Compassionate Counseling St. Louis Welcomes April Welch, MSSW, LCSW

We are thrilled share with you today that St. Louis therapist April Welch, MSSW, LCSW has joined Compassionate Counseling St. Louis!

April Welch, MSSW, LCSW

April is a fully licensed therapist specializing in working with kids and teens experiencing anxiety, depression, and school challenges.

April brings tons of experience working with kids, teens, and in the St. Louis school system to Compassionate Counseling St. Louis. She sees clients in-person at our St. Louis based office as well as virtually throughout the state of Missouri.

Today we want to share more with you about April, why she became a St. Louis therapist, her approach, and how you can work with her.

Why did you decide to become a social worker?

I have always been very attuned to the feelings of others and wanted to be a helper.

What's your favorite part about counseling?

When clients find their inner strength and feel empowered to use it.

How would you describe your specialty?

I love working with kids and teens to overcome obstacles in their daily life.

I use an eclectic mix of therapeutic techniques to empower clients to thrive at school or home and with friends and family.

What does a first session with you look like?

The first session is very important for creating an environment where the child or teen feels welcome, safe, and comfortable.

This is an opportunity to create expectations--particularly what they can expect from me including limits to confidentiality and informed consent.

The first session allows time for assessment and discovering what the child or teen would like to accomplish or learn from therapy. I also like to provide them with the opportunity to ask any questions about the therapeutic process or about me as a therapist.

What do you feel is the most important part of therapy?

The relationship between therapist and client.

What clients do you love to work with?

I feel especially passionate about potential clients who are eager to gain new skills or motivated to find support. Additionally, I also enjoy working with clients who are deemed by others as difficult or challenging.

How do you see anxiety and anxiety-driven anger overlap?

The feeling of anxiety can lead to a variety of externalizing behaviors including an anger or "fight" response.

Anger management becomes a concern when a dysregulated child or teen does not have the skills to effectively manage their feelings of anger which, again, may be caused by underlying anxiety.

Conduct issues often stem from unresolved anger and the lack of skills to safely or appropriately express that anger. Depending on the person, each of these may occur independently of one another or a person experiencing anxiety may also display anger and conduct concerns.

What is your experience with providing trauma therapy?

While earning my MSSW degree, I also earned a Trauma Treatment graduate certificate where I specifically focused on the treatment of trauma in children and adolescents. To earn this graduate certificate, I completed specific course work focused on trauma treatment and was required to complete my practicum in a setting where at least sixty percent of clients had a trauma history. Since earning my degree, I have continued to pursue professional development opportunities focused on trauma and trauma treatment.

I am very comfortable assessing for underlying trauma and traumatic grief.

Want to know a fun fact about April?

Her favorite color is purple!

Want to work with April?

April Welch, MSSW, LCSW

If you are seeing your child struggle and want to give them support and the tools to learn how to manage the big feelings coming up, Compassionate Counseling St. Louis is here to help.

Right now April has immediate after-school availability!

Schedule your free 15-minute consultation call to learn more about the support available.

Curious to learn more about parent coaching and child and teen therapy for anxiety and anxiety-driven anger? Reach out to us at hello@compassionatecounselingstl.com. As child anxiety experts, we love working with kids, teens, college students and parents to help manage their anxiety, stress, and anger. Compassionate Counseling St. Louis is located in Clayton, MO and works with families by offering both in-person counseling and online therapy throughout St. Louis, Creve Couer, Ballwin, Town and Country, Brentwood, and Ladue. We also provide online therapy Missouri -wide to teens and college students. You can set up your free consult, on our consultation page.