You didn't cause it,
but you get to change it.
If you’re feeling worn down by the family you come from, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to have it all figured out to reach out.
I’d love to help you work out what comes next, at a pace that feels right for you.
Hi, I’m Allison Riley, LPC, an Ohio therapist helping adults navigate difficult family relationships with more clarity and less guilt.
I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor seeing clients in-person in Akron, Ohio and virtually throughout the state.
I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), EMDR, and Relational Therapy to cultivate a compassionate, empowering, and trauma-informed experience.
I won’t tell you that you’re “too self-aware”.
I won’t give you worksheets (unless you want them).
I won’t talk more than you.
This is therapy for those who grew up saying "it's fine," when it never was - and it still isn't.
Maybe you're the "problem child," the "difficult one," and somehow also the one your parents "don't have to worry about."
Maybe you've spent years carrying the weight of your family's opinions, emotions, and beliefs that others couldn't see, let alone understand.
Maybe you were the parentified child. The one who grew up too fast, managed everyone else's emotions, and learned to read facial expressions before you learned math.
Now you're an adult still waiting for permission to have needs of your own.
You're tired of holding patterns - perfectionism, people-pleasing, emotional caretaking - that you never chose for yourself.
Healing from family trauma doesn't mean cutting everyone off, immediately confronting your parents, or having all the answers.
It means finally getting to put down what you've been carrying, even if only for a moment, and feeling more safe and secure with who you are.
- This is a space of deep care and affirmation, where all sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions are welcomed without question. Your truth is honored here.
- I reject the messages of diet culture and support body liberation. Healing and wholeness are possible in every body, at every size.
- You are free to define what love, connection, and relationship mean to you. All ethical relationship structures, including non-monogamy and polyamory, are respected here.
- I am committed to anti-oppressive and anti-racist education, knowing that trauma does not exist in a vacuum. I aim to hold space that is conscious of both individual and systemic harm.
- Our work together is grounded in honesty, mutual respect, and authenticity. You are always in control of your pace, your story, and your healing.
I specialize in therapy for adult children of narcissistic or emotionally immature parents, family estrangement support, family dysfunction, emotional neglect, and complex family trauma.
If you’ve spent years managing a parent’s emotions, questioning whether you’re good enough, or being uncomfortable with calm, you’re in the right place.
Contact me to discover what healing can look like for you.
Empathy Counseling offers in-person therapy in Akron, Ohio and online therapy to adults throughout Ohio, including Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, and beyond.
• Akron & Ohio therapy for narcissistic parent recovery, family estrangement, toxic family dynamics, boundary-setting, religious trauma, and complex PTSD •