Ashley Hayes, LICSW - Therapist in Rhode Island

About Ashley

Ashley Hayes is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, grief, parenting strain, and major life changes. She also supports those coping with trauma, sleep problems, self-esteem issues, career concerns, and compassion fatigue. Ashley practices in Rhode Island and brings a calm, practical style to sessions.

Ashley emphasizes a whole-health view that links mind and body. She is a recent cancer survivor and works in an oncology clinic, which informs her understanding of illness, caregiving, and end-of-life concerns.

Background and approach

That lived experience shapes how she talks with people about hard decisions and medical stress. Her way of working is client-centered and strengths based. She helps people set realistic goals and focuses on steps they can try between sessions.

Conversations are aimed at making worries feel more manageable and creating clearer choices. Ashley draws on mindfulness practices, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to change unhelpful thinking and to build more flexible responses to stress. She also uses attachment-focused ideas when relationship patterns are part of the concern.

Sessions are practical and down-to-earth. Ashley listens closely and helps people hear their own priorities. She guides clients toward small, steady changes that support daily life and emotional balance.

Approaches you can use online

Ashley commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which helps people identify unhelpful thoughts and try practical behavior changes to reduce anxiety and improve mood. CBT is useful for sleep problems, panic, and patterns of negative thinking.

She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which focuses on noticing thoughts without getting stuck in them and identifying values to guide action. ACT can help when people feel overwhelmed by worry or grief and want to move toward meaningful activity.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Ashley treats the choice of method as collaborative and adjusts plans based on a person’s goals, needs, and preferences. She blends mindful exercises, thought work, and goal-setting to match what helps each person most.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to keep consistent appointments, try short check-ins, and practice tools between meetings. The format adds flexibility while keeping focus on the same therapeutic steps used in person.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Less about arguing with difficult thoughts, more about loosening their grip and acting on what matters to you anyway. Values and committed action carry the work, which suits conversation at a distance.

Attachment-Based Therapy

Looks at how early bonds shaped what you expect from closeness, and how that plays out now with a partner, a parent, or your own children.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Ashley focus on?

Ashley supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, parenting strain, trauma and abuse, sleep problems, self-esteem, career matters, and compassion fatigue. She also addresses related issues like attachment concerns, caregiver stress, hospice and end-of-life topics, and veteran and first responder issues.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

Her approach is client-centered and strengths based with a practical focus on realistic goals. Conversations aim to quiet the mental chatter and help clients find clearer choices they can practice between sessions.

What is her background and experience?

Ashley has eight years of experience in clinical social work and works in an oncology clinic. She is also a recent cancer survivor, which informs her work with people facing serious illness and difficult medical decisions.

What credentials and location are listed?

She holds the LICSW credential with license details RI LICSW ISW02823 and MA LICSW 124866, and sees clients in Rhode Island.

Which languages are offered for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

Therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to accommodate different needs and schedules.

How is cost handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin with Ashley?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Aging and geriatric issues
Anger management
Attachment issues
Cancer
Career difficulties
Caregiver issues and stress
Co-morbidity
Codependency
Communication problems
Compassion fatigue
Coping with life changes
Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
Depression
Family conflicts
First responder issues
Guilt and shame
Hospice and end-of-life counseling
Multicultural concerns
Narcissism
Panic disorder and panic attacks
Parenting issues
Prejudice and discrimination
Relationship issues
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Self esteem
Sexuality
Sleeping disorders
Social anxiety and phobia
Somatization
Trauma and abuse
Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
Women's issues
Young adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 8 years
Licensed: Rhode Island, Massachusetts
Languages: English

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