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Ashley M. Barrera, LMFT
Director of Clinical Services
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Pronouns She/Her

Ashley M. Barrera is a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist who has been in private practice in Anchorage, Alaska since 2011. As the Director of Clinical Services at Coastal Wellness and Counseling, LLC, Ashley provides mentorship and training to the clinical staff while also providing therapy to individuals, couples, and families.  

As a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist (LMFT), Ashley believes every person has the divine right to live a healthy and fulfilling life. Accessing and refining the tools necessary to do so and applying them to one’s life can be a challenging process. Ashley sees her role as guiding people through the journey of identifying and harnessing the power of their unique strengths so they may achieve satisfaction from life and relationships.

Ashley has a deep passion for working with families which grew out of my many years as an Infant and Toddler Montessori Teacher at Puffin Heights Montessori School. This experience inspired her to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Alaska Anchorage, followed by a Master of Science in Human Development and Family Studies where she specialized in Couple and Family Therapy at Iowa State University of Science and Technology.

Her work with families is heavily influenced by the pioneers of the field of Marriage and Family Therapy, and their theories which include; Virginia Satir and The MRI Group (Strategic Family Therapy), Salvador Minuchin (Structural Therapy), Murray Bowen (Bowenian Theory), Ivan Boszormenya-Nagy (Contextual Family Therapy), and Gregory Bateson (Family Systems Theory)She is equally passionate about working with couples, both those striving to strengthen their marriage as well as those who are separated and/or contemplating separation or divorce. Ashley has received extensive training as a couples therapist and primarily utilizes Terry Real’s Relational Life Therapy, though her work is also heavily influenced by the research and theories of Drs. John and Julie Gottman of The Gottman Institute.

Through these theoretical orientations, Ashley aims to strengthen relationships and create lasting change -even when working with couples and families who are experiencing life transitions brought on by divorce. Although her areas of specialization are primarily focused on couples and families, Ashley truly enjoys her work with individual clients. She appreciates the experience of empowering people to dig deep, evaluate their way of being in the world,  strengthening their sense of self, and live their truth. She is inspired by the works of, Virginia Satir, Richard Schwartz, Terry Real, Brene Brown,Ester Perel, and Cheryl Strayed and frequently incorporates their teachings into her work with individuals.

Ashley has trained with Terry Real and practices Relational Life Therapy as her primary approach when working with couples. She has completed Levels 1 – 3 of his therapist training program and sees the benefits of this work in her daily practice with couples. Often, couples on the brink of separation or divorce find their way back to one another in her office when they learn to harness the skills of relational living and as they begin to shift from years of criticism and contempt, to closeness and re-connection. She has also completed Levels  1 & 2  of the Gottman Method Coupes Therapy program and enjoys integrating these strategies and interventions into her clinical work.

Ashley welcomes the opportunity to work with you if you feel her therapeutic approaches may benefit you, your relationship, or your family.

Rates & Insurance 

Diagnostic Assessment (1st session) - 90-min  $375

60-minute session  $250/hr

Ashley can bill your insurance as an Out of Network Provider, which means that after your deductible is met, your insurance may cover a portion of services and you would be responsible for the remaining amount owed. Please check with your insurance company to find out what your Out-of-Network coverage offers. 

Please note that Tri-Care and Medicaid are not accepted at this time.  

GOOD FAITH ESTIMATE 

Beginning January 1, 2022, federal laws regulating client care have been updated to include the “No Surprises” Act. This Act requires health care practitioners to provide current and potential clients who are not using insurance a “Good Faith Estimate” (GFE) on the cost of treatment.

This new regulation is designed to provide transparency to patients regarding their expected medical expenses and to protect them from surprises when they receive their medical bills. It allows patients to understand how much their health care will cost before they receive services.

When you set up services with Coastal Wellness, you will be provided with a verbal Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and will be given a written estimate once services begin. If you are a a current client, you will be provided with a GFE as well. Please contact us at 907-917-0191 with any billing questions. 

In addition, the Good Faith Estimate offers specific protections:

  • You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate even if you get superbills, since we are not in-network with insurance.

  • You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare service or items.

  • You have the right to receive your Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your scheduled healthcare service or item. If a service is scheduled at least 10 business days in advance, the Good Faith Estimate must be provided within 3 business days (of the scheduling, not of the appointment itself). If a service is scheduled at least 3 business days in advance, the Good Faith Estimate must be provided within 1 business day of scheduling.

  • You have the right to request a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a healthcare service or item. For services scheduled less than 3 business days in advance, please note that a Good Faith Estimate is not required by federal law, and will not be provided for you in written form except by request.

  • You have the right to receive a requested Good Faith Estimate within 3 business days.

  • You have the right to dispute a bill that exceeds your Good Faith Estimate. The federal government offers a dispute resolution process for this purpose.

Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

For questions about the dispute process or for more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, please visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

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