Andrew Ross

Where I grew up there were no roads, no electricity, and no fences, only a vast African sky and open land. Sometimes I look around at this concrete city where every block and every property is separated by roads, fences, and walls and I think, "What in the world are we doing to ourselves?" The barefoot boy deep inside reminds me that there is better way to live because he remembers running through the open fields owned simultaneously by no one in particular and by the whole tribe at once. There is a reason why joy, rest, and connection feel so difficult to hold onto when most of us live in a society that divides and isolates as prolifically as the modern western world. I don't pretend that therapy is going to cure all of the problems that stem from living in a society built on division, but what I love about therapy is that it can provide a place to start to reconnect what has been divided inside of our own souls. Reconnecting heart and mind, mind and body, emotion and logic, adult-self to child-self, inner-critic to insecure aspects of ourselves. The work of reconnecting with compassion what has been broken apart can begin within our own hearts, minds and spirits. As we begin to reconnect on the inside, we become more able to reconnect on the outside. It is sacred work, but can't fully be accomplished alone. Receiving help from counselors, mentors, and guides along my journey has been an unbelievable gift. I feel blessed and humbled to be able in turn to support clients on their journey. From a professional standpoint I bring advanced clinical interventions including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), IFS (Internal Family Systems), and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to help people stabilize symptoms, process trauma, and build skills for life. I try to listen well and collaborate on various options to come up with plan that is specifically tailored to each person's needs, goals and objectives. From a personal standpoint I am on the journey as much as anyone else and I have found that the gifts, training, experience, and even failures I carry help me support others on their healing journey with both increasing confidence and increasing humility. I have done a lot of my own counseling and healing work. I've been on both sides of most of the models I use which has really accelerated my ability to use these tools effectively and sensitively. I have also tried to make a life rich with connections including intergenerational friendships, cross cultural friendships and of course some hiking, soccer, and time in the wilderness. I work primarily with adult individuals dealing with challenges including anxiety, high stress, PTSD, depression, and a range of other concerns. I prefer a strengths based, goal oriented approach, drawing on assessments, practical tools, the power of visualization, and the generation of new and empowering inner experiences. I also integrate recent research on memory reconsolidation which provides a framework for permanently resolving unprocessed memories, beliefs, and feelings. For those who so desire I am also trained to integrate faith and spirituality in respectful but very real ways. I want every client to walk away feeling strong, capable, self compassionate, and ready to give and receive life giving gifts. I have seen many, many clients achieve these things and I continually strive to grow personally and professionally to help client's achieve ever better outcomes. For those interested in learning more about how I work I have put together an explanation of my 3 phase approach to counseling along with A LOT of really practical videos and step by step skill development guides by experts in the field. All of this is available for free on my secondary website: https://andyrosscounseling.com If this type of focused, strengths based approach interests you please contact me or self schedule a free 15 minute exploration call above to talk through your goals and questions. I offer professional counseling, coaching, and consultation services. I am in network with BCBS PPO, Aetna, and Cigna. More information about rates can be found at andyrosscounseling.com/rates/. I work weekdays from 9am-4pm central time. I look forward to your call.