Meet Ashley
Hi, I’m Ashley Neild, MS, LPC, LBS, ACS
Owner & Therapist at Brighter Days Counseling
I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor in New Jersey and Pennsylvania with more than 16 years of experience working with children, teens, college students, young adults, and families.
I created Brighter Days Counseling to offer something I believe matters deeply in therapy: a place where people can feel understood without feeling like they need to be fixed.
My work is relational, neurodiversity affirming, attachment focused, and trauma informed. Whether I'm working with a child struggling with big emotions, a teen who is shutting down or overwhelmed, a college student trying to navigate independence and relationships, or a family feeling stuck in painful patterns, I want to understand what's underneath the struggle, not just make the symptoms go away.
Why I Became a Therapist
I know what it's like to be a kid with big feelings and not know what to do with them.
My parents divorced when I was young, and I remember feeling overwhelmed by emotions I didn't always have the words for. Those experiences stayed with me and eventually became part of why I wanted to become the kind of therapist I could have used growing up: someone who makes room for the feelings that are hard, complicated, messy, or difficult to explain.
More than 16 years into this work, that still matters to me.
I've learned that people don't outgrow the need to feel understood. It may look different at 7, 16, or 21, but having a relationship where you can safely understand yourself, make sense of what you're feeling, and discover that you don't have to hide parts of yourself can be incredibly powerful.
That's the kind of space I want Brighter Days to be.
What Therapy With Me Is Like
You won't find a one-size-fits-all approach here.
Some clients need to talk. Some need to play, move, create, or experience something rather than explain it. Some need help slowing down enough to notice what's happening inside. Others need a space where they don't have to perform, mask, take care of everyone else, or come up with the "right" answer.
I pay attention to what's happening underneath the words: patterns, relationships, nervous-system responses, emotions, protective strategies, and the experiences that have shaped how you see yourself and other people.
My job isn't to decide who you should become. It's to help you better understand who you already are, what you need, and what may be getting in the way.
The way we get there will look different for every person.
What Guides My Work
CONNECTION MATTERS
We are wired for relationship. Feeling safe, seen, and understood creates the foundation for meaningful change.
BEHAVIOR MAKES SENSE
Instead of asking only how to stop a behavior or symptom, I'm interested in understanding why it's there and what it may be communicating or protecting.
RELATIONSHIPS MATTER
Our experiences with other people shape how we understand ourselves and the world around us. Relationships can also become powerful places for healing.
ALL FEELINGS ARE WELCOME
There are no "bad" emotions. Even uncomfortable feelings have something to tell us when we approach them with curiosity instead of judgment.
DIFFERENT ISN'T WRONG
Neurodivergence isn't something to fix. Therapy should support people in understanding and advocating for themselves, not teach them to hide who they are.
THERAPY SHOULD FIT THE PERSON
Children may communicate through play. Teens may need space before they're ready to trust. Young adults may need to untangle who they are from who they've been expected to be. The approach should adapt to the person, not the other way around.
Education & Specialized Training
Education
M.S., Counseling & Clinical Health Psychology
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
B.A., Psychological & Social Sciences
The Pennsylvania State University
Post-Master's Certificate, Play & Family Therapy
Post-Master's Certificate, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Licensure & Credentials
Licensed Professional Counselor
New Jersey & Pennsylvania
Licensed Behavior Specialist
Pennsylvania
Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS)
Certified Foundational Theraplay® Practitioner
Advanced Training
Theraplay® Level Two
Group Theraplay®
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), Level One
AutPlay Therapy
Seeds of Learning Executive Functioning
More Than 16 Years of Experience
My career has given me the opportunity to work with children, adolescents, young adults, and families across private practice, homes, schools, and community-based settings.
Earlier in my career, I worked extensively with children and adolescents with complex behavioral, emotional, developmental, and family needs. That experience taught me to look beyond what I see in the therapy room and understand how someone functions within their relationships, family, school, and larger environment.
I've also collaborated extensively with schools and other professionals, including teachers, school psychologists, speech and occupational therapists, psychiatrists, and other treatment providers. I understand how exhausting it can be when mental health, neurodivergence, family needs, and educational systems overlap.
My work has continued to evolve over the years, but one thing hasn't changed: I'm interested in understanding the whole person, not reducing someone to a diagnosis, behavior, or set of symptoms.
Outside the Therapy Room
When I'm not working, I'm usually spending time with my family, digging around in my garden, finding another local coffee shop to try, or convincing myself that I definitely need one more therapy toy or game.
I'm especially passionate about creating a garden that supports Monarch butterflies and other pollinators, and I'm involved in special education advocacy in my community.
I'm also a parent, which has given me an entirely different perspective on what it's like to love a child deeply while navigating schools, systems, expectations, and all the uncertainty that comes with raising another human.
And yes, I really do believe play is serious work.