Step By Step Counseling, LLC

Meet Monique Ford! Not every teen wants to sit on a couch and answer, "So... how does that make you feel?" Sometimes it's easier to talk over a game, through art, or while creating something together. Monique understands that healing doesn't always start with words. 😊

Monique has over 10 years of experience working with youth and families and enjoys helping teens navigate anxiety, anger, trauma, relationship challenges, and communication difficulties. Her sessions blend CBT, mindfulness, and play therapy techniques to create a space where adolescents feel safe, understood, and empowered to grow.

She's also currently completing her Play Therapy Consultation and is on her journey toward becoming a Registered Play Therapist (RPT), continuing to expand the creative, evidence-informed ways she helps young people heal.

Monique offers weekday evening and Saturday appointments at our St. Charles office and accepts Straight Medicaid, Home State Health, Show Me Healthy Kids, Healthy Blue, HealthLink, Ambetter, Aetna/Meritain, Optum, UHC, UMR, and UHC Community Plan.

If your older kiddo or teen could benefit from a therapist who connects through creativity, compassion, and practical coping skills, Monique would love to meet your family.

https://stepbystepcounselingllc.com/about-the-office/our-clinicians/monique-ford/

Meet Brook Howell! Some therapists collect coffee mugs. Brook has years of experience helping children and families grow, connect, and heal. 😊

As a former Registered Play Therapist, Brook believes that children communicate through play long before they have the words to explain what's going on inside. She enjoys working with young children and their families, especially those navigating foster care, adoption, attachment challenges, trauma, autism, ADHD, and behavioral or emotional concerns. Parents often tell us they appreciate Brook's honesty, practical ideas, and collaborative approach because she believes therapy works best when the whole family is part of the team.

Brook has advanced training in Play Therapy, EMDR, Theraplay, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), TF-CBT, and is completing an 18-month Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) training.

Brook provides virtual therapy throughout Missouri and accepts MoHealthNet, Home State Health, Show Me Healthy Kids, Healthy Blue, UHC Community Plan, Optum, UHC, UMR, Aetna, Meritain, HealthLink, Medica, and additional commercial insurance plans.

If you're looking for a therapist who will partner with your family, celebrate your child's strengths, and help you navigate the tough moments together, Brook would love to help.

https://stepbystepcounselingllc.com/about-the-office/our-clinicians/brook-howell/

Do you get up and do a happy dance when your kiddo expresses empathy for another? SAME.

That's the kind of thing we see after participation in our Social Skills Groups. Learning in real time, with real peers, is the ideal way to learn these important life skills.

Check it out here: https://stepbystepcounselingllc.com/services-offered/group-counseling/social-skills/

We're so excited to finally share this with you! Over the past several months, we've been dreaming, planning, and creating something just for the homeschool community... and it's finally here.

Introducing Cosmos, our weekly homeschool cohorts designed to intentionally teach the social, emotional, and life skills that help children thrive.

While many homeschool programs focus on academics, Cosmos focuses on the skills that support everyday life. Things like emotional regulation, executive functioning, communication, friendships, resilience, problem-solving, self-advocacy, and confidence.

With small groups, engaging activities, and age-appropriate discussions, children (and teens) will have the opportunity to learn alongside peers in a fun, supportive environment while earning non-core homeschool hours.

Whether you're looking to complement your current homeschool routine or give your child more opportunities to connect with others, we'd love for you to take a look.

Swipe through to learn more about Cosmos. We can't wait to welcome our first cohorts!

https://stepbystepcounselingllc.com/special-programs/homeschool/

Meet April! She is our newest addition to our IOP team! We are abundantly blessed to have her! She will also be helping with some of our groups and with our homeschool cohorts.

"Kids are capable of so much." That's the belief that guides April every day.

She is passionate about working with children from tough places and youth with big feelings, big behaviors, and behavioral health needs. She understands that behaviors are often a child's way of communicating unmet needs, overwhelming emotions, or difficult life experiences.

Rather than focusing on what's "wrong," she focuses on what's possible. She believes every child has strengths waiting to be discovered, skills waiting to be developed, and the capacity to grow when they're surrounded by patience, consistency, and supportive relationships.

Her goal is to help children feel safe, understood, and empowered while partnering with families through each step of the journey.

She believes that because kids are capable of so much. Sometimes they just need someone who believes in them until they begin believing in themselves.

🌱 Meet Eileen Henry!

Life doesn't always send a calendar invite before it changes everything. Sometimes it just shows up and expects you to figure it out. Thankfully, you don't have to do that alone.

Eileen works with teens and adults (ages 13+) who are navigating trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, self-harm, attachment challenges, career decisions, relationship concerns, and major life transitions. She also has a special interest in supporting foster families, older youth, and couples as they work toward healthier relationships and lasting healing.

With advanced training in EMDR, DBT, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), Eileen tailors therapy to each person's unique needs and goals.

She currently accepts MoHealthNet, Home State Health, Healthy Blue, Aetna, Meritain, Optum, UHC, UHC Community Plan, HealthLink, Medica, and Ambetter.

If you're looking for a therapist who will meet you with compassion, practical skills, and a steady presence, Eileen would be honored to walk alongside you.

https://stepbystepcounselingllc.com/about-the-office/our-clinicians/eileen-henry/