Led by a Wild Heart, Rooted in Healing

The concept of a wild heart has always guided my life. That untamed inner wisdom that calls us toward authenticity, connection, and meaning. It’s the part of us that knows when we’re out of alignment and longs for a life that feels true. My practice was born from that place.

I am an adoptee, a recovered addict, and someone who spent more than twenty years in the audio and tech industry before choosing to lead with my wild heart. After decades of supporting others through creativity, collaboration, and leadership, I realized that my deepest fulfillment came from helping people reconnect with themselves. That realization reshaped my life and led me to refocus my career around my innate empathy, compassion, and passion for human connection.

Today, I bring together my lived experience, my clinical training, and my background in business and leadership to offer therapy, coaching, and consulting services that help individuals, partners, and families access their wellbeing, develop insight, and strengthen their connection with themselves and others.

Ashley Kay, MA, MSML, LMHC, NCC

My Approach

Collaborative. Eclectic. Heart‑Centered.

I work from a collaborative and integrative approach, creating a warm, compassionate, and empathetic environment where clients feel deeply seen and supported. My work blends trauma‑informed care, attachment‑focused therapy, parts work, nervous‑system regulation, and meaning‑making practices.

I believe healing happens when we feel safe enough to explore our inner world. Our stories, our wounds, our identities, our relationships, and the parts of ourselves we’ve learned to protect. I help clients reconnect with their internal wisdom, regulate their nervous systems, and build the capacity for authentic connection.

My therapeutic lens is shaped by modalities such as:

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) informed parts work

  • Polyvagal theory and nervous‑system support

  • Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

  • Gottman Method principles

  • Narrative therapy

  • Solutions‑focused therapy

  • HeartMath trauma‑sensitive techniques

  • Mindfulness and somatic‑adjacent practices

  • Existential therapy and logotherapy

I also integrate coaching and consulting strategies for clients navigating life transitions, burnout, identity exploration, or professional challenges, especially those in the tech industry.

Lived Experience Matters

Healing With Someone Who Has Walked the Path

My lived experience as an adoptee and recovered addict informs my work in profound ways. I understand what it means to rebuild identity, navigate attachment wounds, heal trauma, and reclaim meaning. I bring that understanding into the room with humility, respect, and deep attunement.

Clients often tell me they feel safe with me because I don’t just understand the clinical side of healing, I understand the human side.

Affirming, Inclusive, Identity‑Safe Care

I am committed to providing culturally congruent, identity‑affirming care for clients from diverse backgrounds and communities. My practice is:

  • Grounded in cultural humility and racial respect

  • Neurodiversity‑affirming

  • LGBTQIA+ allied

  • Transgender and non‑binary allied

  • Poly/kink affirming

  • Adoption‑competent

  • Trauma‑sensitive

  • Inclusive of non‑traditional relationship structures

Every part of you is welcome here.

Education & Professional Background

Master of Arts in Counseling Marriage, Couples & Family Counseling Track (CACREP Accredited) City University of Seattle

Master of Science in Management and Leadership Western Governors University

Affiliations: National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) American Counseling Association (ACA) Washington Mental Health Counselors Association (WMHCA)

Certifications & Specialized Training

  • HeartMath Trauma‑Sensitive Certified Practitioner

  • The Resilient Heart: Trauma‑Sensitive HeartMath

  • Integrative Polyvagal Theory for Trauma

  • Somatic Trauma Healing

  • Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy for Trauma

  • Couples, Family, & Relational Therapy

  • Lifespan Integration Level 2

  • Washington State Clinical Supervision Training

  • Applied Clinical Supervision Trainings

  • Suicide Prevention

  • Domestic Violence Recovery

  • Psychological & Mental Health First Aid

  • Crisis Line Training

  • Trauma‑Informed Care & ACES

  • Mindfulness‑Based Stress Reduction

  • The Science of Well‑Being

  • Professional Life Coach Certification

  • Usui Reiki Practitioner – Level III

Specialty Areas

  • Trauma healing

  • Adoption & attachment wounds

  • Parts work

  • Nervous‑system regulation

  • Domestic violence recovery

  • Relationship counseling

  • Communication & conflict resolution

  • Depression & anxiety

  • Grief & loss

  • Life transitions

  • Meaning & purpose

  • Tech industry burnout

  • Supervision