Stephanie M. Ess

Hello! I’m Stephanie Ess, founder of Alchemy Psychological Services. I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and offer individual, family, and couples therapy. I am also a Minnesota Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor. My professional education was at St. Mary's University of Minnesota where I earned my Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy. Additionally, I obtained a certificate in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health from the University of Minnesota and am now pursuing a PhD in Developmental Psychology. Outside of private practice, I’ve been an instructor at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development in their Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Certificate Program. How I Work I am most interested in meeting you where you are and understanding how your personal, family, work, and community relationships intersect to shape who you are today. We are relational beings and as such, our relationships are vital to our wellbeing. Just as important, however, is the relationship we have with ourselves. In our work together we will travel the path of discovering your inherent worth and value that most often is clouded by experiences of depression, anxiety, illness, relational stress, and substance abuse. What Sets Me Apart As a Therapist? I am a firm believer that a diagnosis is not who you are, nor does it define your lived experience. As a therapist, I am entrusted with the privilege of bearing witness to your life. I honor this trust by understanding that you are your own unique individual, and the path that brings you to therapy and that guides you following therapy is similarly unique and valuable. Together we will create a space in which you can feel safe, curious, seen, heard, and valued as a vehicle for discovering your authentic self. Professional background: EDUCATION PhD, Developmental Psychology – Walden University (In progress) Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Certificate – University of Minnesota Marriage and Family Therapy Post-Graduate Certificate – St. Mary’s University of Minnesota MA, Counseling Psychology – St. Mary’s University of Minnesota BS, Psychology – University of Mary TRAININGS The Effect of Trauma on the Next Generation – Dr. Rachel Yehuda The Body Keeps the Score: Trauma and Healing – Bessel van der Kolk, MD Mindsight in Childhood & Adolescence: Strategies to Help Kids Thrive – Daniel Siegel, MD Attachment Training/Strange Situation – Alan Sroufe, PhD and Elizabeth Carlson, PhD Circle of Security Parent Trainer DC 0-5 (Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood) An Adlerian Model of Supervision, using Family Constellations and Early Recollections – Marina Bluvshtein, PhD PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe University of Minnesota St. David’s Center for Child & Family Development