It’s your time to thrive.

 

Abbie Ames | EMDR Therapist in Columbus, OH and online across OH

You can be a good mom and still be a work in progress.


Right now you’re exhausted, overwhelmed,
and your stress level is sky high.

You’re carrying a heavy load. With all of the things you do, day in and day out, you’ve got no fuel left in the tank. You wonder how everyone else around you looks like they have it all together.

Life can’t seem to slow down with its ever-growing “to do list”. You’re doing your absolute best to meet everyone else’s needs and expectations, only it leaves you feeling like your best isn’t good enough. You’re stretched too thin.

I get it.


Hi, I’m Abbie.

I help women untangle the pressures of modern motherhood
so they can actually enjoy life again,
feel like themselves, & be the kind of mom they want to be.

Most of the moms I work with are overwhelmed, anxious, and constantly second-guessing themselves—often former Type A, recovering perfectionists who never imagined motherhood would feel this heavy. Maybe starting your family didn’t go the way you thought it would (fertility challenges, pregnancy loss, birth trauma), maybe the “village” you expected never showed up, or maybe you’re realizing motherhood has stirred up old wounds from your own childhood. 

With a trauma-focused lens—using EMDR, therapy intensives, and parts work (IFS)—I help moms heal the pieces of the past that still hurt, break cycles they never wanted to repeat, and find the version of themselves they miss or dream about becoming one day. Motherhood can bring the greatest joys and the hardest truths, but you don’t have to carry them alone. Together, we’ll help you feel lighter, more grounded, and more like you again.

Good moms get stressed too.
You can love your babies and still feel like you need a timeout.

My style
Why therapy with me feels different

Therapy with me isn’t stiff or stuffy—you won’t find me in dress pants nodding silently while you talk. I show up real and human: usually in jeans or leggings, messy bun and all. You can kick off your shoes, sit criss-cross applesauce on the couch, bring your baby if you need to, and yes—we can laugh, cry, and even cuss if that’s what feels right.

Most of the moms I work with have tried therapy before but still feel stuck. That’s where my approach is different. With EMDR and therapy intensives, we go deeper—helping you actually process the anxiety, overwhelm, or trauma that keeps hanging on, instead of just talking about it for years. I’ll be honest, transparent, and direct, but always gentle and attuned, so you feel safe enough to do the hard work that leads to real change.

At the end of the day, I believe moms deserve more support than they’re getting. When you heal, your whole family feels the ripple effect. My goal is to help you feel lighter, calmer, and more like you again—because you don’t have to carry this alone.

My Story Into Motherhood
(and Why I Care So Deeply About Yours)

My path to supporting moms comes straight from my own story of becoming one. I’ve lived through the heartbreak of an ectopic pregnancy and emergency surgery, years of fertility challenges, the joy of a miracle pregnancy, and the grief of losing my mom shortly after finding out I was pregnant with my second child. I thought I’d have a village, but life looked different—my mom passed, my in-laws faced health struggles, and my dad lived an hour away. Along the way I also carried the weight of birth trauma, postpartum anxiety (though I didn’t have the words for it at the time), sleep deprivation, and the constant worry that I wasn’t doing enough. 

That mix of joy and pain, loss and love, has shaped the way I show up for moms now. I know what it feels like to expect one version of motherhood and end up with something far harder and lonelier than you imagined. And I also know healing is possible. My work is about helping moms see they can reparent themselves, break cycles, and mother in ways they weren’t mothered. It’s about reminding you that even through grief, anxiety, or trauma, you can still become the version of yourself you’ve always wanted to be.


Because finding the right therapist matters
(and I want you to feel good about choosing me)

We’re a Good Fit If…

  • You’re an overwhelmed, anxious, or burned-out mom trying to keep it all together.

  • You’re a recovering perfectionist or Type A planner who feels like motherhood flipped your world upside down. (Maybe now you’re more like a Type C or D mom these days)

  • You’ve experienced grief, pregnancy loss, birth trauma, or old childhood wounds that are resurfacing now that you’re a parent.

  • You’re craving something deeper than “just talk therapy” and want approaches like EMDR or therapy intensives.

  • You want a therapist who’s down-to-earth, authentic, and not afraid to laugh (or cuss) right alongside you.

We’re Not a Good Fit If…

  • You’re in crisis with active suicidal thoughts or ongoing self-harm.

  • You’re navigating high-risk mental health concerns that need a higher level of care.

  • You’re currently struggling with active substance abuse and need specialized treatment.

  • You’re not really interested in trying new things - going outside your comfort zone - EMDR stuff /// 

  • You prefer traditional therapy that is focused on discussion (a very formal doctor who let’s them vent or agrees with you)

(This doesn’t mean you don’t deserve care—it just means you need a different kind of support than I can safely provide. I’ll always do my best to point you toward resources that can help.)


Clients say therapy is different with me because I am…

  • Genuine, authentic, competent and knowledgeable

  • Truly passionate about helping them and they can tell I really care

  • Interactive and engaged vs. just sitting back and listening

  • Offer more than just “coping skills”

  • Clients make connections and think in ways they never have before

  • They gain clarity and improve self-awareness

  • Identify patterns that are no longer serving them

  • Heal from previous pain and wounds as well as current ones they didn’t even realize were buried

  • They don’t have to relive the painful past in order to heal and feel better

Therapy for Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Beyond

EMDR Therapy for Trauma
————

Therapy for Self-Esteem and Self-Love

Education and Training


 
  • Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in Ohio

  • MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Walden University in 2015

  • BA in Psychology with a minor in family studies from Miami University 

  • EMDR Certified Therapist by the EMDR International Association

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) basic training (I and II)

  • Specialized EMDR training in grief and loss

  • Specialized EMDR training for attachment trauma/early or preverbal trauma

  • ACT Training

  • IFS informed

  • Specialized training in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders from PSI

  • Teletherapy for Perinatal Mental Health 

  • In Process: Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C)

It’s time for more peace, less self-doubt, and second-guessing.