Ashley Thompson, IFS Therapy in California

Professional Background

Education, License & Certifications

Bachelor of Arts, Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 

Master of Arts, Counseling, Wake Forest University

IFS Institute Certified IFS Therapist

California Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

State of Wisconsin Licensed Professional Counselor

National Certified Counselor (NBCC)

HSP-knowledgeable Therapist (Highly Sensitive Person)

Other Training

National Board for Certified Counselors (NCC)

Internal Family Systems Level 1 and Level 2

Somatic IFS 

Internal Family Systems and Addiction

My Approach

I consider my role as a therapist to be a companion and guide to my clients, helping them to co-create space in which to explore their inner worlds as well as the constraints and impacts of their outer worlds. In my work with clients I consider the whole person: thoughts and emotions, the physical home of the body and the energy in and around them. I use a somatic approach to IFS, helping clients attune to their present experiences while connecting to or speaking from parts of themselves that need our attention. 

I view IFS not only as a therapeutic model but as a framework for living, applying the concepts of compassion, curiosity, care and courage across the full spectrum of my relationships. IFS is deeply resonant for me in its framework that so much of what we suffer or hope to change is often not pathology but the whisperings of unmet needs. 

My goal in working with clients is for us to slow down and listen, increase understanding and learn what might be helpful in making lasting, sustainable change that will lead to a more balanced and expansive life. While I work with a wide variety of clients, I am often sought out by those who identify as a Highly Sensitive Person, perfectionist, people-pleaser or planner.

My Journey 

I have an innate curiosity and value variety which led me to a career spanning from marketing and recruiting to sales and human resources. My pursuit of a degree in counseling began after working as a volunteer reading tutor with children from an underserved community, where I felt myself limited in my capacity to help my students cope with the ongoing effects of their trauma. In graduate school I worked with children and families in the school system and community agencies, finding myself concerned about the unspoken impacts of various systemic oppressions and pressures that negatively impacted clients’ pursuit of health, wellness and security. 

As I continued my work as a therapist at subsequent university and community mental health agencies I began to more deeply see the negative impact of the pathology-oriented medical model on my clients’ relationships to themselves, favoring quick skills and interventions as opposed to deeper understanding and the cultivation of self-compassion. Around this time, I encountered IFS through a therapist training and wanted to experience it first as a client before using it with mine. I left my first session feeling like I had found my way home - to a model of care that was inclusive and non-judgmental and placed the client in a position of self-empowered connection and healing. 

Since that time I have shifted my work with clients to be grounded in IFS and inclusive of somatic awareness. While this work leads us to discover and build relationships internally with parts of ourselves, I also honor the truth that we live in an external world in which we are impacted by multiple systems and both cultural and legacy burdens, such as the pressure of productivity and the ongoing impacts of historical and familial trauma. I feel privileged to be able to join with my clients on their journeys and to share in their full experience of humanness.

About Me

My heart feels full when I’m connected to nature and those I love, lost in a good book, listening to music or exploring. As a resident of Northern California, I feel a soul connection to the ocean and redwoods and have immense gratitude for this place.

I’d love to help you.

Please contact our client care team to get matched with an IFS therapist who would be a good fit for you.