Our Mission
is to facilitate and empower individuals and encourage emotional healing and growth through the intimate experience of individual and group therapy.
LAUREN DEES-Pedroza
Lauren Dees-Pedroza, a licensed clinical social worker and sex therapist, has been providing trauma informed- therapeutic services to teens, adults, couples, families and groups since 2012.
She is a trauma informed, sex positive clinician that strives to improve connection between couples, provide inclusive sex education and help all individuals experience pleasure and sexual satisfaction. She is passionate about helping individuals & couples enhance their sex lives, improve daily and sensual communication and enhance confidence in all areas of life.
Lauren is also EMDR and DBT intensively trained and uses tools/skills from both modalities to shape her treatment style. She finds EMDR therapy helpful in areas such as trauma, grief and loss, anxiety, and when an individual feels “stuck.” Lauren uses DBT skills to help clients recognize positive emotion, establish control of problematic behaviors and impulses, and enhance a sense of mastery.
Lauren strives to create a safe, nurturing and uplifting atmosphere in which individuals find support in their efforts to change and connect with others, as well as enhance strengths and develop life long goals. She believes that the therapeutic relationship should be founded on trust, humor, and authenticity, and she strives to maintain and enhance relationships through every interaction.
Outside of the office, Lauren enjoys riding her Pelaton, experimenting with cooking, photography, making playlists, watching scary movies, and spending time with her husband, Robert and daughter, Remi.
Lauren is in-network with Cigna, Optum/United Healthcare, and Kancare insurances.
Lauren's session rates:
Individual therapy- $150
Couples therapy- $170
MELODY ANDERSON
Melody Anderson, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist who has been providing trauma-informed therapeutic services to children, teens, adults, families, and groups since 2015.
Melody worked for several years in child welfare where she found her passion for working with individuals and families to facilitate healing from trauma. After completing the Master of Social Work program at Indiana State University, she moved to Kansas City where she has worked in corrections and private practice.
Melody is passionate about providing a safe, nurturing, therapeutic space for LGBTQIA+ youth and adults to explore gender identity and sexual orientation, process trauma, and learn self-acceptance and self-love.
Melody also works with autistic and ADHD teens and adults. Living in an ableist world designed by and for neurotypicals can feel overwhelming and confusing, especially for those who did not discover they were neurodivergent until adulthood. Melody will partner with you as you unpack the trauma that often accompanies being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world and help you learn skills to care for yourself when day-to-day experiences lead to overstimulation and/or meltdowns.
Outside of the office, Melody enjoys board games, cooking/baking, arts and crafts, listening to audiobooks, snuggling with her cats, caring for her houseplants, and spending time with her girlfriend, friends, and family.
Melody's session rate: $150 (cash discount $140)
***Melody currently has a waitlist for new clients.
Carla
Essay
Carla is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and has an extensive background in substance abuse, childhood trauma, PTSD (which includes First Responders), and Borderline Personality Disorders.
She is trained in both DBT (Dialectical Behavior therapy) and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and practices unconditional positive regard and empathic understanding in her therapy, which helps facilitate client self-discovery and self-actualization.
Carla is in-network with Cigna, BCBS, and United Healthcare.
Carla's session rate is
$100 per hour.
