A veteran, a military spouse, and an exceptional counselor all describe Tasha Willen’s distinguished career of service. However, none of these accurately articulate her enormous kindness and unusual level of empathy. Tasha is one of the most sincere and dedicated clinicians in Texas and works tirelessly to stand with her clients regardless of the intensity of their struggle. She reliably remains focused on the shared goal of healing and recovery from the setbacks and challenges each one of her clients has experienced. In a world that can be very judgmental, finding a therapist with this level of compassion is rare. Tasha’s clients have been devoted to her perceptive insights, her kindness during moments of vulnerability, and her profound sense of humor.
Tasha’s many professional interests includes working with both adults and adolescents individually. She works diligently to help them learn new coping skills that not only improve their ability to remain calm in the face of adversity but to enjoy a more positive and effective relationship to emotions and thoughts. She teaches clients coping skills that have been verified by decades of research in addition to a proven record with hundreds of Gearing Up clients over the years. Not only do her clients show incredible progress, but they also value the support and nonjudgmental atmosphere they find in every session with their gifted therapist.
Tasha’s Professional Experiences Include:
- Adult Individual Therapy
- Adolescent Individual Therapy
- Group Therapy
- Patient Assessment and Diagnosis
- Creating Individualized treatment plans
- Conducts ongoing assessments of client progress and improvement.
- Mood Disorders (Depression/Anxiety)
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Women’s Issues
- Postpartum Depression
- Perinatal Loss
- Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)
- Social Anxiety
- Panic Attacks
- Grief and Loss
- Eating Disorder Issues
- Bipolar Disorders
- Relationship issues
- Multicultural issues
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Complex Trauma Disorder
- Domestic Abuse
- Abuse (mental, psychological, sexual, physical)
Specialized Training in:
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy
- Exposure and response prevention
- Cognitive Processing Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Crisis Response Prevention and Intervention
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy – She has studied Dialectical Behavior Therapy both in formal training and in on-site supervision with senior supervisors. Tasha completed the prestigious DBT Foundational Training with Dr. Marsha Linehan’s organization (sixteen weeks with five hours per week requited equaling approximately eighty hours of advanced study). Tasha has also participated in Dr. Gearing’s well known DBT group program as a group assist.
- Complex Trauma Certification – Tasha is completing her training and certification in Complex trauma and is studying the work of internationally renowned psychologist and author, Janina Fisher, Ph.D. Dr. Fisher was one of the first psychologists in the country who began studying and treating trauma. She is a former instructor at Harvard Medical School. Upon completion of this prestigious program, Tasha will be a Certified Complex Trauma Treatment Level Two Professional and an expert in the treatment of Complex Trauma.
Among Tasha’s many accomplishments are the following:
- University of Wisconsin – Richland-Center—Associates of Arts and Sciences
- University of Wisconsin – La Crosse– Bachelor of Science, Sociology
- Troy University: Master of Science, Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Psychology–Troy University
- Licensed Member of the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors