Ashley Whitman, LMSW, LISW

Ashley Whitman is a licensed social worker who supports people navigating difficult emotional and life challenges. She holds the credentials LMSW and LISW - LMSW stands for Licensed Master Social Worker and LISW stands for Licensed Independent Social Worker - and is licensed to practice in Michigan and Ohio. With a decade of clinical experience, she brings a compassionate, holistic approach to work with individuals managing depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction recovery, and self-esteem concerns.

Ashley emphasizes collaboration and empowerment, helping clients build self-understanding, resilience, and practical coping skills. She works with a broad range of issues, including addictions, relationship struggles, trauma and abuse, self esteem, depression, stress, anxiety, LGBT concerns, family dynamics, grief, intimacy-related issues, eating and sleeping difficulties, parenting challenges, anger, career transitions, bipolar disorder, coping with life changes, coaching, compassion fatigue, and ADHD. She also addresses more specific areas such as abandonment, adoption and foster care matters, antisocial and avoidant personality features, attachment issues, blended family challenges, body image, caregiver stress, chronic pain or illness, co-morbidity, codependency, commitment and control issues, communication problems, and responses to natural or human-caused disaster.

Ashley creates a non-judgmental space where clients can explore emotions and develop healthier patterns. She often works with people facing social anxiety, workplace stress, and major life transitions, tailoring interventions to individual needs. She maintains limited video and phone availability, mostly in the evenings, and offers some expanded text sessions. Clients may message for additional availability and scheduling information.

Approaches and Accessible Online Care

Ashley integrates client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and mindfulness therapy to support change in a remote format. Client-centered therapy focuses on building a respectful, non-judgmental relationship that helps people explore values, feelings, and goals so they can make choices that feel right for them. CBT offers practical tools to identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can be useful for anxiety, depression, and stress. Mindfulness therapy teaches skills to stay present and reduce reactivity, often helping with emotion regulation, trauma responses, and everyday overwhelm.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process - Ashley works with each client to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences, and adjusts the plan as progress unfolds. This partnership helps tailor interventions for long-term benefit.

Online therapy with Ashley is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for varied schedules and needs. She maintains limited video and phone availability, mostly in the evenings, and offers expanded text sessions; clients may message for additional availability. These options make it easier for people to access licensed professionals without needing to rearrange work or travel schedules.