Murial Barkley-Aylmer, APCC

Associate Professional Clinical Counselor

Looking for a therapist can be daunting, especially if you are seeking support for the first time. You may feel pressure to know “what kind” of therapy will be best for you or feel anxiety about what actually happens inside a therapy session. I give the same advice to every friend and client who asks: choose your therapist based largely on the connection you feel when you meet them. Do you feel listened to? Do they speak to you in a way that helps you to understand yourself better? Studies show that the quality of relationship between therapist and client is responsible for nearly 45% of the effectiveness of therapy. It makes sense, right? Feeling safe and seen allows us to be vulnerable enough to heal.

My approach to therapy is humanistic, client-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive. In other words, our work together is individualized in every way to fit your experience and the ways you learn best. In sessions, we will collaborate to find the most useful tools for you.

I work with a diverse client base, and have a particular passion for working with pregnant and postpartum, parenting, LGBTQI+, and young adult populations. I am also passionate about working with clients who’ve experienced trauma of any kind. Traumatic events in the past can’t be changed, but the lasting effects in your nervous system, body, and brain absolutely can be. I am trained in both Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Brainspotting, neurobiological approaches to processing and healing trauma.