Welcome!
Meet Casandra
Hi, I'm Casandra Townsel, LCSW, founder of Blossoming Hope Counseling and Consulting.
With over 25 years of experience in mental health, I help individuals, couples, and families navigate trauma, anxiety, relationship challenges, and life transitions.
My approach is rooted in psychodynamic psychotherapy and trauma-informed care, integrating EMDR, Brainspotting, IFS, and TF-CBT. I believe understanding how our past experiences shape our present lives creates opportunities for meaningful change and healing.
I’m especially passionate about supporting BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and historically marginalized communities, creating a space where your identity, experiences, and story are valued.
Healing isn't about becoming someone new. Sometimes, it's about reconnecting with yourself and discovering what you need to move forward.
If you're feeling stuck, emotionally exhausted, or disconnected from yourself and others, you don't have to face these challenges alone. I'm here to help you reclaim your peace and rewrite your story.
Our Services
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU
Sometimes, the ways we've learned to cope, protect ourselves, or navigate relationships no longer serve us. You may find yourself repeating familiar patterns, carrying the weight of past experiences, or feeling overwhelmed by emotions you don't fully understand.
At Blossoming Hope, we help you make sense of those experiences and explore how they influence your life today. Whether you're navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, or relationship challenges, our approach is personalized, culturally responsive, and grounded in evidence-based care.
Therapy isn't about fixing who you are. It's about understanding yourself more deeply, challenging what no longer serves you, and creating space for healing, growth, and meaningful change.
Therapy Intensives
Break through barriers in an accelerated timeframe.
Experience significant progress in deep-seated trauma, anxiety, and other challenges through focused, immersive sessions of 3-6 hours or across multiple days, tailored to your unique needs.
Intensive therapy is ideal for those who feel traditional weekly therapy hasn't provided the breakthroughs they seek.
Clinical Supervision
Preparing for LCSW licensure?
Develop essential clinical skills, navigate ethical challenges, and prepare for licensure in Illinois or North Dakota with supervision grounded in 25+ years of experience in a supportive, growth-oriented environment.
Rooted & Rising
Just starting your therapist career and feeling uncertain?
Rooted & Rising offers emerging professionals a 12-week guided experience with practical tools, supervision hours, and supportive community to bridge classroom theory and real-world practice.
Speaking Engagements
Engaging talks on mental health for your group or organization.
Our presentations cover specific topics like trauma recovery, teen safety, human trafficking awareness, gaming impacts on youth, and building workplace resilience. We deliver practical tools and clear insights your audience can use right away.
Therapy Services
Navigate life's challenges with personalized support.
Our culturally-sensitive approach helps clients heal from trauma, anxiety, and relationship difficulties in a safe, affirming space where authentic connections can flourish.
Learn More:
Individual Therapy
Transformative Retreats
Step away from daily stress to heal and discover yourself.
Our retreats blend therapeutic workshops, experiential activities, and holistic practices in nurturing environments designed for profound personal renewal.
Pop-Up Workshops
Monthly conversations on vital mental health topics in an accessible setting.
From men's mental health to managing anxiety, these interactive gatherings create welcoming spaces to connect, learn, and grow together.
Our Reviews
What clients and colleagues are saying
THERAPY IS A COMMITMENT
When you make the commitment to therapy services, you agree to show up and work in session and out. Part of the helping process is to challenge the mindset and shift perspectives. This is when change and growth happens.
Your journey into and through therapy brings empowerment, peace, self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-love.
Therapy is also a financial investment into how you want to show up for yourself and those that matter the most to you. Give yourself permission to acknowledge your worth and start your growth process.
INSURANCE OPTIONS
Blossoming Hope is an "in-network" provider with several PPO plans only. If you are planning on using health benefits, it is important you verify your mental health benefits with your carrier, so you can understand your coverage prior to your appointment. Be sure to check with your insurance as some carriers require pre-certification before the first appointment, or they will not cover the cost of services.
We are in-network with most major insurance providers including:
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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
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Optum / United Healthcare / United Behavioral Health
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Cigna
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Aetna
We also accept mental health vouchers from the Loveland Foundation and Mental Health Liberation.
There are time when insurance representatives misquote benefits. If your insurance does not pay for services, you are responsible for the full contracted rate. You are responsible for the payment of services, not your insurance company.
If your insurance is OON, get in touch today and find out how I can accommodate your situation.
CO-PAYS MUST BE SUBMITTED AT TIME OF SERVICE.