Our Team
Learn about Our Therapists
Check out the Emotion Alchemy Team bios below. We are all Fully Licensed or Qualifying Therapists. Note that Qualifying Therapists have completed all graduate work and are currently completing their hours to apply for their Independent License. They are under direct supervision of Dr. Laurel Hicks, PhD and are very skilled and supported. Often a qualifying therapist can offer a lower fee which allows us to keep our services more accessible.
Meet LAUREL
Founder & Steward of Emotion Alchemy Collective
Laurel Hicks, PhD, LCSW, PMH-C, E-RYT, RPYT, CLD. (She/Hers)
Modalities & Specialties: EMDR-certified, IFS-informed, Psychedelic Assisted, Psilocybin Facilitator, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, Ketamine Assisted EMDRTM, Somatic-Based, Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Attachment-focused, Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT Skills), Parent/Infant Dyadic, Psychodynamic, Transpersonal, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health.
Payment Accepted: Cigna, Kaiser, Aetna, United, Optum, Medicaid (RMHP & CoAccess), Out-of-Network, Private Pay
Private Pay fee: $200 – Individuals
Availability: Only for Psilocybin Mushroom Facilitation
Meet MARIE
Licensed Professional Counselor-Candidate
Marie Gonzer LPCC, LPCC, MS, LAc, Dipl. OM (She/Her)
Adults, Individual Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy for Individuals (EFIT), Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-Based Interventions, Buddhist Psychology, Perinatal Mental Health (Pregnancy & Postpartum), Birth Trauma, Reproductive Mental Health, Fertility, Pregnancy Loss & Family Building, Relationship & Communication Challenges, Emotional Regulation & Distress Tolerance Skills, Anxiety & Stress Management, Life Transitions, LGBTQIA+
Payment Accepted: Cigna, Kaiser, Aetna, United, Optum, Medicaid (RMHP & CoAccess), Out-of-Network, Private Pay
Private Pay fee: $140 Individuals & $180 Couples (not currently accepting couples)
Availability: Accepting Individual clients only, In Person in Littleton or Virtual
Meet KRISTEN
Licensed Social Worker
Kristen Ward, LSW, RYT (She/Hers)
Young Adults & Adolescents, Trauma-Informed Therapy, Somatic Psychotherapy, Nervous System Regulation & Polyvagal-Informed Work, Mindfulness-Based Interventions, Integrative Mind-Body Therapy, Emotional Regulation & Distress Tolerance Skills, Anxiety & Stress Management, Trauma & Adverse Experiences, Burnout & Overwhelm, Life Transitions & Identity Development, LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy, Gender Identity Exploration & Gender Transition Support, Strengths-Based & Parts-Informed Therapy
Payment Accepted: Cigna, Kaiser, Aetna, United, Optum, Medicaid (RMHP & CoAccess), Out-of-Network, Private Pay
Private Pay fee: $140
Availability: Accepting clients, Virtual and In Person in Wash Park
Meet Jess
Licensed Professional Counselor – Candidate
Jess Arneson (She/Her)
Individuals, Adults, Anxiety, Depression, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Somatic Psychotherapy, Wilderness Therapy, Nature-Based Therapy, Trauma, Grief / Loss / Death, Ritual, Ceremony and Rites of Passage, Transpersonal/Spiritual, Mindfulness-Based, Life Transitions, Ancestral Skills (hide tanning, fire tending, animal processing, storytelling)
Payment Accepted: Cigna, Kaiser, Aetna, United, Optum, Medicaid (RMHP & CoAccess), Out-of-Network, Private Pay
Private Pay fee: $140 – Individuals; sliding scale offered
Availability: Accepting clients beginning July 14, 2026 for Virtual and In-Nature therapy near Boulder, CO
Meet AJ
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
AJ Bernstein LCSW (She/Her)
Adults & Couples, EMDR trained, IFS informed, Marriage and Family Therapy Certified, Brainspotting trained, Perinatal Mental Health (Pregnancy and Postpartum), LGBTQIA+ Affirming, Gender Transition Support, Narcisstic Abuse Recovery
Payment Accepted: Cigna, Aetna, United, Private Pay (soon will be accepting Kaiser)
Private Pay fee: $150 – Individuals; $170 Couples
Availability: Accepting clients for Virtual and In Person in Centennial
Meet MARIA
Licensed Professional Counselor-Candidate
Maria Borghoff LPCC, MA, E-CYT (She/They)
Adults & Couples, Somatic Therapy, Expressive Arts, EMDR, Interpersonal Therapy, Ketamine Assisted Therapy, Perinatal Mental Health (Pregnancy and Postpartum), Parent-Infant Dyadic Therapy, Men’s Issues, End-of- Life, Neurodivergent Relationships, Intimacy and Sexual Integrity, Death Doula, LGBTQ+
Payment Accepted: Cigna, Kaiser, Aetna, United, Optum, Out-of-Network, Private Pay
Private Pay fee: $170 – Individuals & Couples
(Sliding scale available)
Availability: Accepting clients for Waitlist, Virtual and In Person in Wash Park
Meet KATHERINE
Licensed Professional Counselor-Candidate
Katherine Bennett LPCC, RYT-500 (She/Her)
Individuals & Couples, Wilderness / Nature-Based Therapy, Transpersonal / Spiritual, Nonduality, Mindfulness-Based, Buddhist Psychology, Pregnancy & Postpartum Mental Health, Grief / Loss / Death, Narrative Therapy, Mythopoetics, Ritual, Ceremony, Rites of Passage, Life Transitions, Existential Crisis, Psychedelic-Assisted, Somatic Therapy, Sex Therapy, Veterans, Neurodivergence, Autism (ASD), Personality Disorders, Borderline Personality (BPD), Sexual Trauma / Military Sexual Trauma (MST), LGBTQIA+.
Payment Accepted: Cigna, Kaiser, Aetna, United, Optum, Out-of-Network, Private Pay
Private Pay fee: $130 – Individual ; $150 – Couples
Availability: Waitlist only, Virtual & In Nature
Meet JENNIFER
Jennifer Maddox, LCSW, MASM (She/Hers)
Modalities & Specialties: End of life, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, Existential Distress, Grief and loss, Conscious Connected Breathwork, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-based, Narrative Therapy, Trauma Integration ProtocolTM, Psychedelic integration and meaning making, ,
Payment Accepted: Private Pay
Private Pay fee: $185 – Individuals
Availability: Accepting new clients, Virtual only (except for Ketamine which is in person)
Meet JAYCEE
Licensed Professional Counselor-Candidate
Jaycee Cole LPCC, MA (She/Hers)
Adults & Couples, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), EMDR with Couples, Ketamine-Assisted EMDRTM, PACT Level 1, Somatic Psychotherapy, Wilderness Therapy, Nature-Based Therapy, Trauma (PTSD), Grief / Loss, Ritual, Ceremony and Rites of Passage, Transpersonal/Spiritual, Mindfulness-Based, Psychedelic-Assisted, Sex therapy, LGBTQIA+, Neurodivergence, Autism (ASD), Sexual Trauma, Adolescents, Life Transitions, Depression, Anxiety
Payment Accepted: Accepting new couples. Cigna, Kaiser, Aetna, United, Optum, Out-of-Network, Private Pay
Private Pay fee: $150 – Couples & Families
Availability: Not currently accepting clients, Virtual only