Zhela works with adult clients--both individuals and couples--as well as children. She is an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) trained therapist that specializes in working with trauma.

Her work with adults also includes experience in a variety of issues, including anxiety, depression, career indecision, occupational difficulties, and more. She brings her passion and skills for personal, team, and career development to empower people to discover their purpose and joyfully and wholly live it out through meaningful work and relationships.  

Zhela also works with children exhibiting defiant behavior that can contribute to exhaustion and an out-of-control  feeling in the home. 

If you have a child who is becoming isolated and withdrawn, but you feel frustrated because they insist that they are "fine", if your child is exhibiting behavioral issues,  is struggling academically, has experienced trauma or significant loss, or needs support in any way, Zhela can provide a safe place for them to learn, grow, and heal.

Human beings, beginning at a young age, have an innate drive to grow and improve, but we sometimes need direction. Zhela helps children excel by allowing them to connect and appropriately interact in a space that is safe and removed from the pressures and distractions of school and home. Play is a language that children use to communicate when they don't have the proper words and Zhela incorporates proven play therapy techniques to effect change in an age-appropriate way.  She has also received training in Child and Adolescent Trauma, which has equipped her with the skills to help younger individuals learn to better understand their deep past hurts and find healing. 

She combines her love for children, passion for training, and extensive human resource experience working in the corporate world to seek engaging and effective ways to educate children and adolescents.

Zhela considers it a privilege and a blessing to be part of her clients' healing and personal growth by encouraging them that, even when it doesn't seem possible, faith and hope can lead to change. 

CERTIFICATIONS AND CREDENTIALS   

• Limited Licensed Professional Counselor
• Certified Child and Adolescent Trauma Professional (CATP) 
• Trauma and Attachment: Effective Treatment Strategies for Helping Challenging Clients
• Gottman Level 1 Clinical Training: Bridging the Couple Chasm 
• Gottman Level 2 Clinical Training: Assessment, Intervention, and Co-Morbidities
• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) Trained Clinician 

Zhela Bennett, M.A., LLPC**  received her Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Moody Theological Seminary. She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Washington in Seattle. 

Most recently, Zhela served as a Social Emotional Coach in a local K-12 school setting, engaging students in various settings and assisting students of all ages to integrate life skills and strategies,in order to create positive behavioral outcomes, gain confidence, set goals, make better decisions, collaborate with others in work and play, and navigate the world more effectively.

**Limited Licensed Professional Counselors (LLPC) are supervised by a Licensed Professional Counselor with a "supervisor endorsement"