Alex Ragsdale, MA, AMFT
Associate Therapist
Pronouns: any
Contact info:
(312) 767-2057 x 1
Education:
M.A. Couple & Family Therapy, Adler University
Internal Family Systems Level 1 trained
Gottman Method Level 2 trained
I work with:
Individual adults
Relationships
Families
Specialties: I specialize in helping clients with relationships with themselves or others, trauma and PTSD healing, anxiety and depression, adapting to life transitions, self-exploration and growth. I am also queer and neurodivergent and specialize in providing affirming, non-pathologizing care for LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent folks.
Modalities:
Internal Family Systems
Emotionally Focused Therapy/Attachment Theory
Relational therapy
Somatic approaches
Collaborative therapy
Narrative therapy
Personal bio: We have all developed protective parts and patterns hat have supported us through difficult times. Therapy is about befriending and loving those protectors and re-integrating our vulnerable exiled parts so that we an be our most authentic selves. Therapy can also be an opportunity for liberation from dominant social narratives that don’t work for us as individuals or in our relationships. Integrating all our parts and divesting from those old narratives is more than just a cognitive unlearning process; it involves vulnerability and embodiment. The ongoing, often intergenerational trauma of struggling against oppressive narratives exists in our minds and bodies, and I incorporate all aspects of the self that clients wish to bring into therapy. My approach is also informed by the wisdom of collective care and healing that I’ve learned from grassroots disability and abolitionist movements. Building a therapeutic relationship in which you feel truly seen and heard is the foundation of healing. I believe that we are collaborators in that process, creating an authentic, resilient relationship that supports your ability to delve into your internal world to find insight and growth. You are the expert of your own life, and I match that expertise with unconditional non-judgment, curiosity, and care. We heal in relationships, and therapy can offer relational healing wherever you are in your life.
During our initial sessions, you can expect… compassionate curiosity about your context, your values, and what brings you to therapy. We will get to know each other and attune to what feels most comfortable and fruitful for our work together. I believe that building this therapeutic relationship is an ongoing process that we will collaborate on throughout our time together. In sessions we may process through talk therapy, parts work, EMDR, visualizing through tarot cards or collage, attuning to the body, and whatever else you would like to bring to our time together.