COUNSELING
Let’s Talk. Learn. Heal. Balance.
Therapy for Women
YourSelf. YourRelationships. YourBalance.
ANXIETY | DEPRESSION | OCD | CODEPENDENCY | PTSD | HEARTBREAK | INSECURITIES | ADHD | REACTIVITY
Empowering, Educational and Skills-Building
More Than Talk Therapy for Women
This isn't traditional, nod-n-listen kind of counseling. We provide a compassionate a safe space for you to navigate choices, challenges and relationships, share your story, worries, symptoms and insecurities. All while learning vital skills for emotional processing, nervous system calming, secure relating and more.
With the most up-to-date, neuroscience-informed therapy methods we treat conditions, such as trauma, complex-ptsd, anxiety, depression, insecure attachment style patterns, such as codependency, and maladaptive protective behaviors, like people-pleasing or and reactive conflict.
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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 self-leadership, confidence, and lasting emotional, mental, personal, and relational well-being.
Your Balance is the ability to process emotions 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
Therapy and Career Counseling
We offer solution-focused
appraoch to navigate life
changes such as career goals
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.
In Network Insurance
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
Best of Scottsdale, Counselor Awardee
Hi, I am a licensed counselor and certified clinical trauma professional (CCTP) with 10+ years experience, 40+ years of life experience and a mom of two 😉😉.
My vibe is warm and kind-hearted yet empowering and educational. I provide a safe space to learn social-emotional health skills, navigate life's ups and downs, and even heal from heartbreak, trauma and developmental complex-PTSD.
Nervous System Nerd
I am passionate about nervous system informed, skills-building therapies. Learn emotional regulation, secure relating, communication, boundaries skills and more.
With time, strengthen your ability to regulate and create balance within your nervous system, for more 'feel good' neurochemicals like serotonin and oxytocin.
“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.
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.
Credentials
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)
Human and Organizational Behavior
2012, Grand Canyon University / Phoenix, AZ
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE 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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