COUNSELING AND EMDR THERAPY
ANXIETY | DEPRESSION | OCD | CODEPENDENCY | PTSD | HEARTBREAK | INSECURITIES | ADHD | REACTIVITY
Empowering. Educational.
Skills-Building.
Counseling and EMDR Therapy
This isn't just nod-n-listen counseling. We provide engaging, collaborative, skills-building, nervous system science therapies. Your Balance is client‑centered care: no one‑size‑fits‑all approach. We match proven therapies (CBT, DBT, EMDR, ACT, IFS parts work, somatic experiencing, attachment style based, solution‑focused, etc.) to what you’re going through.
We provide a safe space to talk, vent, share, feel and heal with compassionate feedback and social-emotional health skills to process anxiety, heal trauma, heartbreak, depression, insecure attachment and maladaptive protective patterns such as people-pleasing, sabotaging and reactivity. Build self-trust, unique purpose and lasting change with a calmer, balanced nervous system.
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I've had many therapists throughout my life, but never felt benefits until now. I can feel such a shift. I am truly feeling and seeing healing!!!!
- Client Age 44
Session Types
Build lasting emotional, mental, personal, and relational well-being.
Your Balance is about learning vital practices for social-emotional intelligence, emotional processing, nervous system calming and secure relating skills, so you can respond rather than react to stressors, connect with your genuine wants, needs and limits, experience a calmer nervous system, self-trust and more secure relationships.
Individual Counseling Video and In-Person
We provide an integrative
approach, combining therapy methods ideal for each client.
EMDR and Trauma Focused Therapy
For clients experiencing
symptoms of trauma, CEN or
Complex-PTSD.
Solution-Focused and Career Counseling
We offer solution-focused
approach to navigate life
changes and goals.
Group, Couples and Family Counseling
Safe, collaborative space to share, connect, heal and grow together—whether as a couple, a family, or in a supportive group setting.
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Visit our Team Page
To schedule a free consultation or contact us.
Meet the Team
At the heart of our practice is our team of licensed counselors who share a deep commitment to evidence-based, compassionate, skills-building therapy. While each of us bring a unique specialty, from healing grief and love loss to trauma, betrayal and breakup recovery—to self-esteem and navigating life’s pivotal moments like career changes, motherhood, or tapping into your sense of purpose.
Summary of Therapy Methods
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Nervous System Informed IFS Parts Work Therapy
Somatic Attachment Focused EMDR (S.A.F.E.)
Goal-oriented, Solution-focused Therapy (SFT)
Attachment-based Therapy (ABT) Secure Relating Skills
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Mindful Self-Compassion Focused Therapy (MSC & CFT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Motivational Interviewing (MI) Therapy
Evidence-based Divorce and Breakup Recovery Therapy
Athena McKee LPC, C-DBT, CCTP
Founder and Counselor
Hi, I'm Athena, licensed counselor and certified trauma professional with 10+ years of experience, plus 40+ years of life experience ;) and a mom of two teens. I offer a kind-hearted, yet strong empowering space to learn neuroscience and attachment system informed, social-emotional health skills to calm your nervous system and anxiety, get unstuck from depression, navigate life’s ups and downs, and heal from heartbreak, trauma, and complex PTSD.
I started this practice 10+ years ago after my own therapist focused on skills-building and EMDR. She taught me about attachment styles, self-compassion, complex-ptsd, nervous system calming and more. This knowledge changed everything—from healing heartbreak to resolving anxiety, shame, insecurity, depression and balancing core beliefs. Now I share these evidence-based therapy methods for self-awareness, and self-leadership skills with my clients and clinicians.
You’re not broken — you've adapted. Healing starts with identifying your symptoms, attachment style and where you’re stuck in maladaptive protective beliefs
and reactions — fight, flight, freeze, fawn modes.
Improve your mental, emotional, social and relational health.
Nervous System Informed, Skills-Building Therapy
Heal with evidence-based skills to gain confidence, heal from trauma, process even the most painful emotions and calm your nervous system. Learn to gently work through, and resolve, insecurities, limiting beliefs and maladaptive protective reactions like people-pleasing, sabotaging, obsessing, over-thinking, conflict and reactivity.
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EMOTIONS
Calm Anxiety and Nervous System
With nervous system science, learn vital emotional processing and nervous system regulation skills.
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BELIEFS
Build Self-Worth Tame Inner Critic
With awareness, bring balance to shaming Inner Critic and limiting core beliefs and insecurities.
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BEHAVIORS
Resolve Maladaptive Reactive Coping
With time, gain self-leadership over maladaptive Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn patterns.
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RELATIONSHIPS
Learn Secure Relating Skills
Learn and heal your Insecure Attachment Style with Self-Security and Secure Relating Skills.
“A current event can have only the vaguest resemblance to a past traumatic situation and this can be enough to trigger the psyche’s hard-wiring for a fight, flight, or freeze response."
Pete Walker, Complex-PTSD, From Surviving to Thriving
What is Nervous System Informed Therapy?
Are you tired of feeling stuck with...
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Anxiety and Panic Attacks
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People-pleasing
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Overthinking, Overwhelm
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Out of Control OCD or ADHD
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Depression, Feeling Stuck
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Body Image Insecurities
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Low Confidence
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Inner Criticism and Shame
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Sabotaging Goals
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Self-Berating or Self-Harm
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Painful Divorce or Breakup
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Codependency
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Relationship Distress
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Outbursts, Reactivity
It's not you. It's your chronic nervous system activation and maladaptive stress reactions.
In fact, neuropsychological research shows us that most emotional and mental health disorders and relational distress patterns are due to chronic Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) activation and maladaptive Fight, Flight, Freeze or Fawn coping patterns. Our nervous system is also our 'Attachment System' so it directly impacts our Sense of Security (versus insecurities), worthiness (Self-Worth), Motivation, Purpose and Relationships.
Without nervous system regulation and secure relating skills... we are left with...
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Unprocessed emotions and insecurities
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Unprocessed core beliefs about ourselves and others
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Leads to chronic nervous system activation and...
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Maladaptive coping: Four F's for temporary relief
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Only to feel painfully powerless, stuck in the blame-or-shame Trauma Triangle, grappling for a sense of power, only to end up more powerless
and ... the cycle continues...
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Flight
ANXIETY
Reacting to feelings by trying to escape or avoid them by over-working, perfecting, hyper-independence, etc. Results in anxiety, OCD, ADHD and process addictions.
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Fight
REACT AT
Reacts to emotions as if they're 'threats' and feels powerless. Tries to get power back by boundarylessly expressing words, demands, blame, complaints or actions at.
Fawn
COMPLIANT
Overrides feelings by taking on 200% power with self-blame with people-pleasing, codependency, over-giving, minimizing others' letdowns and abuse.
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Freeze
DEPRESSION
ATS auto-detects uncomfortable emotions and situations as 'severe threats!' Results in brainfog, overwhelm, denial, procrastination, ADD, depression, fatigue.
About Athena
Licensure
Licensed Professional Counselor and Clinical Supervisor: Arizona / LPC-23927
Certifications and Awards
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Best of Scottsdale Award, Best Counselor 2019
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Certified Relationship Coach / 08101704
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Certified Clinical Trauma Professional / IAPT
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IFS-Informed Therapist (Parts Work) / IFS Institute
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Level 1 Gottman Method Therapist
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Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapist
Education
MASTER OF SCIENCE COUNSELING
2019, Grand Canyon University / Phoenix, AZ
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA)
Emphasis Human Resources & Organizational Behavior
2012, Grand Canyon University / Phoenix, AZ
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Business Management, Economics
2005, Arizona State University / Tempe, AZ
Truly grateful. I was a basketcase of anxiety for years. Now I can literally calm my actual nervous system and feel the 'warm fuzzies of oxytocin'. This is living! Thank you!
— Client Age 50
I've had many therapists throughout my life, but never felt benefits until now. I can feel such a shift. I am truly feeling and seeing healing!!!!
— Client Age 44
I used to have panic attacks. Now if I feel anxious I trust myself to self-soothe and feel better in a few minutes.
— Client Age 19
The ability to calm my nervous system with regulation is something I didn't even know existed. Learning DBT has improved my entire life.
— Client Age 28
Thank you for your help over the past several weeks. You helped me restore my self-worth and push my confidence to move forward with my life and career.
— Client Age 38
I hope you have a smile knowing how you are really having a healing impact on people! Thank you for helping me heal and learn to love myself.
— Client Age 47
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