Love Story Therapy for Couples and Individuals

We are thrilled to welcome Shannon Alley, LPC, to our practice! She is accepting new clients now and specializes in therapy for TEENS and individual therapy for ADULTS. We know that there is a huge need for therapy for teens and we are so happy to offer this service to our families and teens in the East Valley! Shannon can be reached at [email protected] or through the website. “I believe that every person should get to be the hero of their own story. Too often life gets in the way of
this, and things like depression, anxiety, low self esteem, unhealthy relationships, poor boundaries and
the daily stressors that we all deal with can make us feel like the tragic side character in a story we often
forget we have a lot more control over than we realize. My goal in therapy is to be a witness to whatever struggles you are going through and to walk with you through them, offering hope and an outside perspective along the way, helping you foster the insight needed to create lasting, positive change. Sometimes we just need an impartial, non-judgmental person to actively listen and understand what we’re going through, and that alone can be enough to ease our emotional burden. As a mother of young kids, I understand the pressures and difficulty of parenthood,
as well as the unique struggles our children face as they engage in the hard work of growing up. It is my
privilege and my pleasure to work with adolescents and adults in individual therapy as we endeavor to
remove and minimize roadblocks to you becoming the main character of your own beautiful story.

I have worked with people of all ages and backgrounds, and I strive to create a safe and inclusive
environment for every client that I have the privilege of serving. I’ve worked in outpatient and inpatient
settings as well as having experience doing crisis evaluations in hospitals, but I have a special heart for
working with teens, young people and new mothers, as these challenging stages of life present unique
struggles that I have experienced and particularly enjoy helping people work through. I look forward to
doing good work with you!“

Happy Valentine’s Day! Sending love. We are so honored to be a part of your love and life story.❤️ 💜

Email notification. News alert. Text message. A new like on your Insta post. Your kid asking a question. The dog barking. The timer going off on the oven.

There are so many inputs that amp up our nervous system and get adrenaline and cortisol hormones pumping through our bodies on a momentary and daily basis. We are flooded with input in our modern society, and some of our biggest conveniences are also our weaknesses as they fill us with constant information and updates- the news, text messages, social media. We worry we may miss out on things if we don’t check our feed or phone often. And it’s addictive. FOMO is REAL. While there are definite benefits from getting information fast and quickly, the downfall is that we are often not in the present moment, in the here and now. I think we have to be much more intentional in this modern technology and information-driven era in order to slow down and be present and mindful. Achieving calm is much more difficult than it used to be and we do see increased rates of anxiety, depression, addiction and mental health issues that correlate with that. I am hoping this blog post helps you find or remember some simple and effective practices that you can integrate into your daily life that will help you achieve calm, even in the midst of a stressful world, day, moment or season in your life. Click link in bio for 10 Ways to Achieve Calm.

We are humans and we are wired for connection. We are healthiest when we can lean on and count on others to be there for us, emotionally, physically, and intellectually and spiritually. This does not mean we get this all in the same place and 100% of the time from the same person. Often, I hear clients saying there is a need to be independent and we should be able to take care of ourselves and not need others. and while we are responsible for our own part in a relationship dynamic and our own selves and making sure we are taking time to prioritize our mental and physical health, we inherently need others and do best in community, not in isolation. This quote was a good reminder that this is not a law- interdependence (not dependence)- can be a strength.

Wishing you a million ways to receive, see and give love this holiday season. 🩶 Athen & Penelope

Wishing you presence in your connection with yourself and loved ones during this busy, glittery, beautiful, stressful, emotional, magical season.

May we slow down and notice the abundance this Thanksgiving and always. We are so grateful for our amazing clients and colleagues!

FOREPLAY - the appetizer or the whole damn meal? Learn more in the NEW BLOG post! Preview below… The word foreplay – with “fore” meaning before, placed in front – suggests that this comes before primary play, or the main act, traditionally thought of as s*xual in*******se. This pivotal and special piece of a couple’s s*xual relationship does not have to just be an appetizer or a side dish that happens on the way to the final and main course, but can BE the main course. In this article, I will be talking about how and why foreplay can enhance the experience and pleasure for both partners, whether male or female, and in same-s*x and opposite s*x relationships. LINK IN BIO

FU*K MOM GUILT. New blog post out by Penelope on how to combat the mom guilt spiral and make room and space for your self. ❤️ link in bio or below!
https://lovestorytherapy.com/fck-mom-guilt/

Progress is not linear! I tell my clients it is often a forward moving spiral rather than a straight line up! And sometimes in the therapy process it feels worse before it feels better because we are unpacking the hurt, trauma, sitting in the messiness, discomfort and opening up places we have tried to bandaid over or shove down. Hang in there- progress takes work and time but it is so worth it.

Happy one year at Love Story Therapy, Penelope! You bring so much heart, warmth, acceptance and wisdom to your clients and colleagues. So grateful to have you here. 💜

Grab the joy and capture the good in the often fleeting moments in everyday life, where so much is mundane, monotonous, challenging, aggravating, disappointing, frustrating, tiring. The beauty of the human experience is that it is most often NOT easy, joyful, inspiring, but within all these times, there are moments that remind us about why we are here, our meaning, our calling, what we’re grateful for and what fills our hearts. Grab onto these when they come and try to sit with them and store them inside. These are our fuel to get through the hard or less than fulfilling things!

Wishing you a happy Independence Day as we are grateful for our country, our freedom and those who serve and have served to protect it!

What sources of love and energy do you available to tap into today? Take some time to reflect and connect to those essential sources.

Where do you think you spend most of your time and energy? On things you can control or things you can’t? Often, when really reflecting on that question we learn that we have been focusing a lot of our time and energy on things we cannot control instead of what we can. Greeting yourself with self compassion and understanding can help the process of acceptance when things don’t go the way we envisioned them going. Focus on what you can control and explore the next step forward. You don’t have to be alone on the path of acceptance, and it can be incredibly helpful to get support through psychotherapy. At Love Story Therapy, we are here to meet you where you are, and help guide you on the journey to more acceptance and more peace. Check out the NEW BLOG on acceptance by Penelope. Link in bio.

Self Care Sunday! The Love Story Therapy Team engaged in some much needed self care today! We crushed it at and then enjoyed some refreshing drinks at while enjoying the AZ sun. Self care is often something we push off to tomorrow or something we neglect. We encourage others to do it, but somehow feel guilt when we take breaks to do it ourselves. Give yourself PERMISSION to engage in self care GUILT FREE! How do you self care?! Comment below! 🩵, Athen & Penelope

Happy memorial day! We are remembering those who have served and serve our country to protect our precious freedoms.

So much of the time we are focused on loving others, or trying to get love from others, that we forget to give ourselves love and self-compassion Loving these self-compassion phrases by !

Happy Mother’s Day 💕

“Wait, what just happened?” Parenting and the HARD stuff that no one talks about. New blog out by Penelope! Link below and in bio. ❤️ https://lovestorytherapy.com/waitwhat-just-happened-parenting-and-the-hard-stuff-that-no-one-talks-about/

We are so incredibly grateful for our clients. We are humbled and honored to be a part of your journey. HAPPY THANKSGIVING! ❤️

Modern Love: Can We Have it All? New blog post out for a new month! Happy November. Link in bio.
Photo: Kelly Sikkema

Happy new week! New blog out out… “Often, it is the unsaid, unspoken hope and expectations we hang on to for someone to change, or for a relationship or situation to change, that are at the root of the pain and heartache we feel when those expectations are not met. It is a process of grief and loss for what did not happen but we longed for, hoped for, that we go through. Grief is not a linear process and there is a lot of back and forth and cycling through the various emotions and stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.” Check out full blog on the site. (Link in bio)

Check out our newest blog to learn about the amazing benefits of three premarital therapy and see the 11 questions you should discuss with your partner before marriage. Link in bio.

Penelope’s new blog post just dropped on the website! Check it out if you’ve ever felt alone in this struggle or like you are the only one going through something. YOU ARE NOT ALONE 💜 Link in bio.

I am thrilled to announce that Penelope Hatter will be joining the practice! Penelope is an amazing licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with many years of experience in inpatient and outpatient settings. Her specialties include self-improvement, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, trauma, women’s issues motherhood, premarital and couples therapy. She is currently accepting new clients and has evening and weekend availability.

“I have a strong passion in helping individuals, families, and couples redefine their stories, rediscover their inner strengths, and find inner peace. When we are able to see our self worth and reconnect with our values, we are able to create more meaning in our daily lives and relationships, especially the relationship we have with ourselves.”

Happy FRIDAY! Check out the newest blog post- Feel, Be Still & Know. Link in bio or at https://lovestorytherapy.com/feel-be-still-and-know/

Wishing you a day filled with gratitude for the L O V E in your life and showering love on yourself and your special others 💕

Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. today and the important person, leader and voice of change that he was. Choosing to embrace and focus on light and love, rather than darkness and hate. ❤️

Happy holidays from my family to you and yours! This year has been full of challenge, love, laughter, loss, heartache, connection, resilience and growth. Hoping you take time to connect with gratitude, joy and hope this season.