- Emotionally-Focused Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Chronic illness support
About Ashley
Dr. Ashley Bryan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Pennsylvania with 20 years of experience. She holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), a Master of Social Work (MSW), and a Master of Arts in Community Psychology and Social Change. She currently runs a private practice and teaches as an adjunct professor in a university social work department.
She helps people with trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD, self-esteem, grief, stress, and relationship and intimacy-related issues. Her background also includes work with caregiving stress, chronic illness and pain, cancer survivorship, and end-of-life concerns. She lists Emotionally-Focused Therapy among her approaches alongside ACT, CBT, attachment-based, and client-centered methods.
In sessions she leans on person-centered conversation and practical skills. That can mean naming hard emotions, trying new ways of responding, and practicing small behavior changes between meetings. She also draws on case management and patient advocacy skills from her healthcare experience when clients need help navigating medical or support services.
Her lived experience as a cancer survivor and ongoing chronic pain fighter informs her understanding of illness, fatigue, and medical systems. She also emphasizes cultural awareness, noting a biracial identity and long involvement with community work and teaching.
Dr. Bryan supports adults across the lifespan, including adolescents and seniors, and combines talk-based work with action-oriented strategies. People who want clear, direct conversation about feelings, attachment patterns, and practical next steps tend to find this style useful.
How Emotion-Focused and ACT approaches shape online work
Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on identifying strong emotions and the interaction patterns that keep people stuck. Online sessions using EFT typically involve naming feelings, tracking how they show up in relationships or personal patterns, and practicing new responses in conversation to change old cycles.Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that align with what matters. Practically, ACT sessions teach short exercises and experiments that can be practiced between meetings to build different habits around stress, anxiety, or chronic illness management.
Dr. Bryan treats finding the right approach as a collaborative task. She will discuss which methods might fit a person's goals and try approaches in session to see what feels right. The plan can change over time based on how clients respond and what seems useful.
Confirm the specific online session formats before booking because the biography does not list them. Many people find online sessions easier to fit into work, medical appointments, or caregiving schedules. Online work can make shorter check-ins simple, reduce travel time, and allow follow-up exercises to be reviewed during the session without needing to recreate them in person.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Listed in
Pennsylvania
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with trauma and abuse, anxiety, depression, ADHD, self-esteem, grief, stress, relationship and intimacy-related issues, and many related life changes.
What therapeutic approaches does she use?
Her stated approaches include Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
How much clinical experience does she have?
She brings 20 years of professional experience, including clinical work, teaching, and roles that used case management and patient advocacy.
What are her credentials and where is she located?
She is a Pennsylvania Licensed Clinical Social Worker (PA LCSW) based in Pennsylvania and also works as an adjunct professor in a university social work department.
Which languages are supported and can international clients work with her?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats does she offer?
Confirm current session options before booking since the original biography does not list specific formats.
How is pricing handled?
Cost varies with location, and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.