Today we’d like to introduce you to Aryana Abbas.
Hi Aryana, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Born in a suburb of Chicago, IL; moved to KS the summer I turned 9. Raised by a single mom in a home with maternal grandparents. 1 bachelors, 2 masters. Married with a 2yr old daughter. Loves drinking iced lattes, my quiet time with my Bible, laughing, hosting at my house, and great food.
My story really isn’t anything too crazy nor special. I knew from a young age (read 8) that I wanted to help people because I always saw my mom, grandma, and grandpa helping others around them. From dentist to surgeon, to chiropractor, to attorney, to therapist – the journey to this season of my life has been a whirlwind.
In college, I started majoring in Biology, because being a doctor was the best way I thought I could help people. Then biochem happened and I quickly realized maybe I didn’t need to suffer biochem and could still be helpful. I transferred schools and fell in love with studying criminal justice and criminology. So naturally, I figured being an attorney would be how I could save the world. In 2018, I sat through the LSAT and wanted to get a higher score so I decided to take the test again. I remember being in the parking lot, just feeling unsettled and praying that whatever God needed to show me, He would make it clear. 30 minutes later, I was having a panic attack and walked out of the LSAT knowing a career in law wasn’t going to be it for me. I decided, instead, to continue my education by pursuing my Masters in Criminal Justice and Criminology after receiving my Bachelors in the same, to buy myself sometime to sort out what I wanted to do. Then in July (2019) around a year later, I randomly Googled “helping professions” and out popped Marriage and Family therapy. I immediately reserved my seat for an informational meeting and was hooked. I applied, went through the interview process, and the following January was accepted into the program – beginning August 2020. The season of time that I was in the Masters program was genuinely transformational: COVID rocked the world, I was 25 and learning who I was for the first time, I met the love of my life, and I started to finally learn why people do what they do. The answer? People do what they do because no one knows what they’re doing. We are all just trying to figure life out one day at a time, the best way we know how. And the best way to not feel so messed up while that’s happening is by doing it with someone else – being in connection, rather than being alone. Everyone needs someone to do and share life with: a friend, a parent, a spouse, etc. After years of being a clinician, my suspicions in grad school were confirmed. People need people. So many of us out there so desperately need someone to listen and feel heard and seen and valued. I do my best to show up for my family, for my faith, for my friends, for my coworkers, and for my clients in the best way I can to listen to them, hear them, see them, and ensure they know they’re valued in my life.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life certainly has made its mark on my story. I didn’t have a clear road or an easy one. I didn’t start to seek out who I was until I was 25, and getting a marriage annulled in the middle of my graduate program in MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY. I had to learn boundaries and healthy relationships. I had to work through daddy issues and abandonment issues. I had to seek grounded and authentic identity that was rooted in truth and not what society expected of me. It has not been a straight path, and I can say that I am a very different person than I was 5 years ago. I’ve grown and scraped and clawed my way out of doubt and lies and deceit and a counterfeit way of life. Now, I seek curiosity and learning. I want to grow and be molded into someone greater everyday.
Through it all, I’ve been anchored by my faith. Every milestone has been attributed to God’s grace and provision in my life.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Missouri. Honestly, what I love most about my work is getting to sit with people right in the middle of their stories, the real, messy, beautiful parts of being human. Most of the people who find me are tired of holding everything together. They’re anxious, burnt out, disconnected, or just plain stuck. My job is to help them slow down, breathe, and remember who they are beneath all the noise. I tell clients all the time, “You deserve to live a life that actually feels good – not just surviving but thriving” And I mean that.
Some days I’m sitting with a woman who’s spent years putting everyone else first, helping her find her own voice again. Other days I’m with a couple who’ve lost their rhythm, trying to rebuild connection and trust piece by piece. I use tools like Internal Family Systems, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and emotional awareness — but honestly, what matters most is the space itself. No judgment, no pressure. Just a place where people can be fully seen, heard, valued and start to heal.
It’s hard work, and it’s such sacred work. Watching someone begin to soften toward themselves, to laugh again, to finally feel at home in their own skin — that never gets old. I don’t promise perfection, but I do promise partnership. We do the work together, and over time, people start to realize they don’t have to just survive anymore. They can actually live.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Bible
Rebecca
Boundaries
The 4 Agreements
No Bad Parts
Untamed
Pricing:
- $160 for 50 minute session
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.AryanaAbbas.com
