Dawn Ascanio
Therapist + Therapeutic Coach
Hello. I'm Dawn...
I help women heal from trauma and PTSD, overcome self-doubt, low self-esteem, and imposter syndrome, and change long-standing patterns like people-pleasing, perfectionism, overachieving, and overfunctioning. If you’ve been too hard on yourself, pushing yourself and striving too hard, putting other people first for too long, or feeling exhausted by your own standards and expectations, I can help. We’ll work together to understand and change the underlying patterns that keep making life harder.
My approach is focused, practical, and goal-oriented, with an emphasis on getting to what really matters fairly quickly. We’ll look deeply at the patterns and experiences shaping your life, stay focused on what you want to be different, and use research-backed strategies, tools, and skills you can apply in everyday life. You’ll come away with a stronger sense of self-acceptance and self-worth, new, more skillful ways to handle life’s challenges, and freedom from the patterns that have been draining you and holding you back, so that you have more time, energy, and mental bandwidth to focus on what matters most to you.
You may be looking for therapy because...
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Trauma or distressing experiences from the past are still affecting your life now, through painful memories, emotions, or reactions.
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Low self-esteem, self-doubt, self-criticism, or imposter syndrome leave you second-guessing yourself and make handling life’s challenges even harder.
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People-pleasing, perfectionism, or putting others' needs ahead of your own for too long leave you anxious, or emotionally drained.
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Longstanding patterns of over-working, over-achieving, or over-efforting have meant striving, pushing too hard, and overthinking for too long, leaving you exhausted and overwhelmed.
Any one of these challenges can take a toll on your mental health & wellbeing over time.
But it doesn't have to
be this way...
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You can break free of old, unhelpful patterns and learn new ways of relating to yourself, other people, and the world.
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Your past can have less influence over the present, giving you more freedom and choice in how you respond to life’s challenges.
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You can quiet your inner critic and develop greater self-compassion, self-acceptance, and a deeper, more lasting sense of self-worth.
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You can feel less anxious, overwhelmed, and exhausted and better able to handle the challenges of everyday life without overthinking everything.
Therapy Specialties
Trauma & PTSD
I offer Written Exposure Therapy (WET), a brief, structured, evidence-based trauma treatment designed to reduce PTSD and trauma-related symptoms. It can help painful memories feel less distressing and less controlling, so you can move forward with greater freedom.
Self-Doubt, Low Self-Esteem, & Imposter Syndrome
Therapy can help you quiet a harsh inner critic, reduce chronic self-doubt, and build greater self-compassion, self-acceptance, and lasting self-worth. Over time, you can move from feeling “not good enough” to appreciating and valuing yourself for who you are, making life’s challenges easier to navigate.
People-Pleasing
Therapy can help you change long-standing patterns of people-pleasing, over-giving, avoiding conflict, and taking too much responsibility for other people’s needs and feelings. As those patterns change, you can feel less anxious, overwhelmed, and emotionally drained, reclaim more of your time and energy, and find a more sustainable balance between caring for others and caring for yourself.
Perfectionism, Over-Achieving, and Over-functioning
Therapy can help you change patterns of perfectionism, over-achieving, and over-functioning that keep you constantly striving, taking on too much, and pushing past your limits. You can learn to manage anxiety with greater flexibility, listen to your own limits, and let “good enough” be good enough more often—so you can keep your high standards while having more balance, rest, and energy for what matters most to you.
Coaching Services
Therapeutic Coaching for People-Pleasing and Perfectionism
If you’re looking for focused support outside of therapy, I also offer psychology-informed coaching to help you change patterns of people-pleasing and perfectionism. Choose from a single coaching session or an 8-session coaching program.
Available wherever you live.
What Sets Me Apart
19 years of experience as a psychotherapist.
I’ve worked with adults facing a very wide range of life experiences and challenges. I’m comfortable hearing difficult, complicated, and deeply personal things, and I know how to stay grounded with you while we figure out what matters most.
Extensive training in evidence-based approaches.
I use an integrative approach that draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a modern behavioral therapy related to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), along with mindfulness-based approaches, compassion-focused work, and other evidence-based, trauma-informed therapies.
Personal experience informs my work, too.
My own life has included adverse childhood experiences, trauma, chronic health challenges, and many of the patterns I now help clients change. I’ve personally practiced many of the approaches and strategies I use in my work, so I understand them from both sides of the process.
Advanced & Specialized Training
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
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ACT for People-Pleasing and Perfectionism
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Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (FACT)
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Written Exposure Therapy (WET)
Working Together is Simple
1
Reach Out Today
If you want to work with me or even if you're curious if it's the right next step for you, please reach out. The best way to contact me is by text or email. All the info is on my Contact page. I will get back to you within 2 business days.
2
Schedule a Phone Consultation
After you contact me, we'll schedule a time for a free 15-minute consultation phone call. During the call, we'll chat and see whether we'd be a good fit to work together, and get any questions you have answered.
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Attend Sessions
First, we'll have an intake session where we'll look at what you want to get out of therapy and set your goals. Then we'll have sessions on a regular basis, usually weekly or bi-weekly, where you'll find relief and make progress toward those goals.