Welcoming in May: Austin Koester

Austin (He / Him) joins us from Saint Mary’s Master’s in Counseling and Psychological Services Program. He is working on becoming a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). Austin received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. John’s University. Currently, Austin works at St. David’s Center for Child and Family Development where he helps to facilitate positive interactions and promote the social development of his clients.

Austin was drawn to the helping profession through his personal experiences and a deep desire to understand emotional processes and healing. He has a passion for emotional healing that improves relationships and the overall quality of daily experiences for each individual and their family.

 Austin enjoys working with teens and adults from all walks of life who are experiencing low self-esteem, anxiety, low mood, substance use challenges, and trauma-related symptoms. His goal is to serve others and make a difference as he assists in navigating the life challenges clients may face and aid them in finding wholeness for themselves and in their relationships.

 Austin believes that therapy, in part, is taking time to learn “why do I feel the way I feel, and what can I do to change how I feel.”  He deems therapy a forward-looking process of what can be done now in order to be more effective in our lives and relationships. His commitment is to have a safe and trusting relationship without judgment and for you to feel heard, understood, and respected. He’s driven by making sure you’re okay, you got what you need, and you are growing into a better version of yourself. He incorporates several approaches to his person-centered counseling, including cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance, commitment therapy, and solution-focused therapy.

 In his free time Austin enjoys playing music, reading, running, and spending time with family and friends.

Welcoming in December: Alex Stanger, MA

We are very excited to welcome Alex Stanger! Alex enjoys working with adults, college and graduate students. She believes that a true and authentic relationship is at the core of a positive and helpful experience in therapy. She creates a non-judgmental, safe, warm, relaxed and inviting environment. Alex works from a sex-positive, anti-racist, and LGBTQIA+ affirming lens. She has experience working with clients who present with anxiety, trauma, depression, relationship concerns, self-esteem, identity, life transitions, body image, and other challenges.

 Alex believes that all people have a vast potential and capacity for self-understanding, self-directed growth, and self-healing. Each client has a unique experience that she strives to understand and foster positive, constructive, and conscious choices. Alex helps clients understand how past experiences have shaped and impacted their body, brain, and nervous system reactions. She assists clients develop awareness of learned behaviors that are no longer working for them. Alex incorporates a variety of approaches in her work, including ACT, mindfulness, person-centered, nervous system regulation, REBT, and others. Therapy with Alex is relaxed and includes celebrating the wins of life, humor, and a real human connection.

Alex graduated from Montana State University – Bozeman with a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Sociology. She went on to graduate from St. Thomas University with a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology. Alex is currently pursuing her LPCC. Outside of the office Alex enjoys spending time with her family, friends, her dog Red, her cat Blue, reading, crocheting, cooking, eating, and playing Nintendo.

Joining us July 1: Laura Linner, MA, LICSW

Laura (she/her) genuinely loves this work and brings authenticity, hope and humor to sessions with individuals and families. She considers it an honor to have the opportunity to walk alongside others in recognizing, accessing, and developing their own resiliency, and in building a rich, full and meaningful life (as they define it!). Laura is mindful of creating a non-judgmental, anti-oppressive, anti-racist, LGBTQIA-affirming space for the clients with whom she works. She views therapy as a collaborative process and values feedback from clients.

Laura’s foundational clinical training is in non-directive Rogerian client-centered therapy from her time as a clinical intern then post-graduate psychotherapy fellow in a group practice in Chicago. This humanistic approach continues to serve as the clinical underpinning of her work with clients. That being said, Laura takes an eclectic approach and aligns with concepts of clinical pragmatism – offering and using what therapeutic intervention works - tailored to each individual. Laura sees therapy as an opportunity to pause, reflect, and take an inventory of how our lives are going, identify what’s working and what isn’t, and make effective change in moving closer to the life we hope for ourselves. Laura brings an attitude of openness, curiosity and compassion with clients. She has benefitted greatly from her own therapy over the years and strives to provide a similarly beneficial experience to those with whom she has the honor of working with.

Laura is trained in, integrates, and draws from a number of therapeutic approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, trauma-informed therapy (TF-ACT and TF-CBT), CBT for psychosis (CBT-p), ACT for psychosis, psychodynamic theory, polyvagal theory, motivational interviewing, harm-reduction, and also employs a neuroscientific lens to reinforce concepts of regulation, zones of optimal functioning and neuroplasticity/opportunity for growth and change. Laura is also trained in child-centered play therapy from when she worked with youth impacted by domestic violence.

Laura completed her graduate degree in clinical social work at The University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. For the past four years, Laura has worked for the University of Minnesota Department of Psychiatry as an individual and family therapist specializing in first-episode psychosis and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. She has a passion for working with individuals and families in processing new diagnoses and identifying ways of being that work for all who are impacted in their own unique ways. Prior to this, Laura has experience providing therapy and support to individuals in life transitions, relationship challenges, identity exploration and development, finding a sense of meaning and purpose, working through grief and loss, coping with the impact of domestic violence and trauma, and effectively coping with life stressors. She has also worked both internationally and stateside in violence recovery services and human rights work. Diagnostically, Laura has experience working with individuals who have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, disordered eating, substance use disorders, mood disorders, dissociative disorders, and schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Laura believes an individual is not their diagnosis, and joins alongside clients to explore meaning of diagnosis in a way that is adaptive and feels authentic to them.

Laura believes life and humans can be messy, confusing, amazing, doubtful, inspired, worried, scared, brave, determined, hopeless, hopeful and many more things all at the same time. Laura is inspired by people’s willingness and ability to move into discomfort, try new ways of being and make change in ways that feel valuable to them, and she is grateful for being able to provide support along the way.

When Laura isn’t working she enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, snuggling her two cats, needlepointing, watching cooking shows, trying to learn to cook herself, playing outside and learning.

Joining us June 1: Taylor Anderson

Taylor (she/they) is a graduate student in the Clinical Counseling program at Crown College. She plans on continuing supervision after graduating to pursue licensure in clinical counseling (LPCC). Her special interests include working with adolescents, young adults, adoptees and their families, and individuals who identify with the LGBTQ2+ community. Personally and professionally, she is especially attuned to social justice issues, and understands that individual hardships are very much intertwined with historical and current sociopolitical issues. Naturally, she integrates this focus with a person-centered approach. She is looking forward to learn about her clients and help them gain insight into their unique life experience, enabling them to arrive at their own conclusions as the experts on their life experience.

Taylor operates from a compassionate and nonjudgmental approach. No matter a client’s reason for seeking therapy, her curiosity and strive to connect with others drives her psychotherapeutic practice. She hopes to work as a team with clients to help actualize in their own strength and build resilience in coping with life’s various challenges.

In her free time, Taylor enjoys cross country skiing, connecting with friends and her community, and trying new food.

Taylor is eager to begin her work as a therapist and work alongside and learn from her clients. 

Welcoming in April: Katie O'Dowd, MA

Katie O’Dowd (she/her)

Katie enjoys working with adults, older adolescent populations, and has a particular affinity for clients that are emerging adults (“20-something”s), college students, and graduate students. She strives to create a therapy space that is non-judgemental, culturally responsive, anti-oppressive, anti-racist, LGBTQIA+ affirming, and sex positive. Katie has experience working with clients in addressing relationship challenges, family concerns, life transitions, identity exploration, academic and career concerns, perfectionism, body image/body acceptance, anxiety, depression, trauma, existential concerns, and self-compassion. 

Katie believes that everyone comes to therapy with different hopes for and expectations of the experience, and wants to work with her clients to create an experience that feels right for them. Katie uses a person-centered, interpersonal, and psychodynamic approach to therapy, while remaining adaptive to the unique needs of each individual client. She finds it important to examine and gain insight into the impact that relationships, past experiences, societal expectations, and other factors have had on us, so that we are better able to work through present day concerns. She draws from multiple different approaches to help you gain insight into your experiences, see your strengths, build your skills, support you in the tough moments, celebrate your wins, and hopefully laugh a bit along the way too.  

Katie graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities with her Bachelors degree in Psychology and Masters degree in Counseling and Student Personnel Psychology. She is currently pursuing licensure as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. Outside of the office, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring Minneapolis, traveling, cooking, hiking, playing cribbage, learning how to crochet, and tending to her many house plants.

Welcoming in September: Alison Campbell, MSW, LICSW

We are very excited to announce the newest addition to the Birch Counseling Team: Alison Campbell, MSW, LICSW!

Alison enjoys working with both adult individuals and couples across the lifespan from all walks of life. She uses a holistic, mind-body perspective and recognizes that a wide range of past and present influences effect both our individual well being and our relationships. With a collaborative, kind and practical approach, Alison helps people explore patterns that may not be serving them and offers guidance and tools for better coping, balance and resiliency so that they can feel more empowered to make the changes they desire. She uses a strengths based, person centered approach with evidence based practices informed by a blend of frameworks. She has had extensive training in mindfulness and somatic practices.

Alison has experience addressing depression, anxiety, stress reduction, trauma, health issues, substance use, relationship difficulties, grief and loss and personal growth. She has lived on both coasts of the US and has worked with people in a variety of settings including low-come housing, correctional facilities, long term care facilities and hospice and community counseling centers. She received her Master’s degree in Social Work from Washington University in St Louis.

Alison has two children, enjoys good books, good cooking, meeting new people and being in the outdoors. She is also a certified yoga teacher.