Widening Circles, PC

25/07/2025

🌿✨ Celebrating our very first Heartwood cohort! ✨🌿

Twelve weeks of courage, creativity, and community have taken root—and yesterday we marked the journey’s close by building living terrariums. Each tiny ecosystem now carries the spirit of our time together and reminds us that growth continues long after the glass lid is placed.

To every participant: thank you for trusting us with your stories, for showing up with open hearts, and for weaving rings of Heartwood that will support future cohorts.

17/07/2025

We have two slots left for this new training that happens two weeks from tomorrow! NBCC CEs offered.

23/06/2025

Our Heartwood Integrative Mental Health IOP is in it's 8th week!

We are now enrolling for our second cohort that begins on Monday, August 4. Each cohort lasts for 10 weeks and is made of up no more than 12 clients.

Heartwood is an integrative mental health IOP blending psychiatry, individual and group therapy, neurofeedback, somatic skills, expressive arts, ecotherapy and nature connection, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (as clinically indicated), all within a trauma-informed, holistic care model. While we are a mental health IOP, we are open to clients struggling with co-occurring SUD, as many of us are dual-licensed. Therapeutic ketamine treatment is not a requirement to be a part of the IOP.

We have programming Monday-Friday from 9am - noon at this time. If demand increases, we plan to offer an afternoon cohort as well.

We’re committed to making innovative, integrative mental health care accessible to more individuals in our community. If you or someone you know may benefit from comprehensive, insurance-based mental health IOP support, we'd love to connect.

We are in-network with BCBS, United/Optum, Aetna, VACCN, and have applied for others like Cigna/Evernorth and Medicare.

Feel free to reach out directly or visit our website at www.wideningcirclesnc.com for more details! We are located at 25 Orange Street.

Combining traditional therapeutic practices with integrative and innovative modalities, creating a supportive environment for sustainable healing.

22/05/2025

Again, week 3 of our Heartwood IOP. Today was our first IM KAP integration group. It’s been a three year process to get to this place and it’s happening. We can create and embody paradigm change.

19/05/2025

This week begins Week 3 of our Heartwood Integrative Mental Health IOP. This is the first cohort where we are able to accept insurance!

The lesson for today’s Heartwood group is Strength in Vulnerability and Authenticity. We read this lovely book, Hope for the Flowers, and talked about everything from meaning making to late stage capitalism to death anxiety.

Hope for the Flowers is an allegorical novel by Trina Paulus. Originally published in 1972, the story is described as “partly about life, partly about revolution, and lots about hope,” and is intended for adults and “other caterpillars who can read.” The narrative follows two caterpillars, Yellow and Stripe, on their journey of self-discovery as they climb a caterpillar pillar in search of meaning, only to realize that true transformation lies in an unexpected path.

31/01/2025

Widening Circles
Asheville, NC

When we look at our world right now, many of us are feeling lots of emotions including disheartened, rageful, petrified, encouraged, and energized. Counselors are frontline workers to this revolution, both as activists for change and supporters of clients.

Widening Circles is committed to offering services to our community through integrity, compassion, empowerment, collaboration, sustainability, and inclusivity. We denounce the blatant targeting of minoritized communities by the current White House administration.

Professionals at Widening Circles are committed to offering gender affirming care to the gender expansive community. We passionately believe that gender affirming care is ethical and saves the lives of our gender expansive siblings.

We put confidence in our clients who are experts in their own lives and will support gender expansive clients in their individual gender journey. We denounce the gate keeping system that is prevalent in gender affirming care and trust our clients to know what is authentic for them.

We pledge to support our gender expansive clients, siblings, fellow counselors, and community members.

13/01/2025

We are so excited that one of our providers, Angela Brooks-Livingston, LCMHCS, LCAS, CCS, is offering this timely continuing education series. If all sessions are attended, you can earn 30 CEs through NBCC. All sessions are in person at Widening Circles at 25 Orange Street.

From Angela:

“Hey y'all!

I'm excited to announce a new training I've created: Move Beyond Affirming to Competence: Working With Gender Expansive Clients.

This is a 30 hour CE institute that participants will go through as a cohort. The purpose and intention of this training is to encourage self-reflection when working with gender expansive clients. It is designed as a cohort on purpose in order to encourage self-reflection in a safe space, as well as having accountability conversations. I am passionate about cultural humility as a continual process that has no end.

You will not receive a certificate of completion for this training nor is Evolving Fire Counseling, PLLC or Widening Circles, PC endorsing any participant who completes the 30 hour trainings as competent in working with gender expansive clients. You will receive a CE certificate for completed hours after each session you attend. Additionally, participants who complete the training will have the option of attending follow-up monthly group supervision.

Please reach out with any questions!”

02/10/2024

We are beyond grateful to report that we are safe! Communication is still inconsistent however and many of our providers are still without power, etc

Our hearts are heavy with grief for the massive loss experienced in our communities. We will continue to update our page as we move forward. Please stay safe and take care of each other! ❤️

30/09/2024

***important update***

Due to Hurricane Helene and the devastation in our community, Widening Circles will be closed at least for this week and until further notice while we continue to assess damages and ensure the safety of our providers and patients. Communication is extremely limited at this time as many of us are without power. Please take good care of yourselves and each other!!

19/09/2024

Over the last few months, Widening Circles has been working with Murphy of to help us clarify not only our programs and services, but also our mission, vision, and values. As we further develop our integrative mental health intensive outpatient program model and work towards taking most major insurances, we’re grateful for her support and guidance. Yesterday’s photoshoot with at 25 Orange Street is a step towards rolling out a new website over the next few months. Stay tuned!

30/08/2024

Colleagues: Come hear Caroline Lewis, MD, and Kim Skelton, LCMHCS, LCAS present at the monthly Asheville Area Counseling Professionals Association (AACPA) meeting today from 12-1pm at Lenoir Rhyne!

Presentation Title: “Ketamine and the Future of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy”

Presentation Details: This presentation offers a brief introduction to ketamine and the future of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. It surveys the history of therapeutic ketamine; compares and contrasts the underlying philosophical paradigms embedded in psychedelic medicine and conventional treatment approaches; and reviews current research utilizing ketamine for a myriad of treatment-refractory mental health and substance use disorder conditions. Participants receive an overview of fundamental clinical skills, competencies, and special ethical considerations in psychedelic medicine. At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will possess a basic understanding of this innovative model of treatment.

1 free NBCC-approved CE will be provided for live attendees, sponsored by Lenoir Rhyne. No pre-registration is necessary!

18/07/2024

Widening Circles has exciting things happening!

1. We are proud to announce that we have earned a 3-year CARF International accreditation!

With this, we are able to accept United/Optum for Heartwood, our integrative mental health intensive outpatient program (IOP). We expect to be approved to accept other insurances for our IOP within the next 3-6 months.

Our Heartwood mental health IOP includes psychiatry, functional medicine with baseline labs focused on mental health, neurofeedback, group KAP and integration, WRAP, and individual and group therapy.

2. We are expanding our established KAP program to include a new offering: Spravato— Widening Circles style!

As you may know, Spravato is the only formulation of ketamine that is FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression. As a result, it is covered by most major insurance carriers! At present, we are able to accept United/Optum, Aetna, and VA Community Care Network for Spravato.

Per Spravato protocol, a 2-hour monitoring period is required post-administration. At Widening Circles, we transform this time into a golden opportunity for healing. Rather than mere observation, we are proud to offer structured group therapy during these psycholytic hours, ensuring each moment is leveraged for profound, sustained benefits.

If you or someone you know is struggling with treatment-resistant depression, may benefit from ketamine treatment delivered in a group model, and needs to use their insurance to access this treatment, please have them have them call our office at 828-772-1803 or email us at office@wideningcirclesnc.com.

In addition to Spravato, we continue to provide IM (intramuscular) therapeutic ketamine, available in both group and individual sessions. To make our services more accessible, we now offer CareCredit for those who need flexible payment options.

We are passionate about providing empowering, innovative, and integrative mental health care. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or for further clarification.

Kind regards,
Widening Circles Leadership Team