A woman with red hair, glasses, and a black leather jacket smiling at night with buildings and colorful lights in the background.

Healing in Shadow & Light

Therapy for rebels, renegades, outliers, and the offbeat.

A woman with bright red hair, glasses, and a tattoo on her wrist, smiling while sitting at a table outdoors at night, wearing a black leather jacket and a light gray shirt.

About Me

Hi! I’m Avery Neal, LISW, MASW.

I help people who feel unseen find belonging within themselves.
Belonging starts with being witnessed, not only by others but by yourself. Together we’ll explore what it means to feel at home in your own body and story, even in spaces that weren’t built to hold you.

I help those living in the shadows of expectation step into their own light.
Many of us learn to shrink ourselves to survive and to meet expectations that silence what is most true. Our work invites curiosity and compassion for all your facets so you can live from authenticity rather than performance.

I help people rewrite the stories oppression told them about their worth.
Oppression leaves stories in the body about who we are allowed to be. In therapy, we untangle those narratives and make space for new ones rooted in self-trust, wholeness, and liberation.

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Therapeutic Interests & Specialties

Neurodivergent affirming therapy starts from the belief that there is nothing “wrong” with being autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, or otherwise neurodivergent. The problem is not the person. It is often the systems, expectations, and environments that were never built with neurodivergence in mind.
Instead of pushing people to mask, fit in, or erase parts of themselves, this approach centers acceptance, self-understanding, and practical support. Many of my clients come to therapy after years of trying to navigate burnout, masking, sensory overwhelm, or the pressure to appear “typical” in spaces that do not feel safe.
In our work together, we explore what makes life feel sustainable, liberating, and authentic. This might include unmasking, building supportive routines, understanding your sensory needs, or finding ways to live more fully as yourself. My goal is to support neurodivergent adults in Blue Ash and the greater Cincinnati area, and throughout Ohio through telehealth, in thriving on their own terms.
LGBTQ+ affirming therapy is a space where queer and trans people can show up fully, without performance, explanation, or apology. Being LGBTQ+ is not something to justify or educate me about. It is a vital and beautiful part of human diversity.
This work centers authenticity, safety, and connection. We make room for your full experience, whether you are exploring identity, processing harm, navigating family or community tensions, or simply wanting a place where you do not have to brace yourself.
Many of my clients seek therapy because they want support from someone who understands the realities of being queer or trans in a world that can be unsafe or invalidating.
Identity actualization is the process of becoming more fully yourself, not the version you were told to be but the one that feels true, integrated, and whole. For many people, especially those navigating oppression or chronic invalidation, identity work is both liberating and tender. In therapy, we explore the layers of who you are, who you have had to be to survive, and who you are ready to become. This work honors complexity and contradiction, making room for authenticity, pride, and peace in your own skin.
Trauma therapy helps you process painful experiences that continue to shape your thoughts, emotions, and sense of safety. I help clients process trauma connected to oppression, relationships, identity, and life experiences, including sexual and racialized trauma, family of origin harm, developmental trauma, and single-incident events like accidents or violence.
I draw from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), two evidence-based approaches that support healing in different ways. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation to help your brain reprocess distressing memories and reduce their emotional intensity. CPT focuses on identifying and reshaping beliefs that may have formed in the aftermath of trauma.
Together, these approaches can help you move toward greater clarity, self-compassion, and a sense of peace in your body and mind.

Anti-oppressive practice means understanding that mental health does not exist separately from systems of power and inequality. My work acknowledges how racism, ableism, queerphobia, classism, and other structural forces shape the way we see ourselves and experience safety. In therapy, I aim to create space that resists those pressures and centers your agency, dignity, and liberation. This approach is collaborative and reflective, helping you name the forces that harm and reconnect with the parts of yourself that know how to heal.
Pioneered by Jennifer M. Gomez,Cultural Betrayal Trauma Theory helps us understand the unique pain that can come from experiencing harm within our own marginalized communities. When people who share our culture - whether through race, ethnicity, sexuality, or other identities - hurt us, the betrayal cuts deeper because those communities are often where we expect safety and solidarity in the face of oppression. This kind of trauma is compounded by systemic racism, sexism, queerphobia, ableism, and other forms of marginalization, which can make it harder to seek help or even name the harm. In therapy, I work gently with this reality, holding both the need for community connection and the pain that comes when that connection is disrupted.
Not all losses are clear-cut. Ambiguous grief is the ache we feel when something important has changed or slipped away, but there’s no neat ending to point to. It can show up after estrangement, illness, identity shifts, or living in systems that deny our wholeness. Because the loss isn’t always recognized by others, people often feel isolated or unsure if what they’re feeling “counts.” In therapy, we make space for this kind of grief - naming it, honoring it, and finding ways to move forward without having to minimize or erase the pain.
CAMS is a therapeutic framework designed to help people experiencing suicidal thoughts find relief through honesty, collaboration, and care. CAMS invites open conversation about pain, purpose, and the reasons to stay alive. Together we identify what makes life feel unbearable and what still holds meaning, building a plan that centers your voice and safety every step of the way.