Ashley Brooks (she/her), MS, PLPC
Authentic | Affirming | Empowering
Meet Ashley Brooks, MS, PLPC
I see clients in person and online!
Hey, hey! I’m Ash, and I like to consider myself a “Homegirl Therapist”
What does that mean for you? You get a therapist who shows up as someone real. One who brings warmth, honesty, humor, and a judgment-free space where you can take off the mask, say what you’ve really been wanting to say, and get curious about the parts of yourself you’re still figuring out. I believe therapy should feel safe enough to be real, but honest enough to help you grow. So yes, I’ll meet you with compassion, validate your experiences, and make room for your feelings. And I’ll also lovingly challenge you when it’s time to look at a pattern differently or hold yourself accountable to the changes you say you want. I’m not here to tell you who to be. This is your show, I’m just your hype man. I’m here to help you understand yourself, believe in yourself, and show up more authentically as you.
Who Ash Works With Best
“You deserve therapy that meets you where you are, honors who you are, and supports who you’re becoming.”
Who I’m Passionate About Helping: Individuals navigating identity, self-preservation, self-worth, and life transitions; Black individuals seeking culturally affirming care; LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent individuals; oldest daughters longing for a space where to feel seen; and couples working through relationship patterns, conflict, and non-traditional relationship dynamics. Especially passionate about supporting those ready to break old patterns, heal from past experiences, and build more authentic relationships with themselves and others.
You may be a good fit for working with Ash if you:
Want to understand how your past, family dynamics, and learned patterns influence who you are today
Struggle with people-pleasing, boundaries, self-worth, or prioritizing yourself without guilt
Are exploring your identity, navigating life transitions, or learning to show up more authentically
Want a therapist who brings warmth, humor, honesty, and loving accountability into the room
Value a collaborative, affirming, and flexible approach that makes space for both healing and real-life change
Areas of Focus
Ash enjoys working with clients navigating:
Self-worth, boundaries, and breaking people-pleasing patterns
Identity exploration, self-expression, and authentic living
Childhood experiences, family dynamics, and inner-child healing
Emotional regulation, neurodiversity, and understanding your inner world
Relationship dynamics, communication, and non-traditional relationships
Learning to Prioritize You
One of the biggest themes I see in my work is how easy it is to lose yourself while trying to be everything for everyone else. Maybe you’re the fixer, the people-pleaser, or the person who holds it all together. Somewhere along the way, your needs became negotiable. I love helping clients unlearn those patterns, get curious about where they come from, and realize that choosing yourself doesn’t mean you’re letting everyone else down.
I love helping clients work through:
Building Self-Worth & Internal Validation: Learning to trust yourself, recognize your worth, and stop depending on everyone else’s approval to feel good about who you are.
Breaking Codependency: Setting boundaries, loosening the grip of people-pleasing, and learning that you can love people deeply without losing yourself in the process.
Navigating Life Transitions: Finding your footing through breakups, career changes, grief, living alone for the first time, or any season that asks you to figure out who you are all over again.
Inclusive Couples Therapy & Modern Relationships
Relationships don’t have to look one specific way to be healthy, fulfilling, or meaningful. I love helping partners better understand themselves, each other, and the patterns that shape their relationship. Using the Gottman Method and a collaborative, affirming approach,
I help couples cultivate deeper alignment, stronger communication, enhance connection and navigate challenges with intention..
I’m passionate about creating a space where all relationship structures feel seen, celebrated, and supported, including:
Identity & Individual Growth: Supporting couples as they navigate shifts in mental health, identity, self-discovery, and how individual growth impacts their relationship.
Conscious Uncoupling: Helping partners navigate separation with honesty, care, and respect while creating space for healthier transitions.
Queer & Non-Traditional Relationships: Supporting LGBTQ+ couples, and partners navigating ethical non-monogamy (ENM) or polyamory.
The Intersection of Faith and Queer Identity
As a therapist who proudly identifies as both queer and Christian, I know firsthand how messy it can feel to navigate spaces that tell you those pieces of your identity can't coexist. I firmly believe that one does not cancel out the other.
Whether you are straight or queer, if you want to bring faith-based themes, spiritual exploration, or religious trauma into the room, that door is always open for us to walk through together.
Empowered Parent Coaching
Having spent years working extensively with kids, teenagers, and families, I know that parenting is one of the hardest jobs on the planet. I work with parents—particularly those raising teenagers—to shift away from strictly punitive discipline and move toward active connection. Your teen’s voice matters, and their behavior is usually trying to tell you something. I'm here to offer fresh perspectives and tangible resources so you can parent from a place of confidence and understanding.
Ashley’s Story
Ash’s path to becoming a therapist has been shaped by curiosity, exploration, and a desire to better understand what makes people who they are. As the oldest daughter in a family with teenage parents who were still growing up themselves, Ash’s early experiences offered a unique perspective on family dynamics, personal growth, and the ways our caregivers’ own experiences can shape our childhoods. Growing up, Ash also moved frequently throughout Kansas City, fostering adaptability and an awareness of how people and their environments influence one another. Together, these experiences sparked a lasting interest in how our early experiences shape our identities, relationships, and the ways we navigate the world.
For her undergraduate studies, Ash moved to Texas to attend Prairie View A&M University, a historically Black college and university (HBCU). Intentionally stepping outside her comfort zone, she chose to study away from home to gain new experiences and perspectives. Her time at an HBCU was also an opportunity to learn and grow within a community rooted in Black excellence, culture, and history. After graduating during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ash returned to Kansas City and began working in residential and short-term psychiatric settings with children and adolescents.
Through this work, Ash discovered her passion for mental health. Supporting young people navigating crises, suicidality, and emotional overwhelm gave her meaningful insight into the importance of mental health care. Ash realized she wanted to move beyond supporting clients through immediate challenges and become more directly involved in helping them understand their inner worlds, make sense of their experiences, and create meaningful, lasting change. Inspired and determined, Ash earned her Masters of Science in Counseling Psychology at Avila University.
Her journey reflects the curiosity that first drew her to the field and her continued commitment to understanding people, their stories, and the experiences that shape them.
Ashley’s Approach to Therapy
Ash takes a person-centered, integrative approach to therapy, recognizing that no two people have the same story, needs, or path toward healing. She values collaboration, curiosity, and flexibility, drawing from different therapeutic approaches to help clients better understand themselves, their experiences, and the patterns that shape their lives.
Ash strives to create a space where clients can show up authentically without feeling pressured to mask, minimize their experiences, or have everything figured out. Her approach balances compassion with loving accountability, making room for humor, honest conversations, emotional exploration, and the sometimes-uncomfortable work of growth. She helps clients reconnect with themselves, challenge patterns that no longer serve them, and learn that they can honor where they’ve been while still choosing where they want to go.
Modalities I Use: Person-Centered, Relational, EFT, Gottman Method for Couples, Parts Work/Internal Family Systems (IFS), Strengths-Based, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, and integrated Somatic Practices.
Outside the Therapy Room
Outside of the office, Ash is a lover of self-expression, new experiences, and all the little things that make life feel like her. Whether she’s creating content, switching up her hairstyle, or putting together an outfit that matches her mood, she enjoys finding ways to express her personality unapologetically. She’s also drawn to good books that explore identity, resilience, and personal growth.
Ash loves getting out of her comfort zone, whether that means trying a new adventure, traveling somewhere fun, or finding her next favorite food spot. Family is also a meaningful part of Ash’s life, and she deeply values the relationships that keep her grounded, especially her connection with her mother, nana, and siblings.
At home, Ash shares life with her partner, Jordyn, and their spoiled toy poodle, Drake. Between quality time with loved ones, exploring new interests, and continuing to learn more about herself, Ash believes that growth doesn’t stop outside the therapy room. She’s a firm believer that you can take yourself seriously without taking yourself too seriously—and that there’s always room for a little joy, humor, and becoming more of who you are.
Session Fee & Sliding Scale
My standard fee is $150 per session for individuals, $200 for couples, and $250 for families.
I’m committed to making therapy accessible—and I offer a limited number of sliding scale spots based on financial need.
If the full fee feels out of reach, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the office to inquire about sliding scale eligibility. You deserve support, and we’ll do our best to help make that possible.
INTEGRITY, CREATIVITY, AND EMPATHY SHAPE THE WAY ASHLEY WORKS. You’re going to love her.