Dr. Alison Aschenbach, PsyD, LCP, LP, APIT

My approach to therapy is from a Relational Cultural framework (RCT). I believe it is important for me to understand your history, your values, and your perspectives in order for me to help you as a therapist. I will take the first few sessions learning about you, present, past, and future. I see myself as the expert on psychology and the client as the expert on themselves. Together, we can find the tools to change behaviors, their environment, and/or their thinking to make life better. I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and more to find the tools that work for you based on your strengths and lifestyle.

Why might you and I be a good fit for therapy?

If you are interested in doing the work of therapy, I am excited to join you in that work. I am so honored to be a therapist. People trust me with their stories, their hurts, and their proudest moments. I see each therapy or testing session as an act of great trust by the client to let me into their world. I am comfortable equipping people with tools to better handle their emotions, relationships, or circumstances over six to eight sessions. I also have clients who have been coming to me for years for severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMI), maintain sobriety, or explore their attachment styles, relationship styles, or the way they make meaning of their lives.

Do therapists also use the coping skills they recommend to clients?

I always try skills and resources before I recommend them to clients. There are many skills that I have tried over the years, especially when I was learning about so many in graduate school. The coping skills that have worked best for me are body scans, deep breathing, and radical acceptance. Therapy is about finding which coping skills work for you.

Are you able to prescribe medications?

I am not able to prescribe medications. As a psychologist, my training is focused on behavior change, how the brain works, and how thoughts, feelings, values, culture, identities, and personality effect a person. Psychiatrists are able to prescribe, however, I am a psychologist. I am happy to provide referrals to psychiatric and medication services.

What do you do in your free time?

Family is the most important to me, I spend as much time as possible with them. We love to compete and we love to learn, so whether it is a game night, watching a documentary, or a walk around the neighborhood, we are always talking, laughing, and learning. I also love animals and nature. I love taking my dog for hikes, camping, and I am currently rebuilding a little camper trailer.

What are all those letters after your name?

PsyD stands for Psychology Doctorate. A psychology doctorate means my time in graduate school was focused on the practice of therapy and assessment, and less about research and working in a lab (like with a PhD).

LCP stands for Licensed Clinicial Psychologist. This means I am a doctor who is licensed to practice psychology in Illinois.
LP stands for Licensed Psychologist. This means i am a doctor who is licensed to practice in Minnesota.
APIT stands for Authority to Practice Interjuristictional Telepsychology. This is a certification through PsyPact, an organization that allows me to provide telehealth to people all over the United States. Here is a map of all the states that participate in PsyPact.