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