About Ashley Hamm, LPC (she/her)

Hi, I’m Ashley, the counselor behind Hamm Counseling.  My practice offers video therapy for adult residents of Texas and in person therapy in my Houston, Texas office.  I love helping people like you live more authentic lives after leaving environments where it was hard to speak up, set boundaries, or step outside of a caretaking type role.

My main specialization is in religious deconstruction or religious trauma, but I also do great work around anxiety, climate change distress, self-esteem, or compassion fatigue concerns.  I have a passion for helping people challenge rigid thinking and self-shaming in order to embrace a life based on values, meaning, and joy.

Read on to hear my story, or scroll to the end to see a video of me describing how I work.

How I became a religious trauma specialist

I was raised in a religious environment that led to a lot of internalized anxiety, shame, and difficulty knowing my own values and wants.  My particular experience was in the Catholic Church, and many of the teachings that I received at an early age were overwhelming to my young mind.  Being required to go to confession, hearing about the possibility of eternal damnation, and feeling like even my thoughts could be sins all led me to be quite an anxious and self-critical child.

Despite these challenges, I was also an inquisitive, curious kid (maybe you were, too!) and I eventually found my way towards a more self-compassionate relationship with myself, and a more critical outlook on the impacts of certain religious teachings.  However, that was a long, isolating road for me, as I had no idea I could come to a counselor to explore the impacts of religion on me!

Because my path was so lonely, I am especially passionate about talking openly about religious trauma and deconstruction, and how we can address the anxiety, guilt, shame, and low self-esteem that often comes out of rigid religious teachings.  I want more people to know that the impacts of religion can absolutely be a focus of counseling work when you find the right therapist who gets what you are going through.

I have identified as non-religious for most of my adult life, which means I have experienced quite a bit of distance from my own religious experiences.  This allows me to work with you in finding your own identity after high control religion without me having any attachment to the outcome.  I’ve seen people find their authentic path forward in so many ways – whether it’s through finding a new way of practicing their religion, changing religions, or leaving religion altogether.

An inclusive approach that honors all of you

A priority of mine is bringing an intersectional feminist, LGBTQIA+ affirming, and anti-oppressive perspective in our work together.  If you were brought up in a high-control religion, you probably have seen firsthand the harm that can come from denying the impacts of oppression and inequality.

After spending time in a high-control religion, you might be curious about challenging the conventional expectations put on us by the patriarchy and other harmful systems.  I want to help you clarify the life path that makes best sense for you despite these pressures.

We can explore options including:

• choosing not to get married or partnered (or de-prioritizing finding a partner)
• exploring the choice of whether or not to have children with your full desires for your life in mind
• challenging diet culture, unrealistic beauty standards, and the thin ideal.

We get a lot of messages in our society about what success looks like, and I love helping people redefine what a successful and meaningful life looks like for you.

Many of my clients struggle feeling caught between the expectations of family members and their own desires for themselves.  We can work together to build more confidence around the life you want to pursue.  It may be cliche to mention this, but you have just one life to live, so I hope to help you figure out exactly what feels best for you despite societal pressures.

My background and qualifications

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional.  My education includes a Master of Education in Counseling from the University of Houston and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Rice University.  I have sought advanced training in several therapeutic techniques, including motivational interviewing, mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy, and compassion focused therapy.

My counseling experience spans over 10 years and I have worked with people in crisis, people recovering from eating disorders, people coping with severe mental illness, and people who are depressed or anxious.  Prior to opening my practice, I served as a counselor at Memorial Hermann Hospital System, where I helped develop their employee wellness program curriculum and counseled hospital employees who were experiencing stress and struggling with their self-care habits.

I am a member of the Texas Counseling Association and also a member of the Houston Licensed Professional Counselors Association, where I served as president in the past.

In my free time I love to hike in beautiful places, get lost in a good book, paint with watercolors, indulge in reality tv marathons, play board games with friends, and go to the movies.