Licensed Professional Counselor in Alexandria, Virginia

Specializing in working with adults impacted by childhood trauma

Ashley is an incredibly gifted counselor. She is grounded, compassionate, and creates an environment of trust. My experience with her was some of the most transformational work I’ve been able to accomplish with any counselor over the years. I am always thankful for the guidance, growth, and insights she fostered. I would highly recommend her to a future client, especially one seeking support with PTSD.

- Former Client, 2019

“I reached out to Ashley during a very dark time in my life. I had started to experience symptoms of PTSD, and it left me feeling drained and helpless. I had been to other therapists in the past, but I never felt real improvement. From the very first session with Ashley, I began to feel relief. I didn’t have to share much for her to get a deep sense of my pain and how it should be addressed. We initially began to work through childhood trauma, and from then on, she helped me through years of trauma and abuse, as well as issues with my then current relationships. After 13 months of consistently working with her, I had gained the skills to work through any triggers. I feel free and at peace now. Ashley truly has a unique gift of understanding the mind. She also can understand the nuances of interpersonal relationships. I am forever grateful and blessed to have received her help.”

-Brittany

“I worked with and beside Ms. Duquette with an extremely challenging population. She is impressive in her understanding of therapeutic relationships in that she earns trust through actions and develops a clear understanding of issues before offering solutions. She is open-minded, caring, committed and effective. I highly recommend her services.”

-Chris W.

“I have worked with Ashley for the past 3 years. She sees the whole person. She is not bound by techniques, but uses her human connection and presence and all the tools available to her to reach her clients at the deepest points and help them at a real and lasting level.”

“Ashley Duquette was our son’s therapist for almost two years. A family friend had referred Ashley based on a positive experience with her. Our son had endured trauma early in life and was shut down and unable to express even simple thoughts and feelings, even though he is the most amazing and deeply thoughtful person one could meet. With Ashley’s help, he blossomed. Slowly, but steadily. Her calm, honest, forthright but sensitive, thoughtful way of communicating with him allowed him to trust her immediately, work through some very deep and difficult issues and, perhaps most importantly, gain confidence in himself to ultimately start expressing his emotions. She was inventive and flexible in her work. If our son was struggling to communicate, she might try a different approach until she felt he was able to relate and express his thoughts. We all felt safe and secure that everything was definitely going in the right direction. Ashley was brilliant at helping us all work together in the best interest of our son. She was incredibly discrete and had a wonderful and impressive way of handling concerns from all of us, even if they were contrary to one another.

Ashley has been a blessing to our family. We have all grown with her guidance and experience as a therapist. My husband and I have watched our son grow and take pride in himself, in a way that would have taken a decade of time to fully emerge without the supportive help from Ashley. Her gentle, yet serious and extremely professional way put us all at ease and our son was able to open up and address some of the things he had kept inside for so long. This has been and will continue to be life-changing for him, and for our family. For this we are eternally grateful. I don’t believe we would be in the wonderful place we are now without her.”

-Cathy

“Roughly five years ago I had the absolute pleasure of crossing paths with Ms. Ashley Duquette. Ashley is a caring soul who is phenomenal in the field that she has chosen. She is an inspirational joy, and her soft spirit creates a safe place to heal and grow. Many good things to say!”

-Cindy H.

“My wife and I saw Ashley for couples counseling during our engagement. We had no experience with therapy or counseling and were seeking professional help to develop our communication skills. We both immediately felt comfortable with her. Ashley was simultaneously an adept ear and thoughtful guide as she helped us to talk through our present and future. With her help my wife and I were able to get past our superficial disagreements in order to focus on our shared values. I recommend her to anyone seeking a thoughtful, sympathetic counselor.”

-Brian

“I don’t think I can say enough about my experience with Ashley.  In the two years we have been working together, I have made huge strides in my mental health journey.  She has helped me come to terms with my childhood, find a more balanced state of being, and helped me communicate more effectively with my chosen family. Ashley would be a great help to anyone who is looking for a counselor with trauma experience.”

-Ellen
“Ashley’s gift of listening and knowing exactly where to guide you next in your healing literally changed my life. I used to break down uncontrollably and I could never figure out why. I would read tons of self-help books, but nothing created long-lasting results. After a year of weekly therapy, I am able to, for the first time in my life, be able to genuinely say “I am worth it.” I still have a long way to go, but I feel so much more stable in my life. I’m so grateful for how knowledgeable and non-judgmental Ashley is with all that I talk about in my sessions. When you are ready, her work will help make sure your personal and professional life changes for the better.”
-Katharine