Unlearn fear. Unpack shame. Uncover your authentic self.Meet your Denver religious trauma therapist.
Healing isn't about finding a new set of rules;
it's about finally belonging to yourself.
Hey, I'm Holly.
I’m your classic eldest daughter, a born and raised Coloradoan, and mom to the sweetest little boy. I may also have the only dog in the state who refuses to hang out at breweries.
But more relevant to why you’re here: I’m a recovering "good girl."
I spent years in the loop of trying to please everyone else while losing myself in the process. I know what it’s like to have an inner critic that doesn't just sound like a mean girl… she sounds like a judgmental youth group leader.
Sound familiar?
If you grew up in a rigid religious environment, your overthinking and people-pleasing isn't just a personality trait—it was a survival skill. Maybe you’re currently navigating:
The Purity Culture Hangover: Trying to feel normal in your body or relationships after years of being told your desires were dangerous.
The "Savior" Complex: Feeling a crushing responsibility for everyone’s well-being (and the guilt that follows if they aren't "fixed").
The Eternal To-Do List: A persistent, quiet fear that you aren't doing enough, being enough, or believing enough to be worthy of peace.
The Identity Crisis: Realizing that once you peel back the labels and rules given to you by the church, you aren't quite sure who is underneath.
Many approaches to therapy treat anxiety like a glitch in your hardware. But when you’ve experienced religious trauma, that anxiety is often a logical response to a system that told you to doubt your own heart.
Deep-seated wounds require depth-oriented solutions.
We won’t just talk about managing your stress; we’re going to look at the roots. We’re going to dismantle:
the debilitating fear of hell
the "LGBTQ+ is a sin" rhetoric
the idea that desire is bad
the "your heart is deceitful" narrative and
the crushing pressure to be perfect
It’s going to take more than a trendy "self-care Sunday" or a new gratitude journal to heal this. It takes a guide who knows the language you grew up with and knows exactly how to help you translate it into a life that finally feels like your own.
You’ve spent enough time living for "Them." Time to start living for you.
I love a novelty coffee mug!
This is Ogden. He is the best boy.
My Approach as a Religious Trauma Therapist in Denver
I help my clients find compassion for and trust in themselves by equipping them with the tools to understand how their past experiences are shaping the way they see themselves today.
Here’s what our work might look like:
01. Map out what’s going on now - identify what is keeping you stuck.
02. Build acceptance and compassion for this struggling version of you.
03. Dig for the why - you've looked before, but never with me.
04. Identify, untangle, and reprocessthe problematic messages you've internalized.
05. You finally understand - the kind of understanding that brings deep and lasting change.
You’ll finally be able to see yourself with clarity instead of criticism, and feel a freedom you might not have thought possible.
Why I Get It
You might be thinking, “Sure, you’re a therapist… but do you think I’m just overreacting?”
The truth is, you’ve likely been gaslighting yourself for years. You minimize your pain one minute and beat yourself up for being “too much” the next. You’re on what I call the hamster wheel from hell: you feel anxious or overwhelmed, then you criticize yourself for feeling that way, which only feeds the cycle.
The "Double-Bind" of Religious Trauma
For many of my clients, this cycle isn't just a habit—it was a requirement. When you grow up in a rigid system, you’re often taught that:
Your feelings are "deceitful."
Your needs are "selfish."
Your anxiety is a "lack of faith."
No wonder you don't feel safe in your own mind. You weren't just overthinking; you were trying to survive a system that required you to ignore your own gut.
You aren't pathetic, and you aren't overreacting.
I know this because I’ve been there. I know the weight of that "good girl" cape and how heavy it gets when you're trying to please everyone but yourself.
I’ve done the work to step off that wheel, and I’ve helped countless clients do the same. When we work together, you’re not just getting a clinician with a degree; you’re getting someone who knows the dialect of your inner critic and knows exactly how to help you find your own voice underneath it.
Education and Training
Licensure
Licensed Professional Counselor (Colorado) - LPC.0016925
Professional Memberships
Colorado Counseling Association
EMDR International Association
Certifications
Intentional Clinical Supervision: Level 1 Practice Endorsement - Noeticus Training Institute (2023)
EMDR Certified Therapist - EMDR International Association (2022)
EMDR Trained Clinician – Kase & Co (2020)
Education
Master of Art (MA) in Counseling – University of Colorado Denver (2018)
Bachelor of Art (BA) in Youth Ministry – Colorado Christian University (2010)
Advanced Trainings*
EMDR for Spiritual Trauma and Religious Abuse - Trauma Therapist Institute (2025)
ACT for Perfectionism - Alma (2025)
Intentional Clinical Supervision Endorsement - Noeticus Training Center (2023)
Letter Writing for the Queer Community - Training Center at Mindfully (2022)
EMDR and Complex PTSD - Kase & CO (2022)
Treating Trauma: The ACT Matrix - Simple Practice Learning (2021)
*Not all trainings listed
Think we might be a good fit?
Let’s chat!