I am a 65 year old male who was struggling with some extreme life situations. While I was in marriage counseling, the counselor pointed out that over the past few sessions I had exhibited some signs that made her think that I would benefit from seeing a therapist who specialized in trauma counseling and family counseling. Someone who had a successful experience with Alev Ates-Barlas recommended to me that I attempt to see her.

At this time in my life I was in mental, emotional ,spiritual and physical disarray and felt my life was spinning out of control. I was at a loss of what to do and did not understand at all how I had gotten into the situations I was in. As I look back now I was desperate to change my life, my attitudes and myself and had no idea how. My time with Alev was life changing and by the time our sessions were over I felt a sense of peace, love and acceptance of others and a self- love that I had never experienced before.

My growth has continued after our sessions ended and the symptoms of past trauma have greatly subsided and mostly disappeared. I have a new understanding of myself and those around me and a much clearer understanding of my past and how it shaped my views of others and the world. In the present I continue to learn from those sessions with Alev and will be forever grateful for her and her skills and insights.

My peace, joy, happiness and love continue to grow and I believe that this would not have happened if I wasn’t so blessed to discover Alev. Her compassion, knowledge and love were so obvious. I was thrilled to go to sessions with her and thrilled when I no longer needed to go.  I would greatly encourage anyone who feels they need individual, couple or family counseling to take advantage of the services that Alev provides. I am so grateful and thankful for this wonderful, skilled, compassionate person. Thank you, Alev.

Alev is a wonderful therapist. I did not know exactly what to expect, but sessions with Alev are always enlightening, productive, and helpful. My wife and I are in a very different – and much better – place than we were before we started seeing Alev. I especially appreciate Alev’s remarkable ability to draw on insights from research in a variety of fields linked to psychiatry, make them relatable to nonexperts, and use them to help illuminate what’s going on in my life in a new light.

I feel very fortunate to have found Alev at a time of real need for a professional who could grasp the serious issues and traumatic experiences I was going through. As someone who had never received therapy before, I had some fears about what that experience might be like. Those fears were alleviated after my very first session with her. Her deep understanding of trauma, her cultural competence, and her multifaced approaches for treatment left me feeling understood, respected, but also challenged to face questions I could not previously face alone. She has helped me work through issues of self worth, relationships, loss, and grief. Alev’s calming presence and deep experience has helped me identify the sources of my traumas and grow as a stronger, more sure individual. My continued personal development would not have been possible without her.

I have been going to Ms. Alev Ates-Barlas for almost a year now, and the experience has been transformative. Her experience, her insight, and her dedication generate a specific kind of guidance, supportive, yet challenging, which has helped me build the strength to work through any issue on my own. I think she is an incredibly skilled therapist, and I have learned so much about myself and the world throughout the course of our interaction.

Alev is a mental health miracle worker. I have never worked with someone who can connect with people so quickly, understand complex emotional damage, and provide concrete tools and support for personal growth. Her wisdom, compassion, professionalism, and kindness has made my life immeasurably better, not to mention saved my marriage. I recommend her to anyone I know who wants to improve their lives through the therapeutic process.

At the beginning of my senior year in college, I was going through a very challenging time and decided to seek out services in the Ithaca area. After getting into contact with Alev, we began weekly sessions quickly thereafter. I’ve worked with other therapists before, but I can confidently say that my experience with Alev was the most positive and life changing. Our weekly sessions became a safe space for me during a time in my life when I was feeling very negative, anxious, and uncertain. Alev helped me to address and work through many things that I was scared and unsure how to face. She was always very open with me and gave me her honest feedback, while also reassuring me to work through things at my own pace. After several months I started to see a huge change in myself and my mental health. Being able to truly enjoy the rest of my college experience was one of the best feelings and I owe that to Alev and the work that we did together. Alev is a professional, compassionate, and genuinely caring person that I would absolutely recommend.

I feel so fortunate to be working with Alev. Her insight and compassion are reassuring, and I appreciate her thorough understanding of trauma theory and treatment. She often has a new tool or technique to teach me, and I leave my appointments feeling empowered. Facing my trauma history can feel daunting, but I trust that Alev is going to meet me where I am, and help me find my way.

Alev has helped me more fully understand the cycle that my eating disorder thrives in, and now that I understand the cycle, I have finally been more successful in my recovery than ever before. As a person with PTSD, I am all too familiar with panic and fear. Alev’s space is warm and comforting. I have always felt safe with Alev, even after processing trauma. When I look back at the different therapists I’ve seen, I appreciate that Alev has been the most trauma-focused and recovery-focused. We don’t just sit around and talk – we come together to do the work it takes to reach full and lasting recovery in all areas of wellness. I will always remember and be grateful for my experience in therapy with Alev.

I am so grateful for my time with Alev. She is extremely knowledgeable, professional and passionate about her work. During my time in therapy, she provided incredible insight and life skills that I continue to use every day. I truly have a greater understanding of and appreciation for my mind, my stress level and my health. My experience with her was inspiring and life changing.

Whenever I am asked to recommend a therapist in the Auburn/Ithaca area I suggest Ms. Ates-Barlas because she is a good and thoughtful therapist who approaches problems in ways that guide families toward solutions that enhance the quality of their living. She has what I value in a therapist: kindness, patience and integrity along with the kind of sensitivity that enables her to gain awareness and help with the “pain behind the pain”. If someone in my own family was seeking therapy, I would recommend Ms. Ates-Barlas without hesitation.

As a colleague, I have witnessed first hand her passion and commitment for systemic therapy. She has compassion for her clients which pushes her to continue to learn the best techniques to facilitate their healing.Your Content Goes Here

Alev is an incredibly talented therapist who I met in graduate school, worked with in my clinical placement site and then worked with at my first position in my therapeutic journey. Gentle, creative, brilliant and kind, Alev is someone who I seek to share a co-therapy position with whenever possible because I know I will always learn something new when I work with her. I can honestly say I seek her out when I need to make referrals repeatedly because I know my clients will be in exceptional hands. She is an ethical, insightful, responsible clinician who I trust will do a masterful job with the people I send her way. It has always been a pleasure working with Alev.

I can only find positive things to say about Alev Ates-Barlas. She is a genuinely caring person who truly wants the very best for her clients. She has incredible insight and helps you get to the core of your issues. We first met with Alev because my 13-year-old son was experiencing severe anxiety. He has improved immensely over a short period of time, thanks to Alev’s nurturing approach. She has helped my son transform into a confident young man who now uses that anxiety, which used to paralyze him, as motivation to move forward and conquer his fears. Alev challenged me to find my inner strengths instead of focusing on what I perceived as my weaknesses. My life has turned toward a more positive direction since I began working with her. My goals are now becoming realities. My experience with Alev has evolved from individual therapy, to couples therapy, to family therapy. As a result, my marriage is stronger, and our entire family has benefited from Alev’s knowledge and guidance.

She means a lot to my family. She has helped us see through the other side of very difficult times. Each of us have grown in our own ways with her encouragement when we were at out lowest. She will always be a special person for us.Your Content Goes Here

My experience with counseling has been positive. When I entered counseling I found that I had many traits that I brought with me from earlier experiences in my life. These issues prevented me from connecting with my children or anyone for that fact. I entered into therapy because I have always struggled with relationships, and have had employment difficulties. I felt my issues were lifelong afflictions that I would have to always struggle with. I have found Alev to be very talented in showing me a perspective that I have not had before. I struggle with knowing what I feel, and how to express what I am thinking / feeling which has led to anger, and explosions that were out of line with the situation. Through therapy with Alev I experienced validation that I have not experienced in my life. Things that I was afraid to say were simply processed/ validated, and not judged. I have found Alev is able to articulate the emotions/thoughts I am having. It is the first time that I feel that somebody actually understands me. It is my opinion that Alev is a highly skilled therapist that puts great effort into what she does. I have gone to therapy before, so I have some point of reference. I feel that Alev has given me insights into myself that would have taken years to figure out on my own, if I was able to. I feel that she has been like a tour guide showing me how to connect with myself, and others.Your Content Goes Here

I would highly recommend Alev to anyone who takes his/her healing and personal growth seriously. She continues to inspire me to delve deeply within, exploring and freeing parts of myself that have long been in hiding because of trauma. Her keen insight and ability to view how each part of the whole is interconnected has helped my perspective in some difficult situations. Her office has a relaxed and welcoming ambience where I know I have a safe space to share what is on my heart and mind. I leave sessions with Alev feeling supported, encouraged, valued, eager to do whatever work I feel is needed for continued healing and personal growth and inspired to be the very best person I can be.

I have been going to Alev for a year and a half now and she is great! I started to see her because my husband was deployed overseas and I hit my breaking point. Also a few years back I lost my brother. Well what I am trying to say is if you lost someone or if you are an army wife, I would say she is the person to go see for help. She is great!

Working with Alev has been transformative. Her way of thinking is like no one I have worked with before. She thinks of things in a way that adds instant insight to any issue/event. Working with someone who challenges me has made it possible to progress significantly in just a short amount of time. I truly value all that we have accomplished.