Ayanna Mills, LPC

Ayanna Mills is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Missouri with 13 years in the mental health field. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship and intimacy concerns, low self-esteem, depression, addiction, and trauma. She also supports work-related burnout, compassion fatigue, and identity-related issues for LGBT clients.

Ayanna uses an empathic and straightforward style. She focuses on building trust so people feel comfortable talking about hard things. Sessions are collaborative and paced to match where someone is in their readiness to change.

Her clinical approach blends Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, and Mindfulness Therapy. In practice that means using clear tools to manage thoughts and behaviors, exploring emotion and attachment in relationships, and bringing attention into daily life to reduce reactivity.

Ayanna's background includes a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling. She has worked across a range of concerns including abandonment, attachment issues, blended family challenges, body image, caregiver stress, codependency, commitment and communication problems, domestic violence, and substance use issues.

Her manner is described as warm and genuine, with an emphasis on practical steps and steady support. She invites people to begin at their own pace and to try approaches that fit their goals and daily life.

How therapy approaches guide online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying values and taking committed action even when difficult thoughts and feelings show up. It can help people manage anxiety, depression, and relationship avoidance. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and offers skill-based tools to reduce distress and change unhelpful patterns. It is often used for anxiety, depression, and stress management. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a trusting, nonjudgmental relationship where the person leads the pace and focus of sessions; this approach supports self-exploration and emotional processing.

Choosing the right approach is a shared process. The therapist will work together with the person to identify goals and try methods that fit those goals and preferences. If something isn’t working, adjustments are made so the plan stays useful and manageable.

The profile does not list specific online session formats, so confirm the available options before booking. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life - for example by removing commute time, allowing shorter check-ins, or offering options that require less bandwidth when needed. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT and CBT techniques to work over distance, using exercises, values planning, and skills practice between sessions to support progress.