MEET WHITNEY
You Don’t Need a Therapist Who Feels Like a Stranger
Therapy asks you to talk about some of the most personal, painful, and complicated parts of your life. I believe you should know a little about the person sitting across from you, too.
I’m Whitney — a trauma therapist, Christian, mom, lifelong learner, and someone who believes healing can be both deeply meaningful and very human.
Licensed in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Florida
A LITTLE ABOUT ME
I’m a Therapist, but I’m a Person First
I’m not the kind of therapist who sits silently across from you, nods occasionally, and leaves you wondering what I’m thinking.
I’m warm, direct, curious, and engaged. I’ll listen closely, but I’ll also ask questions, help you notice patterns, challenge you when it’s helpful, and celebrate the moments when something finally starts to click.
I believe therapy works best when you feel safe enough to be honest — not polished, not perfectly put together, just honest.
You can cry. You can laugh. You can tell me you’re confused, angry, exhausted, embarrassed, or that you genuinely have no idea what you’re supposed to do next.
WHAT I BELIEVE
Therapy Should Feel Safe – But It Should Also Help You Move Forward
Healing deserves compassion, but I also believe therapy should have direction. You deserve space to understand what happened to you and why it affected you the way it did — while also building the confidence, boundaries, relationships, and life you want moving forward.
You Deserve to Be Taken Seriously
If something hurt you, changed you, confused you, or caused you to question yourself, it matters. You do not have to convince me that your experience was “bad enough” before you are allowed to heal from it.
Healing Requires Honesty
I won’t simply tell you what you want to hear because it feels more comfortable in the moment. Sometimes healing means noticing patterns, questioning old beliefs, making difficult decisions, or learning to respond differently.
And we can do that with compassion.
Your Story Is Not Your Identity
What happened to you may explain parts of your story, but it does not have to define who you become. We can make space for what happened while still building something different moving forward.
WHY I DO THIS WORK
I Have a Soft Spot for Women Who Have Spent Too Long Questioning Themselves
Many of the women who find their way to me are strong, intelligent, capable people who have survived experiences that left them wondering why they no longer feel like themselves.
Maybe you’ve asked yourself:
Why did I stay?
Why do I still miss them?
Why am I still affected by something that happened years ago?
Why do I keep second-guessing myself?
Why do I know better and still struggle to do differently?
Those questions are incredibly common after trauma.
One of the things I love most about this work is helping women understand the why behind what they’re experiencing. When your reactions begin to make sense, shame often starts to lose some of its power.
The question can slowly shift from:
“What is wrong with me?”
“What happened, what did I learn to do to survive it, and what do I need now?”
That is where some really meaningful healing can begin.
FAITH MATTERS HERE
My Faith Shapes Who I Am — Not How I Pressure You
My Christian faith is foundational to who I am and influences the way I understand identity, truth, grace, relationships, forgiveness, purpose, and healing.
If your faith matters to you, it is welcome in therapy.
We can talk openly about God, prayer, Scripture, spiritual struggles, forgiveness, boundaries, identity, or the ways trauma may have affected your relationship with God.
But I also believe faith should never be used to minimize pain, excuse abuse, rush forgiveness, pressure reconciliation, or convince someone to remain in an unsafe situation.
There is room here for difficult questions.
There is room for anger.
There is room for grief.
There is room for uncertainty.
And there is room for faith in the middle of all of it.
You Do Not Have to Choose Between Your Emotional Healing and Your Faith
Learn more about Christian Trauma Therapy →
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
I’m Probably Not the Therapist for Everyone — and That’s Okay
Finding the right therapist is about more than credentials. Personality, communication style, and the way you feel in the room matter too.
Here’s a little of what you can expect from me.
I’m Engaged
I won’t just sit quietly and leave you responsible for figuring out where every session should go. Therapy with me is collaborative and conversational.
I’m Direct
If I notice a pattern that may be keeping you stuck, I’ll bring it into the conversation with care. I believe honesty can be compassionate, and sometimes the most helpful thing I can do is gently challenge you to look at something differently.
I’m Human
Hard conversations and laughter can exist in the same session. You don’t have to perform therapy “correctly” with me. You’re allowed to show up as yourself — messy thoughts, complicated feelings, humor and all.
I’m Intentional
Therapy should have a purpose. We’ll keep coming back to what you want to change, how you’re progressing, and whether the work we’re doing is actually helping you move toward the life you want.
OUTSIDE THE THERAPY ROOM
There’s a Whole Person Behind the Therapist Chair
Outside of therapy, my life is full, imperfect, busy, and very real.
I’m a mom, fiancée, business owner, and someone who is continually learning what it looks like to live out my faith in ordinary life — not just talk about it.
I love meaningful conversations, building something from an idea, laughing until something becomes way funnier than it probably should be, and creating spaces where people feel comfortable enough to be themselves.
Like most people, I also know what it’s like to balance family, relationships, responsibilities, goals, faith, and approximately seventeen things happening at once.
Life has taught me that growth rarely looks perfectly organized while you’re living through it.
And I think there’s something freeing about that.
You don’t have to impress me, say everything perfectly, or show up as the most put-together version of yourself. You can just show up as you are.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
The Training Behind the Relationship
Feeling comfortable with your therapist matters. So does knowing that the person helping you has the education, clinical training, and experience to approach trauma responsibly.
My work is grounded in trauma-informed care and shaped by specialized training in the ways painful experiences can affect the brain, nervous system, relationships, beliefs, and sense of self.
Licensure & Training
Whitney McElhone, MS, LPCC
Master of Science in Counseling
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor — Minnesota
Licensed Professional Counselor — Wisconsin
Registered to Provide Out-of-State Telehealth Therapy — Florida
EMDR-Trained Therapist
Areas of Clinical Focus
My clinical work primarily focuses on helping women heal from interpersonal trauma and painful relationship experiences, including:
Domestic Violence & Coercive Control
Sexual Assault & Sexual Trauma
Narcissistic Abuse & Trauma Bonds
PTSD & Complex Trauma
Relationship & Attachment Wounds
Faith-Related Concerns Within Trauma Recovery
How I Approach Therapy
There is no single approach that fits every person or every experience. Treatment is individualized based on your history, symptoms, goals, readiness, and what is most helpful for you.
My work may incorporate EMDR therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), DBT-informed skills, mindfulness, nervous-system regulation, somatic awareness, and solution-focused interventions within a trauma-informed approach.
WE MAY BE A GOOD FIT IF…
You’re Looking for More Than Someone to Just Listen
You don’t need to know exactly what kind of therapy you need before reaching out. But we may work well together if you’re looking for a therapist who will meet you with compassion, honesty, curiosity, and direction.
✓ You want to understand why certain patterns keep repeating.
✓ You appreciate warmth and compassion but also value honest feedback.
✓ You want therapy to have goals, direction, and a purpose.
✓ You’re ready to strengthen boundaries and rebuild trust in yourself.
✓ You’re healing from trauma, abuse, painful relationships, or experiences that continue to affect you today.
✓ You want to understand your reactions rather than constantly judge yourself for having them.
✓ Your Christian faith matters to you and you want room for it to be part of therapy.
✓ You want to understand your past without spending the rest of your life defined by it.
You Don’t Have to Have Everything Figured Out Before You Reach Out
You don’t need the perfect words, a diagnosis, or a fully formed treatment goal. You can start by telling me what has been happening and what you wish felt different.
You Don’t Have to Know Exactly What to Say
If something on this page made you think, “She might understand,” that is enough of a place to start.
We can talk about what has been happening, what you hope will change, and whether working together feels like the right next step.
Online therapy available throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin & Florida