Alyse Downey
Pre-Licensed Professional Counselor
- Online & In-Person
- Location: Lakewood, CO
I may not always have immediate availability. If I’m booked, our intake coordinators will respond by the next business day with some alternative therapists specialized to your needs.
Top Specialties
Locations
Who I Work With
My Approach to Therapy
The experience of living comes with both pain and joy, but when suffering becomes stagnate it can be difficult to move through it on your own. Emotional pain and suffering thrive in isolation. Healing begins when we can share our pain with others and not bear the weight of it on our own. Therapy offers space to explore what weighs on your mind, heart, and body, helping you move beyond simply surviving each day to fully live this life you have been given. You do not need to do this alone.
It is my belief that there is no such thing as becoming completely healed, because there is no such thing as being completely perfect. Perfection is not the goal for therapy, but rather to feel content with your life no matter what it throws at you. Healing is learning how to love the parts of yourself that are hard to grapple with. To forgive yourself for past mistakes. To feel safe in your own body again after trauma. To be able to set boundaries with difficult family members. To feel confident in your own skin. To feel capable of living this amazing, difficult, and profoundly complex life you have been given. Not just to survive it, but to really live it. Not in the absence of hardships, but in the face of them.
My approach is rooted in person-centered therapy, which means I believe you are the expert of your own life. I view the therapeutic relationship as a collaborative partnership where I will walk alongside you with compassion, authenticity, and a little bit of humor. I also utilize CBT, IFS, and relational therapy depending on the needs of the client. I have experience working with both teens and adults who are navigating depression, self-harm, low self-esteem, childhood trauma, family and relationship conflict, domestic abuse, and addiction. I also enjoy working with clients who are experiencing chronic illness or pain and those who are in the LGBTQ+ community. Together, we’ll explore the patterns, experiences, and beliefs that may be contributing to your current challenges. We’ll work to develop practical coping strategies, improve relationships, and foster greater self-understanding and self-compassion. My goal is not only to help reduce symptoms but to support you in creating a life that feels more meaningful, balanced, and authentic.
Alyse has years of prior experience in community mental health, including providing direct service and group therapy as a mental health technician at Children’s Hospital and working as a crisis counselor at Crisis Text Line. This involved working with individuals with a variety of mental health concerns including depression, self-harm, and childhood trauma. Alyse currently works as a Victim Advocate for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. This work includes supporting people through trauma, homelessness, co-parenting, and court proceedings.
A little more about me…
One of my favorite things to do is camping! I like being in nature as this is where mindfulness comes easiest to me. I love looking at any birds, bugs, and trees that I can find during the day, but enjoy the stars and the moon at night even more. When I am at home, I enjoy curling up on the couch with my cat to paint, read, or listen to a podcast. I also enjoy a good concert with friends.
Other Specialties
Approaches
Accepted Insurances
A note about my specialties…
While this list will help you better understand my therapeutic approach, I work with a number of specialties and techniques not shown here! If your personal challenges aren’t on this list, feel free to contact us anyway to see if I’m a good fit for you. Our expert scheduling team will let you if one of my colleagues is better suited for your treatment.