Who is Danielle?
I’m a proud Kansas native with a soft spot for the mountains. I was a division I collegiate soccer player, now I’m much more of a slow-morning, coffee-in-hand kind of girl. I love rainy-day reading, walks outside with my husband, cheering on the Chiefs, and soaking up the everyday sweetness of life with our chocolate lab, Ford. I’ve learned that both drive and rest can coexist, and that balance has shaped not only my life, but the way I practice therapy.
As a therapist, my hope is that you feel genuinely seen and cared for here. You don’t have to show up polished or put together. You don’t need the right words. You don’t need a plan. You just get to come as you are. I’ll meet you there, without judgment, pressure, or expectations.
Our work together is a space to slow down. To breathe. To untangle what feels heavy. Therapy with me isn’t about fixing you, it’s about understanding you and helping you feel empowered.
My goal is to create a space that feels safe enough for you to explore who you are, what you’re carrying, and how you want to grow. You don’t have to have it all figured out to begin, you just have to be willing to show up.
I earned my Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a focus on Clinical and Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University, followed by a Master's in Counseling with a specialization in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy from MidAmerica Nazarene University. I'm a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC 04117) in Kansas.
I use a strengths-based approach to help my clients explore how their experiences, relationships, and emotions shape the way they feel and think. I draw from evidence-based modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), EMDR, and trauma-informed care.
The Meaning of Heartwood
Heartwood is the strong, central core of a tree, offering stability and resilience, helping the tree endure. Like the heartwood of a tree, you have a deep, enduring core that can support you through life's storms. When you reconnect with that inner strength, you begin to heal, grow, and transform.
This is the foundation of the space I aim to create.
FAQs
How do I know if Heartwood Counseling is a good fit for me?
Heartwood Counseling specializes in therapy for teen girls, women, and female athletes who are navigating anxiety, depression, perfectionism, sports performance pressure, self-worth challenges, and feeling overwhelmed. Therapy may also include support for relationship challenges, life transitions, and building resilience and confidence. I create a warm environment where you are fully seen, heard, and supported on your mental health journey. If this is you, let’s talk.
Your first session is an opportunity to feel heard, to share your story, and to begin building trust. We’ll explore what brings you to therapy, discuss your goals, and start identifying patterns that may be contributing to what you’re navigating, from there we’ll collaboratively shape your next steps. You just need to show up exactly as you are, no pressure. no pretense. This is your chance to exhale and just breathe.
What can I expect in my first therapy session?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence‑based therapy approach that can help process and reduce the impact of past experiences that contribute to anxiety, depression, and feeling stuck in your emotions. It supports healing by helping your brain reprocess distressing memories in a safe structured way. If EMDR is part of your treatment plan we will explain how it works and what to expect.
What is EMDR and how can it help me?
Can counseling help athletes with performance anxiety and perfectionism?
Yes. Therapy at Heartwood addresses both sports performance pressure and perfectionism by helping you identify thought patterns feelings and behaviors that interfere with confidence, focus, motivation, and enjoyment of your sport while building mental strength, resilience, and self‑compassion. Being a former division I athlete, I understand the unique struggles that accompany sports.
Is counseling right for anxiety, depression, or low self worth?
Absolutely. Counseling provides a safe compassionate space to explore anxiety, depression, and challenges with self-worth while learning skills that support emotional regulation, confidence, stress management, and overall wellbeing. You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy.
Do you work with clients who include faith as part of their healing?
Yes, if faith is meaningful to you I welcome exploring it gently and respectfully within therapy while always honoring your unique pace beliefs and personal journey. And if not, that’s okay too. I will meet you where you are at.