Ligia Asprelli, LMHC

I am glad you are here!

I am Ligia Asprelli, a bilingual Licensed Mental Health Counselor specializing in the treatment of children. My journey in child psychology and psychotherapy began in Argentina, where I earned my degree in Psychology (Psicóloga) from the Universidad Nacional de Rosario in 1999.

For more than two decades, I have worked with children and families from diverse cultural backgrounds in pediatric and mental health hospital units, as well as in clinical and community-based settings. These experiences have provided me with a strong foundation in child development, developmental psychology, trauma, and family-centered care.

After relocating to the United States as a master’s-level clinician, I completed graduate-level coursework at Webster University while completing my clinical internship as a child psychotherapist in a community mental health setting.

My therapeutic approach is holistic, collaborative, compassionate, and playful. Guided by Attachment Theory and informed by current research in neuroscience, I provide culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate, and trauma-informed care. I believe every child is unique, and I tailor treatment to each child's strengths, interests, communication style, developmental needs, and family dynamics.

My goal is to create a safe, supportive, and trusting environment where children feel understood, valued, and empowered to express themselves. Through the therapeutic relationship, I help children develop emotional awareness, strengthen coping skills, build resilience, improve relationships, and move toward their goals with confidence.

I integrate Play Therapy, Family Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) to help children process emotions, develop effective coping skills, and build resilience. I also incorporate strengths-based and compassion-focused approaches to foster self-esteem, self-confidence, self-compassion, and overall emotional well-being.

Mindfulness and somatic-based interventions help children develop greater awareness of their emotions, thoughts, and bodily experiences, enhancing their ability to regulate emotions and respond to challenges effectively. In addition, I utilize expressive and creative modalities—including art activities, therapeutic drawing, storytelling, and play-based interventions—to provide children with developmentally appropriate ways to communicate, explore their experiences, and heal in a manner that feels natural, engaging, and meaningful.

I specialize in working with children and young adolescents experiencing anxiety, depression, and social-emotional challenges, including difficulties with peer relationships, self-confidence, self-esteem, and assertiveness. I also support children facing adjustment challenges related to life transitions and stressful experiences. These may include bullying, immigration and acculturation stress, changes in family structure, parental separation or divorce, relocation, school transitions, and other developmental or environmental stressors.

I specialize in supporting children who have experienced traumatic or distressing events. Using evidence-based trauma-informed approaches, I help children process difficult experiences, reduce trauma-related symptoms, develop healthy coping skills, build resilience, and restore a sense of safety and emotional well-being.

An important part of my work involves collaborating with parents and caregivers. Together, we strengthen parenting skills, improve communication, support healthy emotional development, nurture secure attachment, and help repair and restore connection when disruptions in the parent-child relationship have occurred.

I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and am currently working toward certification through the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). I am also trained in FLASH Technique.

In addition, I hold the following professional certifications:

• Certified Child and Adolescent Trauma Professional (CCATP) 
• Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Level II – Complex Trauma (CCTP-II) 
• Certified Clinical Child and Adolescent Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP-CA)

My professional training began in Argentina, where I completed extensive postgraduate studies in Child Mental Health, Child Psychiatry, Neurodevelopment, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Family Therapy, and Psychodiagnostics Assessment.

Beyond my professional life, I enjoy traveling, spending time in nature, with friends, and volunteering with international organizations dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation of endangered wildlife and species at risk of extinction.

My favorite book is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and its beautiful quote:

" Only children know what they are looking for. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

This quote serves as a reminder of the importance of curiosity, connection, compassion, and seeing beyond appearance, values that guide both my life and my work with children and families.