An Interview with Tiffani Ashland

Tiffani and I start the interview with the typical “how are you” pleasantries of smalltalk, and right away we’re discussing how topsy-turvy the world is at the moment.  What I notice about Tiffani is she doesn’t stay in the shallow end!  We deep dive straight into the fears that are running rampant through our community, our state, our nation, and how off balance the world is at the moment.  She describes how pretty much all her clients are in some sort of fight or flight this month, and comments that this is a very uncomfortable and unpleasant place for us humans, because we like to think we have control over things but we just really don’t. 

“It’s hard to be able to access your critical thinking skills when so much is shifting” she continues.  That’s the jumping off point into her perspective on how she conceptualizes working with her clients, both in the past and in the current environment.  

Coming to this field of counseling is kind of a calling, she says.  Not like a creative arts calling, like music or dance, but something where she can’t even remember a time when she wasn’t a person that other people would tell their stories to, and ask “what do I do?” 

“A lot of us had trauma and family of origin stuff we didn’t realize was unhealthy until growing up and learning more about life.  And being raised by boomers did not give us great ground work for validation”.  Being of the generation raised by baby boomers herself, at a very young age she realized “I’m on my own here” and both took the initiative to figure out how to support herself, and then found herself in a helping role with others.  That initiative has continued to evolve throughout her life journey, as she continuously has sought to develop herself professionally and personally in ways that would honor the seriousness and weight of the work of helping people.  But, she says, suffering can really be such a gift.  It invites us to look outside our own perspective and needs, and change and expand ourselves.  Any experience, and negative experiences especially (like or not!) are what develop in us the most potential for growth.  

When offered the opportunity, Tiffani chose an educational path that would allow her to really dig into direct practice rather than primarily teaching or testing, but still she considers herself a “psychometric nerd”.  She sees that clinical practice and psychometric testing and assessments go hand in hand.  For example, Tiffani offers ADHD testing as a means for supporting individuals and families to have more tools and resources that will help them gain greater clarity and control over their lives.  “I love being part of helping people figure out more or a better indepth look at who they are and why they feel the way they do or why they have trouble with emotional response or attention or focus or behavioral activation” she says.  

As far as the environment at LWPC, Tiffani has a wealth of experience and first hand knowledge about how critical an agency’s culture and leadership are to the wellbeing and professional development of the clinicians and service to clients.  She remarks that LWPC is a very humanistic, fair, safe, supportive, and congruent environment.  In addition, speaking of the owner and director, Crystal Myers, Tiffani says “she does what she says she’s going to do. I’ve worked with a lot of people who said a lot of stuff and didn’t follow through.”

In addition to testing and clinical services, Tiffani offers ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) and is the clinical supervisor for social work clinical residents at LWPC.  If you’re interested in working with Tiffani, exploring how testing might support your self-discovery journey, or learning more about her clinical expertise and philosophy, please reach out to our clinic today!

(Interview and writeup by Megan Conrad Anaya)

Tiffani's Full Bio