Heather Draughan, MSW, LCSW
Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” -Brené Brown
Seeking a path to get help is a courageous step to be commended and rewarded. I admire the courage it takes to begin this journey, and I am humbled when children or adults open their hearts and allow me to support them. During our work together, I will share tools to help you unlock your potential and live your desired life.
Many describe me as warm, energetic, and inviting. My approach is to listen to, appreciate, and respect my clients while always holding a positive view of them, regardless of their circumstances. While providing a safe and supportive space, we will sort through the root cause of your struggles while exploring and gaining new insights to achieve long-lasting strategies to heal your heart, mind, and soul.
I am driven to provide a highly personalized approach for each client to achieve their desired personal growth. Having specialized training in utilizing Sandtray Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Play Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which are the leading treatments for trauma and PTSD.
My passion is to help people of all ages, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, religious affiliations, sex/gender identities, economic, and ability statuses. I aim to help my clients heal from their wounds, enabling each to live a more empowered and fulfilling life. The work of healing is not one of perfection but one of transformation.
Heather obtained her licensed clinical social work credentials, including her Bachelor’s Degree from Utah State University and her Master’s in Social Welfare from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Heather sees clients either in person or via Telehealth
Availability in Murray Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 9-5 & Fridays 10 – 2
Downtown SLC on Tuesdays 9 – 5
Leslie Merrick, MSW, LCSW
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou
I firmly believe that we all do the best we can with the knowledge we have at any given moment in our lives. If there has been a time in your life when you have felt “I should have done better,” it is OK and very normal to feel that way. We can change our lives when we recognize the need to do better. Taking the step to get help will be the action that makes all the difference in your life. At Empowered Me Counseling Centers, we focus on creating a safe environment for clients to share and heal.
People often presume all therapists are good listeners, yet many often do more of the talking. I am a “listener” who seeks to respond directly to what I hear. My approach to working with clients is to start with their strengths. Everyone has the potential to heal and choose the life they want to live. We will look at the connection between the mind and body and how trauma affects our ability to make decisions.
With an understanding of the trauma impact, we will work to remap your mind and body patterns. Therapists often ask, “Can you tell me what to do?” My approach is to work with you through questions about your unique situation. These questions have so often yielded an “aha” moment. Your mind provides the answer you were seeking all along. I have the pleasure of the “universe” providing your solution, and then we can work together and devise a plan that you can act on to move forward.
Often, working with clients struggling with substance abuse, they arrive and wonder about being judged by their therapist. Friends and clients alike attest to my open, honest, non-judgmental, & empathetic approach to working with you. I am in awe of the strength it takes to seek help in establishing a course of action to recover and gain stability.
Leslie attended Weber State University, receiving her Bachelor’s in Social Work, then completed her Master’s in Social Work at the University of Utah and has been an LCSW for several years 🙂
Leslie Sees clients In person or via Telehealth
Availability: Downtown SLC on Tuesdays 11-6
Murray – Thursdays 11 AM – 6 PM
Jennifer Court -MA, BSW, LCMHC
“It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder.
The most important characteristic I possess, which I also believe is most important in psychology, is the ability to pay close attention to the details in a person’s nonverbal and verbal communication. This allows one to read between and beyond the words and to focus on the message. My experience is working with Women and Children’s issues from 4 years old through Seniors. My focus includes a variety of issues, such as sexual abuse, domestic violence, PTSD, depression, ADHD, anxiety, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, DMDD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, anger issues, grief, single parenting, and other mood disorders. My nature is to be empathetic, and I have always been authentically interested in the well-being and uniqueness of those around me. I provide a safe place to explore issues that may be preventing clients from living the lives they want.
My approach to modalities used with clients is determined by their preferences, personal goals, and the nature of the issue being addressed.
I’m skilled and experienced in using DBT, Play Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Reality Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy.
It is very important for me to increase my skills to help my clients, so I’m working to become more skilled with tools such as EMDR, IFS, diagnosis, and more techniques for my ADHD clientele.
Attended Utah Valley University to receive her Bachelor’s in Social Work, then Argosy University to complete her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health (LCMHC)
Jennifer sees clients in our Downtown SLC Office in person or via Telehealth.
I see clients insured with Medicaid, Selecthealth, U of U, and many more coming soon.
Natalie Jensen, Clinician MSW, LCSW
“Eat a cupcake, and carry on!
Hi there, yes, I am the Cupcake lady. I love working with children and families as a counselor and running my own Cupcake business, as both bring smiles to everyone. Let’s get together and improve the quality of your life, your child’s life, and your family’s.
Therapy is a partnership of effort with a common goal. I’ll help you flush out what impacts you, allowing us to work together to achieve your desired life. Everyone deserves at least one person who “hears them.” I can be that person.
My roles as a clinician, mother, and business owner have taught me that interacting with people to achieve success with their needs is just listening and being kind. I can only control my role and help others get where they want to by following that simple code.
I work with children, adults, and families saddled with trauma issues, grief, PTSD, self-esteem, ADHD, suicidal idealogy, anxiety, and depression. I have successfully used modalities of play therapy, CBT, and Sand Tray (for children) to benefit my clients.
I’m always reading and asking questions to improve my skill set. Most recently, I’ve been working to learn and use EMDR and “parts” work (IFS) with clients.
Natalie sees clients in our Murray office in person or via Telehealth
Availability Fridays at 12, 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 PM
I see clients insured with Medicaid, SelectHealth, UMR, United Health & more coming soon.
Madeline Glenn – MSW, CSW (Telehealth only)
“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary.” — Fred Rogers
I’ve studied people in various roles and learned much about self-healing while working as a psych tech at Utah State Hospital and through other mental health roles and settings. Did you know placebos work on medical conditions close to 33% and up to 60% of the time? That means that each person’s brain has enormous healing power. With the right tools, together, we can use that power to deal with anxiety, stress, perinatal items, depression, trauma, difficult life transitions such as faith/gender identity/sexuality, and grief and loss.
I focus on using evidence-based therapies that tap into each individual’s enormous power for self-healing. I have been using Internal Family Systems (IFS) with my clients, which utilize your brain and “parts” work to heal. I have also had considerable success with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which has proven excellent at stopping the “doom spirals” by establishing new thinking patterns that lead to calmer feelings.
I like to learn about my clients’ lives to discover the roadblocks and challenges that affect them, as well as their strengths and goals for the future. Using that information in sessions, we then work on fundamental skills and techniques to use daily to overcome these challenges. It may sound simple, yet many need help setting boundaries, using good communication skills, finding the root cause of feelings, and adjusting to a more fulfilling and happy place.
Our counseling sessions will involve a range of emotions, from laughing to crying, as I work to help you feel safe, validated, and, at times, challenged. I truly enjoy my career and working with adults and teens 15+.
My Bachelor’s Degree is from BYU, with a Major in Psychology and a minor in women’s studies, and my Master’s in Social Work was earned at the University of Utah. I’m currently working to complete my certification in Perinatal issues for Mental Health Providers.
Madeline works remotely and only sees clients via Telehealth.
Availability Monday thru Friday 3, 4, 5, 6:30, 7:30, & 8:30 PM.
I see clients insured with Medicaid, BCBS-Regence, Huntsman, Aetna, SelectHealth, U of U, United Healthcare/Optum, Regence BCBS, Cigna, UMR, Medicaid through U of U, and SelectHealth, with more coming soon.
Lindsay Killips – BSW Psychology, MS, ACMHC
“If you’re waiting for someone to believe in you, you’ll be waiting forever. You must believe in yourself.” …. Cher
I want to understand you as you are and what your story is, not just what you are in counseling for. I like to build connections based on similarities or shared interests/knowledge/experiences/values. I am here to listen, support you, and help you be happy with what looks back at you in the mirror. Having survived a near-death experience, I learned about myself and saw my purpose in life.
Therapy can heal by providing a safe space to feel held and supported while working through complex life events. You will leave sessions feeling progressed and more confident. My approach is to provide support and practical feedback to help clients address personal life challenges. I connect and work well with people who have faced trauma.
Clearing past trauma has to involve getting to the root and how it impacts both your mind and body. Next is remapping your brain by removing the fear and “spiraling” that can happen when triggered by the past.
I also focus on ADHD, Anxiety/Depression, chronic health challenges, self-esteem, relationship issues, and brain trauma injuries. I mix a variety of methods depending on each client’s needs. I regularly use somatic, IFS, EMDR, positive mindfulness, CBT, expressive writing, and art techniques. I’ve become more experienced with play therapy and sand tray as I work with children; those tools often help them open up.
We aim to bring mind, body, and soul together so that you can live at peace with your life. I work with young adults, preteens, children six and up, and middle-aged adults who want to be here doing the work.
I have a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Colorado and a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Walden University (ACMHC credentials, Certified Eating Coach).
Lindsay sees clients in our Downtown SLC office in person or via Telehealth.
Availability is 9 AM – 6 PM Tuesday through Friday.
I see clients insured with UT/SL County/Tooele CountyMedicaid, Huntsman, BCBS-Regence, Aetna, SelectHealth, U of U, United Healthcare/Optum, Cigna, and UMR, as well as Medicaid through SelectHealth and U of U. Even more are coming soon.
Ashley Nihem CSW, MSW
“All the answers you seek are already inside you, sometimes you just need a guide to help you find them.” – Heather Ash Amara.
My inherent strengths include a neverending desire to learn, emotional intelligence, listening, empathy, analysis/critical thinking, and philosophy, which combine to calm my clients. I achieve this through self-discipline, organization, and setting my environment to be structured and “styled” for my clients. I want you to feel so comfortable and supported that you can open up and share anything with me, no matter how shameful it may feel. Difficult admissions and realizations will come quickly because you know I’m truly listening to you, and I never judge. My confident demeanor and drive help you feel you obtained progress or understanding from each of our sessions.
When we begin working together to establish the results you seek, one priority will be helping you get closer to your truest self so that you can better understand what you want out of life. I will provide different perspectives to help you get “unstuck.” I use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, attachment theory, and Carl Rogers’ client-centered approach. I am experienced in treating ADHD, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and social-emotional issues. I use play therapy for children and am learning more sand tray skills.
I look forward to learning eye movement desensitization (EMDR), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), “parts” work (IFS), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). I’m especially experienced working with teens and young adults, including those with learning disabilities. I also work well with adults, families, and children.
My friends describe me as warm, bubbly, non-judgmental, adventurous, and empathetic. I practice Muay Thai, hike, run, bike, and ski. I’m learning to play guitar, and I love to read. My stupid human tricks are that I can bend my fingers back to my wrist, have double-jointed elbows, and I can pop my thumbs out of their sockets! Enough about me, TMI TMI 🙂 I do hope you can schedule a consultation or appointment. Let’s discuss your needs and issues.
Ashley earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wayne State University and her Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Ashley sees clients In our Downtown SLC Office In person or via Telehealth.
Appointments Mon/Wed 10,11,1,2,3,4,5 Tue/Thur 1,2,3,4 Friday 10,11,1,2,3,4 || Video appointments only Tue/Thur 8,9,10 AM
I see clients insured with Aetna, Select Health, U of U, United Healthcare, UMR, and EMI, and more will be added soon.
Amber Witten, Master’s Psychology, MSW-I Student
“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” – Carl Jung.
Are you trying your best and still feeling lost, overwhelmed, or just plain depressed? Perhaps you’ve wanted to move forward from trauma or loss, but something is holding you back. Maybe you can’t pinpoint what’s wrong, yet you know life can feel and be better.
That drive for change has led you to seek a guide, and I want to help you become your authentic self, connecting your mind, body, heart, and soul. My journey to be a clinician started as a teenager. Witnessing adults in my life struggle with mental health issues inspired my curiosity and compassion for the struggles that impact so many. As I grew older, I experienced my darkness and found support from clinicians who aided my journey. Having experienced the darkness in which so many find themselves,
I am honored to walk alongside every client I work with. People go through so much, and no one should be alone. Rapport with your clinician is crucial and allows movement to a place where healing and growth can occur. My approach is collaborative, trauma-informed, and holistic. I use experiential methods like expressive arts, somatic therapy, mindfulness, play therapy, and sandtray with children. Additionally, I utilize CBT, DBT, and parts work (IFS) in treatment plans.
My experience is in treating anxiety, depression, self-confidence, setting boundaries, self-esteem, trauma, ADHD, and PTSD. I look forward to learning EMDR to help with trauma clients. Being an advocate of equality and diversity, I love working with people who feel different from those in mainstream society. LGBTQ+ folks, creatives/artists, alternative lifestyle/relationships, neurodivergent folks (ADHD, Autism, and Dyslexia), and anyone else who feels out of place.
Amber Witten earned a Master’s in Psychology from Meridian University and is completing a second Master’s in Social Work from Western New Mexico University. Amber also graduated from Tampala Institute, an internationally recognized expressive arts training program.
Amber sees clients in our downtown SLC office In person or via Telehealth
Availability Mondays & Wednesday 12,1,2, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30 then Fridays 9,10,11, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30
I see clients insured with Aetna, Select Health, U of U, United Healthcare, UMR, and EMI, and more will be added soon.
(Supervised by Clinical Director)
Angel Cano – BSW Psychology, MSW-I Student
“Your life only gets better when you get better.” – Brian Tracy
Therapy can heal by providing tools that vary and work differently for each client. I will hold you accountable while showing compassion, respect, and empathy. I first realized I wanted to be a clinician when working at Juvenile Justice Youth Services for the State of Utah.
Working with youth who have experienced emotional, physical, and psychological difficulties has motivated me as a clinician to help more young people. I am dedicated to holding a professional, non-judgemental space for clients working towards their goals by reconciling their past to move in the healthiest direction. Finding mutual interests like music, movies, and activities helps us build a rapport, easing our discussions about the issues we need to work on. My goal for you is to feel at ease in mind, body, heart, and soul.
I utilize tools such as humor and a positive attitude in DBT, CBT, and Game Therapy. I seek to learn “parts” work (IFS) and EMDR, then integrate those into my practice. My focus areas include helping children, adolescents, families, and young adults, both women and men, with issues such as anxiety, trauma, depression, establishing boundaries, self-esteem, and family conflict resolution. I use play therapy for children and am building my expertise in sand tray therapy. I also connect quickly with teens.
I believe in diversity and equality. As a person of Mexican-American heritage, I want to do my part in raising awareness of mental health healing within the Latinx community, which has historically been looked down upon. I look forward to working with you, no matter your situation, and helping you make therapy the first step in your personal growth and self-love ladder.
Angel Cano earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from BYU and is completing his second year of the Master’s in Social Work at the University of Utah.
Angel sees clients in our Murray Office in person or via Telehealth
Availability Monday through Friday at 3:30, 4:30, & 5:30 PM.
I see clients insured with Aetna, Select Health, U of U, United Healthcare, UMR, and EMI, and more will be added soon.
(Supervised by Clinical Director)
Josh Cannon, MSW-I Student
“When your back is to the wall, and you are facing fear head on, the only way is forward and through it.” ― Stephen Richard.
In the last decade of change, including so many social changes brought on by the digital world, people have struggled to have “me” time. Many feel like their time has vanished in a black hole. This, combined with a carryover of changes caused by the pandemic, has translated into a giant leap in anxiety, depression, and waning family connections. Those impacts have and continue to affect each of our lives. Counseling can get you back on track with goals we establish together.
I strive to ensure that my clients know that I hear them, see them, and empathize with their pain. After years of pondering whether to become a clinician, I was sure of my choice during the three years I spent as a wilderness therapy guide. This is when I realized how much I enjoy helping people work through their struggles and walking alongside them on their complex journeys. I have an innate ability to help people translate their thoughts and feelings into external words and emotions.
Those words will then become the basis for what we work on in sessions. I will help you set realistic and achievable goals we will check in on regularly. I’m not the type of therapist to talk in circles about your problems without making any progress. I hope you will “graduate” and reach the point where you no longer need me. I will teach concrete skills to achieve those goals using ACT, DBT, CBT, and other modalities. I enjoy working with children(6+), young adults, and adults. With children, I have play therapy and a Sand tray as a tool to assist in helping them to open up.
I also work with seniors, who bring their abundant life experiences to bear. As an ally with the LGBTQA+ community, I work with all genders and sexual orientations. I have experience in treating depression, anxiety, trauma, ADHD, relationship, and addiction issues, which will be a foundation to aid our work. Currently, I am being trained in EMDR and IFS parts work while finalizing my Trauma Specialist certification.
In my free time, I can be found outside rock climbing, skiing, dancing, and grooving at a concert. I enjoy playing music with my band, spending time with friends, and petting other people’s dogs at the park. If you think I may fit your needs well, we can set up a free consultation!
Josh Cannon earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Texas in Austin. He is completing his second year of the Master’s in Social Work at the University of Utah. Under supervision, he sees clients while completing his final year of his MSW.
Josh sees clients in our downtown SLC office In person or via Telehealth
Availability Monday through Wednesday 1,2,3,4 & 5 pm
I see clients insured with Optum EAP, Aetna, Select Health, U of U, United Healthcare, UMR, and EMI, and more will be added soon.
(Supervised by Clinical Director)
