Hello, I am Asha Griffin, owner of Balancing Eden Counseling LLC. I am excited you found your way here. I am always happy to see others taking a step towards healing and growth.
People often seek counseling wanting to learn how to manage day-to-day stressors, however, the bigger issue may be connected to past unaddressed issues, concerns, or traumas. Understanding the root cause and working your way up can provide you with higher self-awareness and self-mastery.
Having overcome life-altering losses and difficulties balancing life, being a counselor allows me to help others do the same.
“We are all gardens enduring the seasons of life”.
-Asha Griffin
I am always working on myself as well. It’s important to develop new ways to balance and bring fulfillment to my life. Here are a few things that excite me. I am a casual video gamer, an abstract painter, and children make me smile. I hope to adopt one day! I love reading self-help and spiritual books. I like my TV with science fiction and fantasy. I want to learn how to play my acoustic guitar and reach fluency in French. I have one dog, a Shih-Tzu name Mini, who lives with my grandmother now. She’s 13 years old and I consider her to be in retirement. She’s mean and has an attitude now, but I’m glad she’s happy. I’ve always been a curious person and I like to discover new things. I think all people are interesting and have something to offer to the world rather they know it or not.
As it relates to my professional experience, I received my Master’s of Arts in Mental Health Counseling from Eastern Kentucky University in 2012. I also received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Benedict College in 2007. I currently hold an LPC license in the state of South Carolina. My licensed professional counselor number is 7219. I am a Nationally Certified Counselor. My NCC number is 259328. I also have Board Certified-TeleMental Health Provider (BC-TMH) credential.
I have 7 years of direct counseling experience; 2 of those years with supervised counseling as a licensed professional counseling associate (LPCA). I receive supervision from a licensed professional counselor supervisor and continue to seek training to further my knowledge as a counselor. As a mental health counselor, I have worked as a school-based mental health therapist working with children at two elementary schools and a clinic-based mental health professional working with children, adolescents, teens, and adults.
Over the last seven years, I have seen over 300 clients ages 4-80 with a variety of concerns including anxiety, depression, adjustment, addiction, phobias, ADHD, anger, relationship issues, bipolar, psychotic disorders, life transitions, grief, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, trauma, chronic pain, family conflict, career, medication management, and nutrition/healthy lifestyle.
I have special interest in working with clients with the following issues: multicultural and diversity issues, poor stress-management, low self-esteem, low self-worth, low self-confidence, assertiveness and boundary issues, difficulty problem-solving, emotional codependency, bipolar, issues with wellness, life balance, and adjustment. However, I am currently serving adults 18 years and older.
I have a passion for working with women who suffer from Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder PMDD. I’ve had PMDD for most of my life, and I know how difficult it is to find a helping professional who understands the difficulties of managing PMDD. My goal is to assist clients in becoming more aware of PMDD symptoms (e.g., what their PMDD symptoms are vs. them without being influenced by PMDD symptoms), how symptoms manifest in their daily lives, discussing treatment options, and assisting them in developing individualized coping skills that help them manage and/or overcome PMDD symptoms. Sometimes you have to learn how to change your lifestyle in order to fit your needs. I enjoy helping women discover how to practice more self-acceptance and learn work from where they are.
My theoretical orientation is an integrative, holistic, and eclectic approach using but not limited to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Adjustment and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Person-Centered Therapy. Techniques I may implement include the process of “being with” the client, cognitive restructuring, guided discovery, journaling, behavior activation, stress reduction techniques, role-playing, successive approximation, mindfulness, affirmations, goal setting, relaxation techniques, modeling, debating irrational beliefs, carrying out homework assignments, and learning new coping skills.
Using the eclectic approach, I employ elements from a range of therapeutic techniques, with the goal of establishing a course that is personally tailored to the client. I use the integrative approach to take the view that there is no single approach that can treat each client in all situations. Integrative counseling aims to promote healing and facilitate wholeness ensuring that all levels of a person’s being and functioning (psychological, physical, and emotional health) are maximized to their full potential. Holistic counseling comes from a perspective that each person, each client, is already whole. Their body, mind, heart, and spirit (however a client defines ‘spirit’) are connected and work together to create a larger awareness of a wholeness that already exists inside.
Although I utilize an array of therapy techniques, my main technique used is the strength within the rapport between the therapist and client combined with active listening without judgment or evaluation.
I believe developing an empathetic connection with each client is key to moving forward in the therapeutic process, and is the core of an effective counselor-client relationship. I genuinely care and provide unconditional positive regard to my clients.
It is my passion to help you on your journey of finding balance.
“Every garden has a story, I am here to listen to yours”.
-Asha Griffin
Balancing Eden Counseling LLC 