Deja Alexander

I am a licensed clinical psychologist at Ashe Counseling & Coaching. I earned my doctoral and master's degrees in Clinical Psychology from Adler University, Chicago, in 2023. Prior to that, I completed my bachelor's degree at Oberlin College & Conservatory, where I double-majored in Psychology and Theatre with a minor in Africana Studies.

Throughout my clinical training and service, I have worked with individuals across the lifespan in diverse settings, including primary care, day and residential schools, and university counseling centers. As a Chicago native and Jones College Prep graduate, I am deeply honored to serve the very community where my passion for psychology first began in my AP Psychology class.

Primarily, I practice from a Client-Centered approach while also using aspects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and trauma-informed interventions. Furthermore, I am a culturally informed clinician who aims to foster reflection on cultural and social dynamics that impact the therapy relationship and your life journey. These orientations and approaches create a non-judgmental, unconditionally positive, safe, and validating space. In addition, this space promotes acceptance, openness to experience, and willingness to explore changes in cognitive, behavioral, and relational patterns. My clinical training and experiences thus far have led me to conceptualize healing as promoting authenticity, openness, and flexibility. The main tools I use in sessions are exploration and analysis to understand your authentic experiences while working to increase acceptance and space for these experiences as you navigate the world. However, practicing continued mindfulness of social contexts, historical contexts, and social constructs is essential. This mindfulness practice aims to foster physical and psychological safety while you take risks to show up as your authentic self. My therapeutic approach intentionally includes all identities and life experiences that many clients have appreciated and noted to create a sense of safety, calmness, and understanding.

My professional interests include multicultural concerns, university students, mood disorders including depression and anxiety, family of origin analysis, identity exploration, boundary setting, and interpersonal relationships.

Outside the office, I enjoy traveling, trying new restaurants, engaging in community service with my sorority sisters, hosting gatherings, listening to audiobooks, and watching 90 Day Fiance!