Ashley has traveled the world, from France to Bosnia to Sri Lanka, but her biggest adventure has been as a mental health therapist on SteadyMD.. SteadyMD meets clinicians wherever they are on their journey. We work alongside our partners and help them provide telehealth care. We enable better access to health care.
Ashley has worked with people who have experienced severe trauma, including refugees and immigrants. She has also helped everyday people adjust to a COVID-19 world where social situations and human interactions have changed drastically.
Born in Philadelphia, Ashley did her undergraduate work at Barnard College, which is part of Columbia University in New York City. A dancer for much of her life, Ashley says she wanted to combine her “passion for dancing with helping others.” She soon began an exciting journey that would take her around the world.
After studying European History in her undergrad days, she moved to France to earn her graduate degree in Cultural Project Management from the Institute of Political Studies. From there, she moved to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which had been ravaged by war ten years before. While working on “reconciliation projects,” Ashley says she discovered she needed “skills in psychotherapy” to work with people who had experienced severe trauma.
Ashley moved back to the U.S., and entered a graduate program at Columbia College, Chicago, where she earned a dual degree in dance/movement therapy and psychotherapy: “I’m really lucky to be able to bridge these two fields that I have been passionate about for so long.”
She did most of her clinical training with immigrant refugee communities in Chicago: “I was really honored to be able to work alongside that population.”
Ashley’s travels took her abroad again. This time she was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka where she taught dance therapy and counseling therapy. She was eager to learn how Eastern and Western healing therapies could intersect to create a “culturally informed therapy practice.”
“I always go into a situation honoring my client’s expertise, and what they bring into the space,” says Ashley.
She stumbled across a SteadyMD on LinkedIn while doing group therapy with patients during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ashley wanted to “jump back in to providing individual therapy,” and saw an exciting opportunity to do so with SteadyMD.
SteadyMD is proud to serve diverse populations with a roster of diverse clinicians. SteadyMD is inclusive. We handle licensing/credentialing so clinicians can focus on what they do best!
“[SteadyMD] just seemed so great,” Ashley recalls. “Looking at the profiles of the physicians that were there, it just seemed really exciting to be a part of a new program. It’s always interesting to be there at the beginning when something is emerging, especially for mental health programs.”
Ashley described how she has been able to connect with her patients using SteadyMD.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much connection, compassion and empathy can be shared [on SteadyMD]. It’s definitely different than being there in person, but I can really feel my clients through the screen. It’s been pretty moving and incredible.”
Ashley explained how she is able to set her patient schedule to her own hours on SteadyMD.
“I have about 10-11 clients that I see through SteadyMD. It’s really nice just to be able to set my own schedule… I wake up in the morning, and I’ll see some clients. Then I’m able to have time for some of the other projects I’m doing on my own. And then I’ll see a few clients in the evening. It’s really a well-balanced schedule. The team has been so supportive in allowing us to see what is going to work within our schedule.”
SteadyMD empowers clinicians who can set their own flexible and convenient hours. Our clinicians are able practice and live the way they want.
Ashley has been around the world, but loves her SteadyMD community.
“It’s been really lovely. I felt really lucky… I was so impressed by the onboarding process, and how the team checked in with us… The clinical team therapists have been so great about always checking in, providing open office hours, and making sure that our questions are answered.”
In addition to therapy sessions with her patients, Ashley is able to meet with other clinicians on SteadyMD and build a professional-based community where they share their skills with each other.
“We have a lot of online spaces, and also virtual spaces where we can gather. I just did a [SteadyMD] workshop last night… We can all share our expertise and collective knowledge from all the clinicians. Having the space to do that is fantastic.”
Ashley recalled some of her patients who have been directly impacted through SteadyMD.
“Being that I am a dance therapist, I do incorporate creative arts with mindfulness and talk therapy when appropriate. I had a client and we talked about maybe engaging some art-making after the session. And they came back, and they wrote how they took the ideas from the session, and spent like 2-3 hours on making this beautiful art piece and how that served as a huge resource for them. It was just so lovely to see.”
Ashley also recalled how her SteadyMD patients have influenced her life for the better.
“Working alongside people who have undergone so much trauma, it has shifted my world view. When I enter the world, I feel like I have the internal resources based on the strength that I have witnessed from my clients; seeing how they have overcome, seeing everything that they have dealt with. When I enter a situation that may be a little more difficult, I think of them a lot!”
These days most people look online for a clinician, but are they finding you? SteadyMD gives clinicians what they need to be found on the web. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a tech genius.
SteadyMD is easy to use, and our friendly staff will answer all of your questions. We know you’d rather spend your time helping your patients, not dealing with website technical issues. We get it. SteadyMD is passionate about connecting clinicians to their clients. Find out what we can do for you today!