Get to Know Keysha Alston, LPCC-S (She|Her)

Student Initiatives Coordinator| Clinical Counselor

Keysha Alston, she/her, is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Supervisor (LPCC-S) located at UC CAPS Calhoun. She is the Coordinator of Student Initiatives. She is a liaison to Veteran Program and Services (VPS) and Center for Student Involvement. She graduated from the University of West Florida with a master’s in psychology focused in counseling and is licensed to practice in Ohio and Kentucky. 

Keysha’s therapeutic approach is general and broad, based on the client’s needs, but she is informed by Existential and Gestalt theories and has strong interests working with students who are working through self-harm, depression, relationship concerns (including friendships!), trauma, exploring identity, and using metaphor/expressive arts to dig deeper into thoughts/feelings. She hopes to support clients by making space for them to explore how their intersectional identities have informed who they are today, to identify possible generational trauma/harm, to name how larger systems have caused harm, and to assist clients in accessing their power to make change for themselves. She actively brings awareness to the positions she holds and how this could impact the therapeutic relationship and the work. Keysha views herself as a witness first and then co-captain in a client’s journey toward understanding self and their connection with others. 

Keysha is a SoulCollage® Facilitator and a Certified Sex Therapy Informed Professional (CSTIP). 

When not at work, Keysha is out birding, engaged in her SoulCollage® practice, and being present with her young kiddo, often playing Mario Kart. Music is important to her, and her favorite bands are Sigur Ros and Ani DiFranco.

Something I like about myself: My sense of humor, my taste in music, and leaning into humility. 

Coping skills I recommend to clients that I actually use myself: Making sleep a priority and holding myself accountable to sleep. When I don’t get good sleep, my mood shifts! I also take time to put my phone down and connect with my surroundings, whether that is with people or nature. And I often recommend folx consider saying “no” to things that no longer serve them, something I learned myself. 

Instagram accounts I follow for my mental health: @morganharpernichols, @minaa_b, @dr.han.ren , @theempoweredtherpist, @michellcclark, @millennial.therapist, @_lisaolivera, @ijeomaoluo, @dr.marielbuque