Alison McGordon, LMSW

A place to feel heard, understood, and supported

You may be carrying experiences that continue to affect how you feel, think, connect with others, or move through daily life.
 

Perhaps you are experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, or emotional reactions that feel difficult to control. You may understand where some of those feelings come from but still feel unsure about how to change them.
 

I’m Alison McGordon, a Licensed Master Social Worker who works with adults from diverse backgrounds and life experiences.
 

My approach is compassionate, collaborative, and grounded in respect. I provide a nonjudgmental space where you can explore what has happened, understand how it continues to affect you, and develop healthier ways of responding to yourself, your relationships, and the world around you.
 

Healing from trauma and difficult experiences

Trauma does not always come from one clearly defined event. It can also develop through repeated experiences, unsafe relationships, loss, discrimination, chronic stress, or circumstances in which you did not have the support or control you needed.

Its effects may appear as anxiety, emotional numbness, difficulty trusting others, intrusive memories, shame, irritability, or a constant need to remain alert.
 

Trauma-informed therapy recognizes these responses as ways your mind and body may have learned to protect you. Our work is not about judging those responses. It is about understanding them and helping you develop a greater sense of safety, choice, and control.
 

EMDR therapy

Some experiences remain emotionally intense even when you know they happened in the past. A memory, sensation, interaction, or unexpected reminder may bring the emotions connected to that experience back into the present.
 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, commonly known as EMDR, is a structured therapeutic approach that can help clients process distressing experiences and reduce the intensity of the thoughts, emotions, and physical responses connected to them.

When appropriate, I incorporate EMDR based on your needs, readiness, and treatment goals. We begin by establishing safety and preparation before moving into trauma processing.
 

You remain an active participant throughout the process, and we move at a pace that respects your experience.
 

When getting through the day takes too much effort

Anxiety, depression, and chronic stress can affect your energy, concentration, relationships, sleep, motivation, and ability to feel present in your own life.

You may appear functional to others while privately feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or exhausted.
 

I use approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you recognize patterns in your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Together, we can identify what is contributing to your distress and develop practical strategies for managing symptoms while addressing the experiences beneath them
 

When getting through the day takes too much effort

Anxiety, depression, and chronic stress can affect your energy, concentration, relationships, sleep, motivation, and ability to feel present in your own life.

You may appear functional to others while privately feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or exhausted.
 

I use approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you recognize patterns in your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Together, we can identify what is contributing to your distress and develop practical strategies for managing symptoms while addressing the experiences beneath them.

Your full experience belongs in the room

Therapy does not happen outside of culture or context.
 

Your identity, family, community, relationships, and experiences within the world can all shape your emotional well-being. Effective therapy should not require you to minimize those realities or repeatedly explain why they matter.
 

I approach our work with cultural humility, curiosity, and respect. I want to understand how you experience your life-not make assumptions about what your experiences mean.

Our differences and strengths are not details to work around. They are meaningful parts of who you are and how we understand your healing.

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