ALISON "ALI" MANLEY, MS, LPC
Ali Manley (she/her) assumes that her clients are doing the best they can, AND they want to do better. She engages clients to actively make changes to be where they want to be in life. This may mean making significant changes to one’s lifestyle, processing trauma, learning mindfulness skills, connecting more with other people, or working on changing habits. In therapy, Ali works hard to strike a balance between helping clients learn and use new skills, and gaining insight into past experiences. She believes that a successful therapy experience does not mean that people are "fixed" because no one is “broken.” Rather, a successful therapy experience means you are better able to tap into your inner and outer resources. Ali likes to think of this as moving from coping to healing and getting to the roots of our issues.
Ali strives to forge a therapeutic relationship that feels safe, supportive, and goal-orientated. She highly values authenticity and connection in the therapeutic relationship and encourages clients to be their true selves—both in and out of session. She is creative, nonjudgmental, and proud to be trauma-informed, queer-affirming/competent, trans-affirming/competent, sex-positive, and poly- and kink-friendly and knowledgable.
Her approaches to therapy include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Ego State/Parts work. She also teaches clients skills informed by Polyvagal Theory, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
She holds degrees in Psychology, Gender and Women's Studies, and Counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ali identifies as a life-long learner and is currently in the process of earning the Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) credential.
Her areas of clinical specialization include working with eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image; mood and anxiety disorders (including OCD); LGBTQIA+ issues; and PTSD, CPTSD, and trauma.
In treating eating disorders, because eating disorders often have medical and nutritional complications, Ali works early on to establish a treatment team so clients are also connected to medical and dietary support. A treatment team includes at a minimum a psychotherapist, primary care provider, and dietician and/or nutrition therapist, but also commonly includes family members and loved ones, a psychiatrist, and additional supports. She has personal experience with recovery and firmly believes that being fully recovered is possible.
Trainings:
IAEDP core courses, working toward Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) credential.
Exposure and Response Prevention training through the Cognitive Behavioral Institute
Prolonged Exposure training through the Cognitive Behavioral Institute
Family-Based Treatment (family eating disorder treatment) through Stanford University
EMDR basic and advanced trainings
Level 1 and 2 of Healing Our Core Issues training
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Learning Circle