Therapists

Meet Our Counseling Staff

Meet Our Supervisors

Our Approved Supervisors at Living Hope Counseling are (pictured left to right): Erica Gores, Kristen Smith and Ashley Worthington. These three experienced therapists provide supervision and guidance to other practicing professionals who are working toward achieving licensure in the State of Arizona.

Founder and Clinical Director Kristen Smith has enjoyed practicing as a licensed Marriage, Family and Addictions therapist in Arizona for 20 years. She has helped people with the challenges that life brings, while encouraging personal growth and development. She is committed to helping her clients reach a more fulfilling and satisfying life, as they work through their personal struggles.

Kristen has extensive training on trauma and abuse issues. As a Meadows trained therapist, under Pia Mellody, she has the skills to help clients through traumatic events from childhood to adulthood. Additionally, Kristen has been trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, a modality of training that focuses on somatic experience and mindfulness which helps integrate and heal unresolved trauma. She is also a Level II trained EMDR specialist. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) is an approach to help her clients move past experiences that have negatively impacted them. Research shows that this approach can help clients get free from negative self beliefs or traumatic experiences that have negatively impacted them. 

Kristen is trained in IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy. IFS is a body focused therapy with the belief that everyone has a grounded, genuine and authentic Self at the core. This modality brings attachment theory to parts of ourselves that have been burdened by limiting beliefs and shame to a sense of restored balance and freedom.

As an Approved Supervisor, Kristen has provided supervision to other practicing professionals who are working toward achieving licensure. She enjoys teaching and training other clinicians to be the best that they can be with their own unique gifts, talents, experiences and education.

Kristen has worked as a licensed addictions therapist for almost 20 years. She acquired much of her training at Calvary Center, an addiction recovery facility in Phoenix, AZ. She is skilled at providing individual and family therapy to promote the greatest potential for long term recovery. Kristen can provide resources, skills and a team approach to promote sobriety and recovery for individuals and families struggling with addiction issues.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Supervisor Erica Gores uses her experience working with a broad range of issues to help couples, families, and individuals find growth and healing.

Erica’s heart is to work collaboratively with her clients to help them reach their goals in therapy. Using a variety of tools from her years of experience and training, Erica works uniquely with each client to find what will best serve them on their healing journey.

Erica has extensive experience working with clients struggling with codependency including issues related to self-esteem, boundaries, perfectionism, and attachment styles. She utilizes this experience to help clients find freedom and health in their personal lives and relationships.

Erica is a Level II EMDR trained therapist. Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of all kinds of trauma. This includes traumatic events such as a car accident, medical emergency, or abuse, but EMDR therapy can be used to heal any area of life in which a client feels stuck, including unhealthy relationship patterns, difficulties at work, or issues stemming from families of origin. Erica has done advanced training in EMDR including Attachment-Focused EMDR and EMDR for Adolescents. Erica has seen many lives forever changed as clients have found hope and healing through the EMDR process.

Through her own journey with postpartum depression after the birth of her second child, Erica has developed a special heart for women struggling with a variety of issues related to the birth of a child such as postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and birth trauma.

Erica also has extensive experience working with adolescents struggling with a variety of issues. Erica is skilled at connecting with teens who struggle with the idea of being in therapy, and will work with them to build trust that fosters healing and growth.

Other issues Erica works with are Marriage/Premarital counseling, Women's issues, Infidelity/Intimacy Recovery, Recent or past trauma loss, Recovery from narcissistic relationships, Abuse recovery, Women’s sexual issues, Anxiety, and Depression.

Ashley Worthington is a Licensed Professional Counselor and her goal is to provide clients with a warm, empathic environment to allow for trust and openness to flourish. She works collaboratively with individuals to offer an integrated and holistic approach to therapy which takes into consideration mind, body, soul and spirit.

Ashley specializes in working with individuals and couples on a wide variety of issues, including anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, codependency, self-esteem, grief, and destructive relationship patterns. Prior to her work at Living Hope, Ashley was employed in the addiction recovery field and helped individuals find freedom from painful addictive patterns. Her experience working with clients toward addiction recovery also includes assisting family members who have been affected by the addiction.

Ashley uses various therapeutic modalities to help clients reach their goals and find healing. She has received training in Internal Family Systems (IFS), The Meadows Developmental Immaturity Model, and she’s also a Level II EMDR trained therapist. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) is an approach she uses with her clients to move past traumas that have negatively affected them. With this approach, clients are more empowered and liberated from negative self-beliefs or traumatic experiences that impact them.

As a clinical supervisor, Ashley also provides supervision to other practicing professionals who are working toward achieving licensure. She enjoys teaching and training interns and associate-level therapists by instilling what she has acquired from her own education and experience.

Molly Caldwell is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the Client Care Coordinator for Living Hope. She works with individuals, couples, and families seeking to navigate challenges and grow. She also helps match and connect clients to the clinician who is the best fit for their needs and therapeutic journey.

Upon graduating with a Master of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, Molly worked for Gentle Path at the Meadows, a residential treatment program in Wickenburg, AZ. At the Meadows, she provided therapy to guide patients and families to navigate recovery, so they could heal from the impacts of trauma and addiction issues. While working at the Meadows, Molly received specialized training in Pia Mellody’s Model of Developmental Immaturity, as well as training in sex addiction treatment for individuals, couples, and crisis response. 

Molly is a level II trained clinician in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which is an evidenced-based treatment to address the impacts of trauma. Other modalities she uses include Internal Family Systems (IFS), Relational Life Therapy (RLT), and somatic oriented approaches, which involve utilizing elements of mindfulness. She enjoys working collaboratively with her clients to determine the most accessible and effective framework to help meet their therapeutic goals.

Molly also has multiple years of experience working with adolescents, pre-teens, and children to help them address anxiety, school-related stressors, depression, self-harm thoughts and behaviors. She utilizes adaptive coping skill development to address these issues. She believes having family support when working with adolescents is key and she currently works with kids over the age of 12.

She is passionate about helping people cultivate and nurture healthy relationships with family members, significant others, and self. She does this through utilizing client-centered, evidenced-based practices and a humble desire to meet people exactly where they are today. It is her joy to partner with those who are seeking healing, safety, and fulfillment.

Julie is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 20 years of experience providing therapy to individuals, couples and families. She was educated in California at San Francisco State University and California State University Hayward. Her career as a therapist has included roles in community mental health, private inpatient treatment and private practice outpatient counseling.

In individual and relationship counseling Julie collaborates with clients to define the problem, set goals and work towards resolution. Throughout the counseling process, clients can expect unceasing honesty, respect and acceptance. These are the building blocks of trust – which is the foundation of the therapeutic relationship.

Her treatment philosophy is Client-Centered and based on Family Systems Theory and various theories of Individual Development. In sessions, several approaches are utilized to tailor treatment to the unique needs of each client – including, but not limited to, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reproessing), Experiential, Narrative, Post Induction Therapy - Developmental Immaturity Model, and Psychodramatic. With prior consultation, Eriksonian Hypnosis is also provided as an adjunct to therapy. 

Julie has pursued extensive post licensure education and training in order to specialize in the treatment of anxiety, depression, phase of life issues, relationship problems, self-esteem issues and trauma. From 2009 to 2011, Julie received training with Pia Mellody in the Meadows treatment model, a comprehensive treatment modality designed to assess and treat the effects of relational trauma and resulting issues of developmental immaturity. Additionally, she completed training in the practice of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) in 2014, an evidenced based practice for the treatment of distress related to trauma, depression and anxiety.

Kenna McGrath is an Arizona Licensed Associate Counselor. Kenna believes there is a story behind every difficult situation and part of counseling is discovering that story together as she helps individuals and couples grow through increased self-awareness so her clients can find freedom and transformation. She specializes in counseling adults struggling with anxiety, depression, boundary issues, relationship issues, parenting challenges, trauma, grief, family of origin issues and spiritual abuse.

Kenna is trained using Pia Mellody’s Model of Developmental Immaturity and received Level I and Level II training with The Gottman Institute, a research-based approach to relationships. She is also a Level II trained EMDR therapist. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) is an evidenced based treatment that helps clients move past traumas that have negatively affected them. With this approach, clients are more empowered and liberated from negative self-beliefs or traumatic experiences that have impacted them. Kenna is also a certified facilitator for Prepare & Enrich, helping premarital/married couples find and focus on areas of challenge and growth, in order to improve relationships and bring healing through healthy and honest communication.

Having spent three decades in full-time ministry as a pastor’s wife, Kenna has years of experience working with students, young adults, singles and married couples, walking with them through various seasons of life. She is also personally familiar and has expertise in helping people with issues of infertility, miscarriage and adoption. Kenna understands the complexities that can surround family planning and parenting. She brings wisdom and maturity from life circumstances and has been through seasons of adversity which have taught her a great deal about perseverance and leaning into community and supportive resources. 

Kenna is honored to be trusted with your story. Her desire is to help you transform your life through developing healthy attachment styles, learning to set healthy boundaries and improving self-esteem to enhance current relationships. Her desire is to provide compassion and empathy for clients as they work through their difficulties in a safe space and feels strongly that no one should walk through hard times alone.