Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Casas Pineda.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Bright Seeds Counseling was born out of both professional training and a deeply personal calling. Throughout my work with children, families, and adults, I consistently saw how early experiences, unspoken emotions, and unmet needs shape us long before we have language for them. I also saw how powerful it can be when someone is given a safe, attuned space to be seen, heard, and nurtured, much like a seed given the right soil to grow.
My journey into counseling began with a desire to walk alongside people during vulnerable seasons, particularly individuals navigating transition, stress, or emotional wounds. As I trained in clinical mental health counseling and play-based approaches, it became clear to me that healing is not one-size-fits-all. Children communicate through play, adults often carry stories in their bodies and nervous systems, and families heal best when they are supported together.
Bright Seeds Counseling was created to reflect those values: developmentally sensitive, relationship-centered, and faith-rooted. I wanted to build a practice that honors each person’s story, integrates evidence-based care with compassion, and views growth as a process, not a quick fix. Today, Bright Seeds serves as a space where children, teens, adults, and families can slow down, tend to what’s been neglected, and grow with intention and hope.
What has guided me to where I am today is a belief that small, consistent care can lead to lasting transformation. Just like seeds, people flourish when they are given patience, safety, and the chance to grow at their own pace and it’s an honor to be part of that process.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all, it’s been a meaningful road, but not a smooth one. Building a counseling practice comes with both visible and invisible challenges. Early on, there were the practical hurdles: learning the business side of private practice, navigating systems, and building trust in a community while still growing professionally myself. As a founder, you wear many hats, and balancing clinical work with leadership and sustainability has been a continual learning process.
There were also deeper, more personal challenges. Sitting with others in their pain while holding space for your own life transitions requires intentional care and humility. I’ve had to learn how to set boundaries, ask for support, and trust the process especially in seasons where growth felt slow or uncertain.
Perhaps the greatest challenge has been resisting the pressure to rush. In a world that values quick outcomes, counseling work and especially work with children and families, requires patience. Progress is often quiet and nonlinear but those struggles have shaped Bright Seeds Counseling into what it is today: a practice rooted in steadiness, integrity, and compassion. Each challenge clarified my values and reinforced why this work matters because meaningful growth rarely happens without tending through difficulty.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Bright Seeds Counseling?
Bright Seeds Counseling is a faith-rooted, relationship-centered counseling practice that serves children, teens, adults, and families. At its core, the practice is built on the belief that healing and growth happen best when people feel safe, understood, and supported at their own developmental pace. We offer counseling for emotional regulation, anxiety, life transitions, family stress, and unresolved wounds, using approaches that are both evidence-based and deeply compassionate.
What we’re especially known for is our work with children and families through play-based and expressive therapies, while also providing thoughtful, integrative care for adults. Children are given space to communicate through play and creativity, adults are supported through talk therapy and skills-based approaches, and families are invited into the healing process when appropriate. This holistic lens allows us to treat not just symptoms, but the whole person within their relationships and environment.
What sets Bright Seeds Counseling apart is our intentional pace and values. We don’t rush healing, and we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all care. Our work is developmentally informed, culturally responsive, and grounded in faith for clients who desire that integration. We meet clients where they are and honor their story, strengths, and capacity for growth.
Brand-wise, I am most proud that Bright Seeds has become known as a warm, trustworthy space, one that feels approachable rather than clinical, and professional without being impersonal. Everything from our therapeutic approach to our messaging is designed to communicate safety, hope, and care. I want readers to know that Bright Seeds Counseling is not just a place for crisis support, but a place for prevention, growth, and deeper self-understanding. Whether someone is seeking support for their child, their family, or themselves, our goal is to help them plant and nurture the seeds that lead to lasting emotional health and resilience.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I believe luck has played a role, but not in isolation. I’ve experienced moments of good fortune, timing that opened doors, mentors who appeared when I needed guidance, and clients who trusted Bright Seeds Counseling early on and helped the practice grow. Those moments felt like grace, and I don’t take them lightly.
I’ve also experienced what might be considered “bad luck”: unexpected challenges, slower seasons, and circumstances outside of my control that required me to adapt quickly. At the time, those moments felt discouraging, but they ultimately strengthened my clarity, resilience, and reliance on support and faith.
If luck has played a role, it’s been as an invitation rather than a guarantee. What truly shaped my life and business has been how I responded, showing up consistently, staying aligned with my values, and continuing to do the work even when outcomes were uncertain. I’ve learned that preparation, persistence, and purpose often meet opportunity in quiet ways, and when they do, that’s when growth happens.
Pricing:
- Intake Session: $120
- Individual Session: $100
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brightseedscounseling.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightseedscounseling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579106460185
