shelton, LCSW

PRO-BONO THERAPISTS

  • Katie Allen, LPC

  • Rachael LeMasters, LMSW

  • Kris Shafer, MA

  • Racheal Smetana, PsyD

  • Michelle Walsh, LPC

  • Maren Ward, LCSW

  • Emilia Williams, MSW