For the short and sweet stuff…
- She/her
- Born and raised in Minnesota
- Complex trauma survivor
- Popcorn connoisseur (but the best will always be grandpa’s homemade)
- Deep feeler and thinker (HSP who lives for the nuance and gray areas)
- Intimate extrovert (I’m immediately looking for the dog at group events, 1:1 coffee dates are more my speed)
- Sunshine is cool, but gloomy weather is my favorite.
- Obsessed with anything minty (mint chocolate, mojitos, spearmint tea, what’s not to love)
- I’ll take forests and lakes over beaches or cities any day.
- Gilmore Girls super-fan (#TeamJess)
- Air Force Veteran
- My husband’s family’s Christmas food spread is the stuff of dreams (I’m salivating just thinking about his mom’s birria and pozole).
no time for another to-do
Finding a therapist is hard.
You know you need to find someone, but you already have a million other things to do and you just don’t have time to weed through loads of websites. But there you are in the pickup line or on your lunch break, scrolling through the 12th therapist profile, or is it 15?
And all the words are starting to sound the same. The names and faces and approaches are all running together, and you feel more confused about what might help you than when you started.
You don’t feel like you’re any closer to feeling that spark, to finding someone who just clicks.
Is it too much to ask to find a real human who’s damn good at their job but who also really gets you?
Nope, it’s not. Not. At. All.
I pick up where other therapists leave off.
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve worked with who come in defeated, believing therapy must not work for them, and doubting the possibility of ever getting lasting relief. Because their other therapy experiences left them feeling more misunderstood and added fuel to their shame. They almost gave up on therapy altogether. Maybe you can relate.
I hate that for you. What’s happened to you has already claimed enough of your days. What’s held you down has held on long enough.
And you deserve to have someone roll up their sleeves and really enter into the healing process with you. Someone who’s fully invested in you, who’s trained and skillful in getting at the root instead of staying at the surface, but who also knows the way through because they’ve been there too.
The greatest gift you’ll ever give yourself.
Healing is hard and messy work. But when we tenderly explore and get curious about what’s hurting, we unlock the door to abundant, authentic living. We find the roadmap guiding us back to you. Every new way of connecting with yourself or understanding your story leads you back to reclaiming your power, feeling better, and ultimately feeling a whole lot lighter.
And that just might be the greatest gift you ever give yourself. That’s what I’m here to hold with you.
Always intentional, not always intense. This is your soft place to land when you’re ready to reclaim your life.
"What if we already are who we've been dying to become"
-Sleeping At Lastthe verdict is in
What People Are Saying…
If you’re someone who likes all the juicy details…
As a survivor of complex trauma, this work is personal for me. I’m well acquainted with anxiety, self-abandonment via people-pleasing, chronically feeling unworthy, and the disorientation after trauma sets fire to your life. I’ve been to the edge and back. I’ve stared down the scariest parts of my story, the depths of despair, the overwhelming symptoms of PTSD and chronic illness.
And I’ve found beauty and goodness on the other side. I found myself.
And it’s not just me. I’ve had the honor of being invited into others’ healing journeys and have seen their lives absolutely transform. The courage and tenacity of the amazing humans I get to support is what inspires me to keep doing this work. And I have to say, there’s something so remarkable about collectively pushing back against suffering and creating beauty together instead.
So when I say I know it’s possible for you to reclaim your voice, your identity, your relationships, the very best of you? I don’t just know it in my bones. I see it in the faces of every single person I’ve journeyed alongside.
It’s there for you, too, when you’re ready.
Ali Arteaga, lpcc
Trauma Therapist
And in case you’re wondering…
Yes, I’m a human just like you. But the spotlight will always stay on you. I’m not a robot, you’ll have a sense of who I am. But you’re never there to caretake me or carry my stuff. I take care of me in my own safe spaces and therapy. I know that seems like a given when it comes to therapy, but you’d be surprised…through and through, the space we create together is for you.
my compass
Core Values
Curiosity
It unlocks a thousand doors and is the key to tapping into your inherent wisdom. Together we’ll listen to the story your body holds with curiosity and kindness.
Empowerment
You’re in the driver’s seat. Your choice and voice always come first. We’ll build a space that honors your values and needs so that you feel empowered every step of the way. Always at your pace.
Connection
The catalyst for healing. The reason the most important part of this whole process is establishing trust between us and creating a space where you can take off the masks and really be seen.
a space that
Honors your unique story.
Every part of you is welcome here. Inclusivity is not just a buzzword around here but a core value. Fio is committed to cultivating a space in which all people are treated with dignity and respect. A space that empowers folks to be exactly who they are. To that end, Fio celebrates and affirms all bodies, identities, backgrounds, beliefs, abilities and disabilities, ethnicities and races. We are committed to operating from an anti-racist and anti-oppressive lens.
Qualified & Ready
My Credentials
LPCC | Colorado | LPCC.0020360
Denver Seminary: M.A. in
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Towson University: B.S. in Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology
EMDR Training w/ EMDRIA approved facilitators
Internal Family Systems for Complex Trauma & PTSD w/ Dick Schwartz
(10 hour training)
The Arc of Healing Trauma training w/ Frank Anderson
The Neurobiology of Trauma training w/ NICABM
How to Ease the Pain of Trauma-Induced Shame training w/ NICABM
Prepare/Enrich Certified Facilitator
Supervised by: Paula Tipton, Ph.D., LPC
Colorado | LPC.0012776
As a lifelong learner, I’m committed to engaging with ongoing clinical supervision, consultation, and advanced training to enhance our work together.
client centered
Transforming
Mental Health
It’s no secret our current mental health care system is failing. Therapy influenced by this broken system has a way of leaving clients falling through the cracks. It undermines how the therapeutic process works, and it contributes to therapist burnout, all of which negatively impacts the amazing humans like you who are just trying to become their best selves. We think clients deserve better. Fio’s practices and policies are designed to center the humanity of everyone involved.