EMBRACING GRIT
GRIT:
Embracing your resilience in the face of adversity.
The courage to heal.
The passion of loving yourself and others in the spirit of perseverance.
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Ashley P. Benson
SAFE SPACE, CONSULTATION & GRIT
This site is developed to connect individuals who have or a loved one who has experienced trauma, adversity, or mental health concerns with resources on wellness, supportive and safe social networks, inspiration to find your passion, and the GRIT to persevere.
The path to wellness is not the effortless perfection portrayed in the movies or social media.
We all have stories that make us our unique individuals, our own filters. The awkward smile, your shaky hands, the perpetual racing thoughts, the pounding in your chest....ugh, the lump in your throat.
Real-life filters that impact how we perceive the world. Let's stop hiding, hear your story, and talk about how our minds, bodies, and experiences unfold in front of us. This website is not a clinical site, and while I am a licensed mental health therapist and will attempt to use this lens to help others in this space, I am not here today to be your clinician. This is part of my journey of healing and finding the strength to heal and create a community for myself and others.
#SELFIE #NOFILTER #REALTALK #GRIT
A BIT ABOUT ME
First and foremost, I am a mother, daughter, sister, and partner. These are the roles that set the context of the world in which I live, the perceptions I encounter, and how I primarily understand my being and interactions with others. Every day I wake and attempt to honor my life experiences, my body/mind/heart that carries me through, my strengths, and my inherent flaws. I will never claim this as an easy task. I am my worst critic; I struggle daily with perfectionism that has been imprinted on my soul from a long lineage of strong Italian female personalities... I have the roots of anxiety that create an echo chamber of repetitive, self-defeating thoughts when not tamed. What shows up every day? GRIT. The power from within that keeps me in seemingly perpetual motion. The courage to heal wounds inflicted upon me, the ability to stand up, push through the tears, to keep going, to keep fighting, to keep loving.
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I am born and raised Berkshire girl who loves to be nestled in the care of the mountains and nature that surrounds and grounds me. This place embodies the meaning of "local" in these quaint New England towns while being humbled by the cultural bustle that this community has come to thrive upon.
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By trade, I am trained as a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LICSW), offering psychotherapy, training, and consultation with a particular emphasis trauma-informed practice with adults and children. My purpose on this path is to listen, believe and elicit the potential of an individual in their journey of healing. To lend a hand in harnessing their power to believe in themselves, trust their gut and pursue living their best life. The philosophy in which I base my practice is the same way I approach my own being and healing. For more information on my clinical practice, please visit Optimal Healing, LLC #NOFILTER
