
Loralea Allen M.Ed., LPCC-S
Owner Healing Strides Counseling Services LLC
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor- Supervisor
Former Adjunct Instructor Kent State University
Motivated by my desire to help as many people as possible in the community, I opened Healing Strides Counseling Services in the heart of downtown Kent. The practice has grown to include five additional clinicians and three therapy dogs. I am often accompanied by my therapy dog partner, JB who brings a warm and friendly presence to the session. Recently I used my own struggles with anxiety as a motivation to obtain my certification in applied neuroscience for treating anxiety, panic and worry. This knowledge helps individuals to rewire and retrain their brain to relieve their anxiety. In my spare time I enjoy competing in horse shows, as well as attempting to improve my physical and mental health by working out at the gym.
Owner Healing Strides Counseling Services LLC
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor- Supervisor
Former Adjunct Instructor Kent State University
Motivated by my desire to help as many people as possible in the community, I opened Healing Strides Counseling Services in the heart of downtown Kent. The practice has grown to include five additional clinicians and three therapy dogs. I am often accompanied by my therapy dog partner, JB who brings a warm and friendly presence to the session. Recently I used my own struggles with anxiety as a motivation to obtain my certification in applied neuroscience for treating anxiety, panic and worry. This knowledge helps individuals to rewire and retrain their brain to relieve their anxiety. In my spare time I enjoy competing in horse shows, as well as attempting to improve my physical and mental health by working out at the gym.

Joanne Frick M.Ed., LPCC-S Licensed Professional Counselor
Life can be overwhelming at times and asking for help may be difficult. I offer a calm and safe environment for you to be heard and respected. I work from a holistic and integrative approach utilizing recent advances in brain science, attachment research, and body awareness to each of my clients. I am continually working to expand my knowledge by completing continuing education and self-study. I am a Certified Wellness Counselor as I believe our emotional, intellectual, physical, social, environmental, financial and spiritual parts of our life are equally important and can bring about stress if we become out of balance. I have extensive training in animal assisted psychotherapy, trauma, complex PTSD, and how nutrition affects us both physically and mentally. I am usually accompanied by one of my therapy dogs, Porter or Henri in session. I work with a broad range of clients including adolescents, young adults, adults and anyone entering a new stage of life. I am welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community. In my spare time, I enjoy playing with my dogs, hiking, traveling, gardening, and transitioning to a whole food plant based diet.
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Life can be overwhelming at times and asking for help may be difficult. I offer a calm and safe environment for you to be heard and respected. I work from a holistic and integrative approach utilizing recent advances in brain science, attachment research, and body awareness to each of my clients. I am continually working to expand my knowledge by completing continuing education and self-study. I am a Certified Wellness Counselor as I believe our emotional, intellectual, physical, social, environmental, financial and spiritual parts of our life are equally important and can bring about stress if we become out of balance. I have extensive training in animal assisted psychotherapy, trauma, complex PTSD, and how nutrition affects us both physically and mentally. I am usually accompanied by one of my therapy dogs, Porter or Henri in session. I work with a broad range of clients including adolescents, young adults, adults and anyone entering a new stage of life. I am welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community. In my spare time, I enjoy playing with my dogs, hiking, traveling, gardening, and transitioning to a whole food plant based diet.
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Zoe Montez, SoulSistar RP
I am passionate about helping people heal and opening up the opportunity to learn about new ways in which you can take control over your mind, body, and overall well being . Energy healing has opened up an entire world of growth, confidence, hope, and strength for me. I hope to share this experience with you on your journey of enlightenment. Through Reiki, sound baths, and other forms of energy healing, I connect with each individual in a warm and comforting way. Energy healing is an alternative to everyday medicine which includes a relaxing visit with me where we focus on your breath and connecting with your mind. Reiki is performed as a guided meditation which uses your life force energy- your heart. Through this restorative experience, your life force energy is guided throughout your body aiding in a process called neural entrainment. This sends all overactive brain activity back down to its resting state and unclogs stored emotions- enforcing flow throughout your body. My hopes for my clients are for them to leave a session with me feeling safe in their bodies with a calm mind and motivation to be commited to themselves.
Rachel France, M.Ed LPC
I believe in providing a warm, welcoming, non-judgmental place for my clients where we can collaboratively identify ways to develop solutions to facilitate change. Through my nearly twenty years of experience in the social work field I have worked closely with families and treatment teams utilizing a person-centered, solution-focused approach to coordinate services through the life-span of individuals of all ages. I am interested in working with individuals, couples, and families. I am currently a Master’s student in the in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Kent State University. In my free time I enjoy gardening, landscaping, and spending time with my family. |

Zachary T. Roberts, MA, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
I see it my role to actively listen and meet you where you are. To help you identify, work towards, and accomplish your goals. To walk alongside you as you discover your truth, learn to live in it, and love yourself for it. I create a safe, relaxing, and non-judgmental space where you can drop the mask and begin to reveal and heal your true self. Your stories, your needs, your wants, your darkest hours, and your brightest moments take center stage when you’re in my office. I bring respect, kindness, and a sense of fun so that you feel empowered to make changes in your life. As you get more comfortable talking to me, you build skills and identify how to challenge and overcome those things that are holding you back from being your truest self. This is your chance to rewrite the next chapter of your life story.
Some counseling professionals take very specific approaches to therapy. I take a more integrative approach to therapy that combines different therapeutic tools and methods to fit the needs of the individual client. This is a more flexible and inclusive approach to treatment. I commonly draw my interventions and approaches from the following therapy models: Humanistic, Strength-Based, Interpersonal, Multicultural, Solution-Focused, Reality, and Cognitive Behavioral. I graduated from The Ohio State University with a Masters of Arts in Educational Studies, Counselor Education. I am trained as a generalist, but areas of particular interest and experience include: working with individuals identifying as LGBTQIA+ or gender non-binary; anxiety; depression; grief/loss; life transitions; relationship concerns; work/career/school concerns; stress management; substance use.
When I’m not counseling, you can find me spending time with family, working on home improvement projects, gardening/landscaping, enjoying the outdoors, going on walks, crafting, watching Netflix, reading, and being silly with my wife and daughter.
Licensed Professional Counselor
I see it my role to actively listen and meet you where you are. To help you identify, work towards, and accomplish your goals. To walk alongside you as you discover your truth, learn to live in it, and love yourself for it. I create a safe, relaxing, and non-judgmental space where you can drop the mask and begin to reveal and heal your true self. Your stories, your needs, your wants, your darkest hours, and your brightest moments take center stage when you’re in my office. I bring respect, kindness, and a sense of fun so that you feel empowered to make changes in your life. As you get more comfortable talking to me, you build skills and identify how to challenge and overcome those things that are holding you back from being your truest self. This is your chance to rewrite the next chapter of your life story.
Some counseling professionals take very specific approaches to therapy. I take a more integrative approach to therapy that combines different therapeutic tools and methods to fit the needs of the individual client. This is a more flexible and inclusive approach to treatment. I commonly draw my interventions and approaches from the following therapy models: Humanistic, Strength-Based, Interpersonal, Multicultural, Solution-Focused, Reality, and Cognitive Behavioral. I graduated from The Ohio State University with a Masters of Arts in Educational Studies, Counselor Education. I am trained as a generalist, but areas of particular interest and experience include: working with individuals identifying as LGBTQIA+ or gender non-binary; anxiety; depression; grief/loss; life transitions; relationship concerns; work/career/school concerns; stress management; substance use.
When I’m not counseling, you can find me spending time with family, working on home improvement projects, gardening/landscaping, enjoying the outdoors, going on walks, crafting, watching Netflix, reading, and being silly with my wife and daughter.
Ashley R. Shaheen M.Ed, LPC
I was a public high school teacher and a coach for a decade, and remain a coach for Kent City Schools. I have a B.S. in Integrated Language Arts from Kent State University, and a Master’s of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Malone University. I’m a member of Counselors for Social Justice and of Chi Sigma Iota, which is a national honors society for professional counselors. My approach to counseling is holistic, eclectic, and trauma-informed, where I determine which approach I will take depending on my client’s needs. I find I typically lean toward a person-centered approach, but use techniques from a wide range of theoretical approaches, including family systems theory and play therapy, while also evaluating and considering environmental factors that marginalized populations face. I work with young children, teens, college students, and adults on a variety of concerns, from coping with mental illness, to life transitions, to finding peace through a harmony of enjoyment, movement, and work. I enjoy both watching and playing sports, backpacking, reading, and spending time with my son, husband, and schnoodles: Nala and Nymeria. |
Zachary Ratchen, MA, LPC Licensed Professional Counselor
Sometimes therapy is thought to be a process where a counselor leads a client out of darkness and into the light. My stance is that I will walk with you, rather than lead, and together we will work to find pathways specific to your life needs. I pull from several theoretical orientations to provide counseling services, such as Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused, Feminist and Person Centered. Multicultural counseling and working with diversity and those who are disenfranchised have been my primary focus. My counseling experience includes working with people who are LGBTQIA+, college students, and older adults. I have helped clients work through anxiety, depression, grief, the dying process, sexual trauma, mental and emotional disorders, and relationships. In my personal time I enjoy playing piano, painting, fictional writing, and gaming. |
Raya Tucker, M.Ed LPCC-S, CDCA Prior to joining Healing Strides, I worked as a therapist in both office and school-based settings. I have come to believe that individuals are born with certain core beliefs that they are capable, lovable, good enough, worthy and are safe. As we go through life we face challenges and receive repetitive messages that challenges these core beliefs causing us to believe the opposite “I’m not good enough,” “I’m not worthy,” etc, and our perception of ourselves alters. I work with my clients to help address their negative core beliefs and learn how feelings impact thoughts and behaviors. I empathetically and actively listen to all my clients while providing them with unconditional positive regard as I aid them in working through their problems. I provide services to adolescents and adults who exhibit a variety of emotional and behavioral challenges that may include anxiety, adjusting to changes, depression, suicide/self harm, self- esteem, anger and divorce/separation, and interpersonal relationship problems. I take an eclectic approach to counseling, and my clinical interventions/approaches include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Reality Therapy, and Person-Centered. Outside of the office I spend my time working out, traveling, playing video games, watching Netflix, cooking and spending time with family. |