Our Services

Ascend Psychological Services, PLLC offers a safe, secure, and private place to discuss a variety of issues one-on-one with a trained, experienced, clinician. Rather than list all the issues we are equipped to handle, please contact Ascend at (704) 279-0626 to discuss if we can help.

Professional standards, as well as North Carolina law, assure that your confidentiality will be protected. However, there are exceptions to this rule: if you are a danger to yourself or others; or, if you are endangering the welfare of someone who is unable to protect themselves (for example, a child, or someone who is elderly, or intellectually disabled) then, we must break confidentiality and take steps to protect those who are endangered.

Currently, we offer the following one-on-one therapies:

With children (aged approximately from 2 to 10 years old), we conduct child-centered play therapy (CCPT) and parent-child relational therapy (PCRT). Please click on Christopher Lloyd or Tonda Childers bios to learn more about these therapeutic approaches.

With adolescents, we typically use a hybridized play therapy-talk therapy approach. For example, counselors might do structured therapeutic activities, or unstructured activities such as walking, shooting basketball, or playing a board game to help kids relax and open-up. Chris Lloyd, Alex Tuck, Beth Swiatek, Anya Dobbs, and Dr. Maxwell all work with adolescents. Please click on their bios to see if any of these counselors might be a good fit for you.

With adults, we typically do talk therapy. Research suggests that there are four main factors that lead to positive change: (1) 40% of change is attributable to client factors such as motivation, persistence, family support, faith, etc. (2) 30% is attributable to the trusting relationship that builds between the client and clinician, (3) 15% is attributable to placebo, hope, and expectancy, and finally, (4) 15% is attributable to model and/or techniques. Ascend counselors have different areas of training and expertise. All Ascend clinicians work with adults.

Please click on their bios to see if any of these counselors might be a good fit for you.

Group psychotherapy can be a powerful treatment approach. Research indicates that group psychotherapy is as effective as individual psychotherapy. Indeed, for some clients, it can be more helpful. Ascend psychotherapy groups are based upon client demand. Depending upon demand, Ascend offers the following group psychotherapies:

Play therapy groups with children.

Groups for adolescents, including interpersonal group, social skills, trauma, grief, and anger management issues.

Groups for adults, including interpersonal group, social skills, trauma, grief, substance-related problems, and anger management issues.

Parent-Child Relational Training

Please contact the office at (704) 279-0626 if you would like to learn more about any of the groups currently offered at Ascend.

Each family has its own unique history, structure, implicit and explicit family rules, and communication styles. In family counseling, families become aware of these influences so that they better understand each other and communicate. One main goal of family counseling is to help the family find a structure that has healthy roles and boundaries between each member. Another goal of family counseling is to foster effective communication between each family member. A family that effectively communicates is better able to adapt and change as needed.

Please call the Ascend office at (704) 279-0626 to see what counselors are currently available to do family counseling.

Ascend Psychological Services conducts psychological assessments. Typically, psychological assessments consist of a thorough clinical interview, a review of archival information (if available), and standardized testing. Collectively, these sources of information are synthesized to determine what might be going on with a person, and how to help.
Standardized testing involves giving the same test(s), in the same way, to a large, representative group of people. Based on these results, “norms” are developed. By comparing an individual’s test score to the scores of many other people, it can be statistically determined if an individual’s score stands out as unusual, and by how much. This general concept is used to assess many psychological phenomena, including intelligence, academic achievement, personality, and different types of psychopathology.

Currently, for children and/or adolescents, Ascend Psychological Services offers the following standardized tests:

• Adaptive behavior, Attention-deficit disorder (ADHD), Anxiety, Autistic Spectrum
• Disorders, Conduct Disorder, Depression, Intelligence (IQ), Learning Disabilities,
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Personality, and Self-concept

Currently, for adults, Ascend Psychological Services conducts the following standardized tests:

Adaptive behavior, Attention-deficit disorder (ADHD), Anxiety, Depression, Intelligence, Learning Disabilities, Memory, and Personality.

Please contact Ascend if you are interested in a psychological assessment. If you do not see the test that you need, please contact us anyway. We periodically add new tests to meet new demands. Or at least maybe we can refer you to someone else who can help.

When two adults enter a relationship, it is not merely a merger of two individuals, but at least two families as well. Each partner brings to the relationship the influence of their background. This background includes attachment patterns, family history, family structure, implicit and explicit family rules, and communication styles. Couples counseling helps couples become aware of these influences so that they better communicate and understand each other. Counselors help keep the lines of communication open between the two people so that they can work-out whatever issue(s) they have. Please know that sometimes couples’ relationships improve, but other times couples decide to end their relationship.

Please call the Ascend office at (704) 279-0626 to see what counselors are currently available to do couples counseling.

Professional standards, as well as North Carolina law, assure that your confidentiality will be protected. However, there are exceptions to this rule: if you are a danger to yourself or others; or, if you are endangering the welfare of someone who is unable to protect themselves (for example, a child, or someone who is elderly, or intellectually disabled) then, we are required to break confidentiality.