Mental Health Therapists

Contact Katie

  • Katie is a licensed mental health counselor, owner of Katie Ford Counseling and Consulting PLLC and a co-founder of Village. Katie feels passionate about creating space for individuals and families to feel connected and supported on their journey towards health and wellness.

    Katie began her career as a field staff in wilderness therapy, and then later became the Clinical Director at a residential program for young teen girls. She has an attachment and somatic focused lens, and is trauma informed in her therapeutic approach. She focuses on healing through connection. Katie enjoys supporting clients across the age spectrum. In more recent years, Katie has developed a strong passion for supporting folks in the perinatal period.

 

Contact Melissa

  • Melissa is a licensed clinical mental health counselor supervisor; the owner of Melissa Villodas Counseling and Consulting, PLLC; and co-founder of Village. She has experience working with children, adolescents, and families in a variety of therapeutic settings. Melissa has a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and a M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Western Carolina University.

    Melissa has experience supporting individuals (children-adults) and families with healing. Some of the issues addressed in her clinical work include parenting growth, trauma, relationship struggles, conflicted family systems, depression, anxiety, ADHD, low self-esteem, body image, self-harm, executive functioning, school challenges, defiance, eating disorders, and grief.

    Melissa specializes in Truama Informed Care, EMDR, and Family Centered Treatment. She uses a systems approach, to support individuals and families to create healthy connection. Melissa believes in the power of healing through vulnerability, self-awareness, and insight.

    Melissa enjoys hiking, backpacking, and mountain bike riding with her family. She also enjoys traveling, painting, and gardening.

    Melissa is passionate about empowering children and families to Believe in the possibilities, Embrace change; and Thrive with greatness.

Contact Erich

  • Erich is a licensed clinician with 10+ years experience working with youth, adolescents, and their families in public schools, non-profits, and in private practice. His professional career began as an elementary school teacher where he quickly realized he was more interested in helping students and families remove barriers from learning and achieve success than staying in the classroom. This drew him to complete his MSW at University of California, Berkeley. In the following years, Erich supported students and their families at all grade levels (K-12) and throughout college as a mental health clinician, school social worker, student services coordinator and clinical supervisor. He has served in leadership roles to build and sustain Wellness programs, supervise Clinical Teams, and Lead Crisis Response efforts here in Asheville as well as in Northern California.

    Erich believes in the healing power of a trusting relationship, and works to ensure collaboration on specific goals that make sense for you, your loved ones, and what comes next in your journey. His passion is promoting self-expression and vulnerability, especially among young men yearning to feel comfortable with themselves. Erich uses a strengths-based approach that incorporates evidence based practices, including cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, solution focused brief therapy, mindfulness, and narrative therapy based on each client’s unique needs. He specializes in supporting youth, adolescents and young adults navigate school based problems, life transitions, self-harm, anxiety, grief/loss, depression, identity issues, and crisis support.

    As Erich has transitioned into parenthood, he has developed a strong passion for supporting parents as they navigate their journey and feel comfortable in their new roles. There is a unique, but often ignored process that parents go through that involves grieving their past life, embracing their new role, and recognizing their potential. Erich is a parent who understands these struggles and can sit with and process through the countless decisions and daily pressures from all directions. He loves working with parents as they negotiate this new identity as well as supporting all the amazing shifts and challenges to come – establishing family values, unhealthy family dynamics and navigating school related concerns.

Contact Madeline

  • I aim to get a sense of who my client is, their background and story, so that I can honor that in our time together. I come from a strengths-based perspective, meaning that I do not pathologies or stigmatize my client. I see them as an individual and as part of a family and community system, possessing strengths as well as resources and coping strategies that have developed over time.

    I like to think I am intuitive. What I bring to sessions is a perspective that is meant to amplify your own. I am real and direct with my client as well as gentle and nurturing. I balance psychoeducation with providing space for emotional release. I believe the therapeutic relationship can be so healing, and it takes a dynamic approach to be able to meet my client where they are at. We are all dynamic humans with varying needs.

    My guiding principle is one of hope— I believe that all humans have the capacity to heal. Cycles of shame, fear, or anger can keep us feeling stuck or discouraged. We all deserve to find a way though those struggles to connection, love, and belonging. We all deserve to lead a meaningful life, whatever we determine that to be.

    In my free time, I am a new mom.. so I have no free time! Just kidding. As a little family, we like to go on hikes and love to fly fish, camp, and spend time outdoors. I am an avid amateur rock climber, a crossword puzzler, gardener, and I enjoy most any type of game.

Contact Sarah

  • Sarah is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate. She has experience working with adolescents and adults dealing with a range of symptoms including: depression, anxiety, sports performance, disordered eating, stressed family systems, self-harm, perfectionism, identity issues and parenthood. Her areas of competence include but are not limited to: Developmental Counseling Theory, Attachment Theory, Adlerian Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

    Sarah graduated from Appalachian State University with a B.A. in Anthropology and a minor in Spanish Language. Shortly after graduation, she moved to Asheville and earned her teaching certification from Western Carolina University. For the next seven years, Sarah taught middle school Science and English Language Arts. Teaching led her to counseling. In 2019 Sarah graduated from the University of Tennessee with her M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

    Sarah and her husband spend most of their free time playing with their two toddler boys at home or in the woods. She also really enjoys trail running, hiking, mountain biking, gardening and curling up with a good book.

    Life is beautiful but tough. Sarah’s hope as a counselor is that together you all can meet life’s challenges and come out on the other side stronger and more resilient.

Contact Maggie

  • Maggie received her bachelor’s degree in English and African studies and my master’s degree in Social Work from Western Carolina University. She has clinical experience in residential, medical and inpatient settings and have served a wide range of populations. Over the course of her career spanning over ten years, she has worked in therapeutic settings as a Primary Therapist, Parent Coach, Case Manager, Medical Social Worker, Wilderness Field Instructor and Program Director.

    Maggie’s clients are seeking therapy to navigate difficult life transitions, navigate complex relationships and develop a deeper understanding of their own emotional experience. She enjoys helping clients better attune to themselves so that they feel a deeper sense of self worth and connection to others.

    She works with her clients to develop individualized treatment plans using a wide range of modalities to help them feel relieved, hopeful, confident and engaged meeting their personal mental health goals. She approaches her clinical work from an attachment and development perspective with emphasis on emotional attunement, reciprocal relationship, experiential therapies and trauma-informed approaches. Maggie utilizes an approach rooted in attachment, development and relationship. She has training in Polyvagal Interventions, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Theraplay, Dialectic Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, Brainspotting and additional emotional regulation techniques.

Contact Lucas

  • I specialize in working with children, teens, and young adults. We often work through ADHD/autism challenges, life’s tricky transitions, complicated families, bumpy relationships, and school or work troubles. I’m a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate at Melissa Villodas Counseling and Consulting, with over 10 years of experience working in various therapy settings throughout Asheville. My goal is to help you find a path forward, make meaningful change, and to thrive in life.

    I found this field through two of my main values in life - adventure and curiosity - and began working in outdoor education. Through the years I have worked in various counseling settings around Asheville and helped create impactful lessons for youths and young adults to promote social, emotional, and physical growth.

    My approach to therapy is built around curiosity, strength, and playfulness; which I tailored to your needs as an individual. I believe in flexibility and engagement therefore sessions can take place in the office, online, during a walk, through art, or play. I aim to make therapy as dynamic and accommodating as you need it to be in effort to move towards finding change and thriving in life.

    Outside of work, I pull on my value of adventure and often am out paddling the beautiful rivers around Asheville with my partner. I also enjoy hiking trails with friends, and participating in community workouts at my local gym. While I love getting outside, I also indulge in my nerdy side with video games, litRPG books, and experimenting with new baking recipes.

    I believe that life’s journey can be filled with joy and exciting adventures, even when it feels challenging. If you’re interested in exploring your life and working towards meaningful change, I’d be delighted to work with you.