Our Approaches and Specialties

We specialize in getting to the root of your concerns, guiding you towards enduring wellbeing and lasting change.

  • I (Mary Ashley Allen) wear all the hats at Mara Counseling. I’m the one on the other side of every word on this website or email reply you receive.

    Mara Counseling is a place where all emotional states matter and pave our paths to profound joy and healing. Mara Counseling offers a safe place to explore whatever state you find yourself in by utilizing innovative skills, researched techniques, and ancient wisdom that integrates the body as much as the mind in the healing process. My deep sensitivity and attunement can hold space for those states, and my holistic approach empowers you in your healing journey—a journey with fewer fears, hesitations, sorrows, pains, and masks needed.

  • I guide clients towards deeper, longer-lasting healing.

    I love working with college students, adults of all ages, and neurodiverse couples.

    I work well with concerns like: anxiety, attention/focus/adhd/AuDHD, overstimulation, depression, grief/loss, trauma, guilt/shame, overwhelm, people-pleasing, perfectionism, chronic health factors, boundaries skills, coping skills, spiritual/religious/existential concerns, getting stuck in fight/flight/freeze/fawn, toxicity/trouble/conflict in relationships, intimacy issues, and more.

    I approach therapy through the lenses of: somatic integration, Subtle Yoga, mindfulness, trauma-informed lenses, existential/spiritual integration, cognitive/behavioral, psychodynamic, attachment theories, depth, some principles of radically open DBT and traditional DBT, attachment theory, sexuality and sociocultural factors, biological/neurological factors, and more.

    I offer trauma-informed yoga services to small groups, couples, and individuals to complement traditional therapies.

  • I enjoy getting creative, whether that means sewing, writing poetry, or playing around with art supplies.

    When I can or want to, I love to read for fun and to learn, gravitating towards sci-fi and fantasy as well as spiritual texts and self-help books.

    I’m my healthiest self when I’m moving which often looks like weightlifting, practicing mindful movement or yoga, changing my hair color, being outside, or playing with my dog.

    I love to indulge in sweets. Ice cream is a favorite, and I’m always watching baking shows to learn more and get inspired.

    I’m married and live in Greenville and am originally from the metro Atlanta area.

  • I attended graduate school at Richmont Graduate University where I received my MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and certificate in Christian Sex Therapy. My undergraduate degree is a BA in Spanish Literature and Culture from the University of Georgia.

    I am licensed in the state of South Carolina as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and my license number is 8144. I’m also licensed as a Professional Counselor (LPC) in Colorado and my license number there is 0019851 .

    My yoga training took place through Subtle Yoga. I am credentialed as a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) through Yoga Alliance.

    I have received formal and private training in attachment theory, internal family systems, sensorimotor techniques, Safe and Sound Protocol (upon request), EMDR, somatic experiencing (SE), applied polyvagal theory (PVT), the Autonomic Compass (Gabriel Natureza), accelerated reprocessing/resolution (ART), cognitive/behavioral techniques (CBT), principles of spiritual direction, brief psychodynamic interventions, dialectical therapy principles (DBT), radically-open DBT principles, exposure and response prevention (ERP), depth psychology, psychoanalytic techniques, projective techniques, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)—that’s just what I can remember—more to come I’m sure!

We can get there together.

  • anxious to authentic

    Right now, I’m so scared. I don’t even know how to be myself or what myself even is. I’m not sure anyone would like me. I want to grow and change, learning how to be my most authentic self.

  • apathetic to awakened

    I want to be challenged in a way that awakens me to my deeper, innermost self and doesn’t make me want to run from what I find. I want to feel liberated. 

  • confused to capable

    I hate feeling so helpless and uncertain. I want to understand at the deepest level what is going on, so I can find my way out of these difficult and distressing seasons. 

  • frozen to free

    I feel as if I’m either stuck, restless, or detached. Nothing I try seems to be getting me out of this funk, and I’m starting to wonder if that’s even possible. I just want to feel happy for once, like not everything is so hard.

  • critical to compassionate

    I’m so hard on myself. Maybe I’m terrified of letting myself or others down. But I also don’t get why I can’t just stop being a jerk to myself. I’m not sure how to let go, but I want to.

  • empty to insightful

    I feel like I’m just different. Like things seem easier for everyone else or something? I want to know more about myself, how my brain works and learn how to leverage that in a meaningful way that leads to success and purpose. 

  • lonely to in love

    Intimacy isn’t what it used to be—physically or emotionally. I want to get back to that deep sense of belonging I felt with my partner. It just feels so impossible right now.

specialty: somatic therapy

What most people want to know about somatic therapy is what is it and would I benefit from it? So let’s start with what is it…

Somatic therapy considers the body’s role just as essential as the mind’s in growth and healing. In fact, neuroscience and neurobiology supports this: the mind is neurally rooted in the body. Instead of a brain-centric and verbal-focused therapy, Mara Counseling provides a balanced perspective that holds sacred the body, mind, and soul.

There are many types of somatic approaches to therapy including mindfulness skills, yoga, somatic experiencing, sensorimotor psychotherapy, EMDR, art therapy, dance therapy, music therapy, Safe and Sound Protocol, and more! At Mara Counseling, we focus on how your biological function of the nervous system impacts your mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

Traditional therapies fall under a “talk” therapy umbrella, which means they rely a lot on verbal processing and cognitive functioning. In somatic therapy, your therapist is trained to help you heal when you cannot articulate an experience or when your brain and body are too overwhelmed or shut down to process. This is because somatic or body therapists are trained to utilize the nervous system’s innate and untapped (non-verbal) tools.

Somatic therapy works wonders for anyone who has a brain that does not operate under the “dominant” culture’s rules or norms. So if you’re a fellow neurodiverse individual (like Autism, ADHD, highly sensitive person, sensory processing factors), if you fall in a minority category (like ethnically, sexually, racially), or if you have experienced extraordinary circumstances (like trauma or chronic health factors), somatic therapy can lend a whole new perspective and insights specific just to your neurobiology and neuropsychology.

When your provider/therapist introduces movement or somatic/body-based activities into sessions, a few factors might impact what it looks like for you. Overall, movement-based or somatic activities are often paired with talk-based approaches (see mara-counseling.com/connect for free downloads). These moments can last 30 seconds or span an entire session. All somatic-focused techniques aim to restore skills that cannot be done through verbal processing alone. They are not considered exercising in the cardiovascular sense, though they can benefit the heart.

Some clients prefer to have the option to add movement into their session and may dress in a way that makes movement more comfortable. Oftentimes, movement is done seated and does not require special equipment or clothing. At times, we may utilize a meeting room for yoga-focused session, which I talk about next.

For many clients, somatic release may be an aspect of your goal to resolve your core conflict and get to the roots of what is going on. A somatic release might be done through reprocessing painful memories, sensory integration, guided imagery, bilateral stimulation, psychodynamic techniques, and more.

If you have found past therapy experiences have not full resolved your issues, somatic techniques might be a good fit for you, as somatic approaches focus on aligning our nervous system with it’s biological neutral (unique to you) and on releasing unresolved stress cycles (past experiences and patterns big and small). All this leads to a nervous system that operates efficiently for you and your specific life’s story.

somatics in session

At times, yoga is utilized to improve the body-mind connection, which can be the focus of therapy or one moment during a session. Yoga is often an effective way to help heal or repair your nervous system, when it seems inefficient or not to be responding accurately to the current moment.

For those utilizing yoga as needed in session, this is a collaborative process and is never required. All movement is gentle and subtle, though variations for more intensity may be appropriate at times.

Sessions with a professional counselor and registered yoga teacher may be structured, and pre-planned formats for groups, couples, or individuals. And at times these sessions might be customized to meet needs as they arise in the moment. Some verbal exploration is part of this process, as it helps the therapist support you and your goals.

The therapist does not have training in touch-assisted yoga and is not able to provide physical adjustments.

yoga in session