Ashley Askins, LPC-MHSP

Attachment and trauma approaches in online care

Ashley integrates Attachment-Based Therapy to help people understand how early relationships affect current reactions and close connections. This approach looks at patterns of relating and helps people try new ways of connecting and setting boundaries.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thoughts and replace them with more useful ones. CBT often includes short homework tasks and clear skill practice to reduce anxiety and lift mood. For clients who have experienced trauma, she may use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing to address distressing memories in a focused way.

Finding the best approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk through goals, preferences, and what feels manageable, then try approaches that match those needs. Sessions can adapt over time as progress and priorities change.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which makes it easier to fit care into busy lives. Video is useful for full conversation and visual cues, phone calls work well when bandwidth is limited, live chat can be a shorter check-in, and text messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These formats increase flexibility and help people stay consistent with care while balancing other responsibilities.