Choosing Wholeness
Individual, Family, and Relational Therapy
Meet Asher
Asher J. Wickell, LCMFT
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As a therapist, my first job is to create safety for my clients. That means an atmosphere of openness and nonjudgement, flexibility in the way we approach our time together, and holding space for each person I see to share their unique story. I'm experienced in work that deals with relational difficulty, trauma, anxiety, and mood disorders. I've also worked extensively with adolescents and adults in LGBT communities around issues to do with identity development, coming out, and transition-related care.
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My practice as a marriage and family therapist is deeply shaped by my awareness that many of the conventional structures and supports for both family and individual life have changed drastically over the past several generations. This offers an array of new possibilities for connection and community. It can also create significant strain for those of us whose identities, relationships, and families do not fit the mold of tradition or expectation, especially when our own experience differs significantly from that of our parents, grandparents, or children.
In my role as a professional, I work on the assumption that my clients have the ability and desire to live well. Every choice or behavior has a purpose; our work in therapy is to discover those purposes, and find more effective ways to serve them. Therapy is a collaborative process, where we find ways to create and sustain the changes that can best support immediate and long-term happiness and fulfillment.
My experience as a clinician has been enriched by my work with a diverse array of clients. I enjoy working with children, teenagers, young adults, and their families; as well as adult individuals and relational partners. I am deeply aware of the important bonds often represented by intimate friendships and chosen family, and welcome the opportunity to include these individuals in therapy, when their presence becomes important.
As a student, I worked with Friends University to open a new internship site at the urban-serving, LGBT-affirming First Metropolitan Community Church of Wichita. My work there, as well as at the Center on Family Living, emphasized trauma recovery; relational healing and conflict management within relationships and families; identity development and self-understanding; and the treatment of mental health diagnoses within both individual and relational settings.
Education
Friends University
2011-2013
MS, Marriage and Family Therapy
I earned my Master's of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy at Friends University, in Wichita, KS. As a student, I worked with Friends University to open a new internship site at the urban-serving, LGBT-affirming First Metropolitan Community Church of Wichita. My work there, as well as at the Center on Family Living, emphasized trauma recovery; relational healing and conflict management within relationships and families; identity development and self-understanding; and the treatment of mental health diagnoses within both individual and relational settings.
Wichita State University
2007-2010
MFA, Printmaking
I also hold a Master's of Fine Arts in Printmaking, from Wichita State University, in Wichita, KS. My work at WSU focused on the challenge of creating and sustaining selfhood, in social contexts that often prioritize conformity over personal growth.
Baylor University
2001-2006
BA, Spanish and Studio Art
I completed my undergraduate work in Spanish and Studio Art at Baylor University, in Waco, TX. While at Baylor, my work with the Center for Jewish Studies was an early source of interest in the ways individuals, families, and communities interconnect and impact one another.