Ashley Badgley, LGPC
Therapist
Ashley Badgley, LGPCLGBTQIA+ Affirming Psychotherapist & EMDR Trauma Therapist
"Ashley believes honesty is the most genuine way to approach work, and with me, trust is exactly what you'll get."
Book a 30-minute consultation call
Ashley's Specialties
Millenials
Mid-life and Older Adults
College Students
Who she works with
Ashley works with clients navigating the effects of trauma, grief, and relational harm — including survivors of sexual violence, domestic violence, as well as people grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide. Many of her clients feel disconnected from their bodies, burdened by self-blame, or unsure how to move forward after experiences that changed their sense of safety, trust, or self. She brings a feminist-informed, trauma-informed lens to her work with clients, and is especially skilled at helping clients begin to feel steady in their own bodies again after having spent years feeling unfairly blamed for what happened to them, even within themselves.
She also supports LGBTQIA+ clients and people in polyamorous or open relationships, offering a feminist-informed, affirming space where identity, power, and the wider context of a client’s life are treated as meaningful parts of the work.
How she works
Ashley’s approach is honest, collaborative, and trauma-informed. She helps clients process difficult experiences at a pace that feels manageable, without requiring them to minimize what happened or force themselves to share before they are ready.
Her work centers on EMDR therapy, feminist-informed psychotherapy, and practical CBT-based tools to help clients reconnect with a sense of agency in day-to-day life and build practical tools. Together, you will explore how trauma, grief, and systemic or relational harm may be affecting your sense of identity, relationships, and ways of coping, while working towards building greater safety and self-trust.
With EMDR specifically, she helps clients move through traumatic memories and overcome the impact they have had on their lives.
offering a feminist-informed, affirming space where identity, power, and the wider context of a client’s life are treated as meaningful parts of the work.
She creates a safe space for her clients that is LGBTQ+ and Gender-affirming, and her feminist-informed lens keeps her attentive to how power, identity, and systemic harm shape a client’s experience.
"I believe honesty is the most genuine way to approach work, and with me, trust is exactly what you'll get."
Training & Credentials
2026 Washington City Paper “Best of DC” finalist for Best Therapist / Mental Health Services
Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, University of New Haven
Master’s in Women and Gender Studies, George Washington University
Bachelor’s in Journalism, Columbia College Chicago
Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor — Washington, DC
EMDRIA-Approved training in EMDR Therapy
2026 Washington City Paper “Best of DC” finalist for Best Therapist / Mental Health Services
What a first session is like
For individual therapy, the first few sessions are a chance to begin developing a fuller, more holistic understanding of what you are facing now. Ashley will learn about your history, when the current concerns began or became more difficult, what has shaped them, and what you have already tried. Together, you will start to make sense of the larger context around your struggles and experiences, and identify where the work can begin.
If that sounds like what you are looking for, book a 30-minute consultation call with Ashley.
Questions people ask Ashley
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Yes. You do not need to decide whether your experience “counts” as trauma or be ready to describe every detail before beginning therapy. Ashley offers trauma-informed therapy at a pace that feels manageable, helping clients make sense of how past experiences may be affecting their safety, relationships, body, or daily life. You remain in control of what you share and when.
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EMDR is a structured form of trauma therapy that can help people process distressing memories and reduce the impact those experiences continue to have in the present. Ashley is trained in EMDR and will begin by getting to know you, your goals, and what feels manageable before deciding together whether EMDR is a good fit for your therapy. You do not need to be ready to recount every detail of what happened to begin the conversation. You can read more about EMDR here.
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Yes. You do not need to have a label for what happened, decide whether to report it, or know exactly how to talk about it before reaching out. Ashley works with survivors of sexual violence and offers a confidential, nonjudgmental space to explore your experience at your own pace. She will explain the limits of confidentiality in terms of legal and crisis safety-related exceptions to confidentiality at the beginning of your work together so you know.
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Ashley currently only has availabilty for self-pay clients at our practice. We provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance plan for possible out-of-network reimbursement and have also partnered with Reimbusify to make this process seamless. You can check your out-of-network benefits here. This can tell you whether therapy is covered in our Out-of-network benefits and what reimbursement may be available to you through your insurance for your session fees.
We understand therapy can be a investment in yourself and do not take that lightly, which is why our therapists are specialized and will make sure they have the tools to help you meet your goals.
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Yes. Your privacy and safety is of utmost impotance to Ashley. Ashley offers a confidential space to talk about relationship abuse, coercion, fear, or uncertainty without pressure to make a decision before you are ready. If you’re doing in-person therapy, this space is our office, if you’re doing online therapy, you’ll have to find a place/ time when you can have privacy to talk freely. She will also explain the legal and crisis safety-related exceptions to confidentiality and can discuss safe ways for the practice to contact you. Outside of these limitations, we will never even acknowledge you are a client at our practice to anyone you haven’t authorized us to discuss you therapy with.
If you plan to use insurance through your partner’s policy, let the practice know that privacy is a concern before scheduling. Insurance billing and insurer communications can create additional privacy considerations, and the practice can talk with you about options.
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Yes. Ashley’s practice is polyamory, kink and ENM affirming. She understands how much it can impact therapy to have to explain these things when your therapist doesn’t know enough about them. With Ashley, you will feel safe, seen and understood, without having to educate her on your life experience, or justify your relationship structure.
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No. Ashley works with adults of all genders, including LGBTQIA+ clients. Her feminist-informed approach means she pays attention to how power, identity, relationships, and systemic harm can shape a person’s experience. It is a collaborative approach that respects you as the expert on your own life and does not make assumptions about your identity, relationships, or goals.
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Yes. Grief after a suicide loss can be especially complicated and may include sadness, shock, anger, guilt, unanswered questions, or feeling alone in an experience that others do not fully understand. Ashley offers a compassionate space to process the loss and its impact on your life without pressure to grieve in a particular way or timeline.
Book a free 30-minute consultation call
No waitlists and no phone tag. Pick a time that suits you, and Ashley will call.
