What does success look like in therapy? How will a client know that they are making progress?
I like to highlight the seemingly small shifts which can be transformational and are significant signs of progress, whether that is experiencing a sense of increased safety when leaving the house, or the ability to engage in breathing practices without feeling anxious. All of these moments can lead to longterm progress.
What excites you most about the evolving mental health landscape?
The incorporation of the body in mental health treatment, in particular for clients who have experienced trauma, has been a necessary and exciting evolution in this field. As a psychotherapist that values and honors the body's responses to trauma and stress, the openness to body based modalities has been transformational.
In what ways does your personality influence your approach to therapy?
I've found that bringing some of my key personality traits such as lightness and humor into my sessions, when appropriate, has helped to facilitate growth and healing in many of clients, especially for those who have experienced complex trauma.
Specialties
Anxiety
Anxiety can mean nervousness, worry, or self-doubt. Anxiety disorder is a mental health disorder that entails excessive, repeated bouts of worry, anxiety, and/or fear.
Artists' mental health
There’s been a long history of debating the connection between creativity and mental illness. Research shows mixed results but ultimately, anyone can experience mental health issues in relation to professional burnout or work-related stress.
Medical professionals' mental health
Many medical professionals have extremely difficult jobs. When the result of one’s work is a matter of life or death, stress is typical. Medical professionals’ mental health is oftentimes impacted by experiencing vicarious trauma, working long hours, feeling underpaid or unappreciated, and believing that the well-being of others is more important than their own. This may lead toward distress, compromised performance, resentment, poor mental and/or physical health, and burnout.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Obsessive compulsive disorder entails a distressful pattern of recurrent thoughts and repetitive behaviors. Obsessions are oftentimes unreasonable thoughts and fears that plague one’s mind to the point of compensatory behavior. This occurs despite logically recognizing the problem. The cycle is seemingly endless and instils feelings of hopelessness/helplessness. Severity of the condition varies but tends to begin gradually, becoming more intense under stress.
Trauma
Trauma is the result of experiencing a perceived, extremely distressful event. Although the stress threshold for each person differs, meaning that each person considers and experiences trauma differently, it is an event that tops one’s threshold. It exceeds one’s ability to cope or emotionally process. Symptoms may include shock, anxiety, confusion, hopelessness, feeling disconnected, mood swings, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts.
General Expertise
Depression
Depression often causes people to feel sad, empty, or hopeless, and can cause a lack of interest in life. It can also affect a person's thinking patterns and physical health.
Careers
Designed to help people choose, change, or leave a career at any stage of life. Careers are often wrapped up in people’s perceived identity, therefore, any change can cause anxiety and/or depression.
Work Stress
Workplace issues are a common source of stress and can include interpersonal conflict, communication problems, gossip, harassment, discrimination, low motivation and job satisfaction, performance issues, and poor job fit.
Loss/Grief
Grief is a reaction to an emotionally significant loss and often comes with symptoms of depression or anxiety. These symptoms can remain intense and last for a long time after a loss, making it difficult to move forward with a healthy lifestyle.
Body image issues
Due to continued exposure to images of “normal” or “desired” body types, people can develop a range of positive or negative emotions about their appearance causing anxiety, depression, or eating disorders.
Fees
$100
First Session
$100
Individual Therapy
Types of Therapy
Individual Session
Clientele
Young Adults (18-24)
Adults (25-65)
Seniors (65+)
Treatment Approaches / Modalities
Strength Based Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Compassion-Focused Therapy
Culturally Sensitive Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Expressive Arts Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
Multicultural Therapy
Somatic Therapy
Training / Certifications
Board Certified Dance Movement Therapist
Level 1 Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Yoga-informed Psychotherapy
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
Licensure
IL, LCPC, 180010512
Education
MA, Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling, Columbia College Chicago
MA, Cultural Project Management, Institute of Political Science (France)
Work History
Ashley Fargnoli, MA, BC-DMT, LCPC is a dance/movement therapist and psychotherapist specialized in working with populations who have undergone severe trauma. She has worked alongside refugees, immigrants, survivors of intimate partner violence, survivors of human trafficking, and LGBTQ communities. Ashley lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina for three years where she implemented numerous reconciliation projects as well as in Kolkata, India working alongside survivors of human trafficking. Ashley has additional training in yoga-informed psychotherapy, sensorimotor psychotherapy, DBT and CBT. Ashley was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka from October 2019-March 2020.
Location
4313 N. Francisco Ave, Chicago, 60618, IL