Ayanna Mills

Ayanna Mills is an LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor - practicing in Missouri with 13 years of experience in the mental health field. She works with concerns such as stress, anxiety, relationship and intimacy issues, self-esteem, depression, addictions, trauma and abuse, anger, career questions, bipolar mood concerns, and coping with life changes. She also lists work related to compassion fatigue and LGBT issues.

Ayanna uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Mindfulness Therapy. Sessions tend to focus on emotions, patterns in close relationships, and practical steps people can use between meetings. She prefers straightforward conversation and helps people name feelings and notice how those feelings affect actions and relationships.

Her background includes a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Central Missouri and a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Walden University. Ayanna has spent time helping people with a wide range of diagnoses and life situations and describes her work with clients from many backgrounds.

In sessions she aims to build rapport and openness so people can address sensitive topics like abandonment, attachment concerns, blended family issues, body image, codependency, domestic violence, and addiction. She also supports people facing caregiver stress, adoption and foster care questions, divorce and separation, and recovery from natural or human-caused disasters.

Practical concerns such as commitment issues, communication problems, control issues, and dependent personality patterns are commonly discussed. Ayanna encourages collaborative work - identifying goals, practicing new responses, and checking progress over time.

How Ayanna uses EFT, ACT and CBT remotely