I am a licensed professional counselor, certified clinical trauma professional, and nationally certified counselor in Alabama. My counseling style is warm and empathic but I may acclimate to the style that best suits my clients. I believe in treating everyone with warmth and respect. I live by Carl Roger's guiding principles for counseling such as maintaining unconditional positive regard, genuineness, empathetic understanding, client as expert and autonomy. In Rogers' words:
"It is the client who knows what hurts, what directions to go, what problems are crucial, what experiences have been deeply buried. It began to occur to me that unless I had a need to demonstrate my own cleverness and learning, I would do better to rely upon the client for the direction of movement in the process"- Carl Rogers
I discovered my passion for the field early in life as an undergraduate pursuing a bachelor's in psychology and social work. I have a wide range of experience working with many populations. I currently work with all age groups in an outpatient setting where I utilize EMDR, mindfulness, IFS, sensorimotor, CBT, DBT and other modalities to treat various mental health conditions. I also completed field work at Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health Center where I worked with children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and emotional disorders. I also worked with adolescents with sexual behavior problems at Hillcrest behavioral health. I have worked with adults with SMI, SA and other mental health disorders.
I served children and adolescents in the most intensive level of care in a residential setting where I began specializing in the new trauma treatment paradigms integrating neurobiological research and sensorimotor psychotherapies. I use the most up-to-date treatment modalities coupled with a person-centered, solution-focused framework as to ensure we can collaboratively develop a well-rounded treatment plan.
It takes courage to reach out! If you are ready for your journey towards emotional health, I am here to support and empower you.
I look forward to working with you!
Additional areas of focus: Addictions, LGBT, Family conflicts, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Sleeping disorders, Parenting issues, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Coping with life changes, Coaching, Compassion fatigue, ADHD, Abandonment, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, BDSM, Kink, Alternative Sex Culture, Body image, Codependency, Commitment Issues, Control issues, Coping with Natural or Human-Caused Disaster, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), Dissociation, Divorce and separation, Domestic Violence, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Emptiness, Family of Origin Issues, Family Problems, First Responder Issues, Forgiveness, Gender Dysphoria, Guilt and shame, Impulsivity, Infidelity, Intellectual Disability, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Military and Veterans Issues, Mood disorders , Multicultural Concerns, Narcissism, Obsessions, Compulsions, and OCD, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Personality Disorders, Phobias, Polyamory / Nonmonogamous Relationships, Postpartum Depression, Post-traumatic stress, Prejudice and Discrimination, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-Harm, Self-love, Sex Addiction, Sexual Assault and Abuse, Sexuality, Social anxiety and phobia, Somatization, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young Adult Issues
Clinical approaches: Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems
AL LPC LPC03865
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Ellen Walker. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
I've been working with Ellen for a couple of months and she has been fantastic so far. I'm noticing that she is not afraid to chime in with very thoughtful questions and really pinpoints my issues and blind spots out to me in a way that I find helpful. I'm looking forward to making more progress with her!
Written on Sep 12, 2022 after therapy with Ellen for 2 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, parenting issues, self esteem, anger management, coping with life changes, and adhd
Ellen was empathetic, a wonderful listener, and helpful in coming up with coping mechanisms for my anxiety. I would recommend her to others facing anxiety!
Written on Jul 06, 2022 after therapy with Ellen for 1 week on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, and family conflicts