A New Story Counseling: Rewrite Your Narrative Without Judgment or Shame

Brook Zalis started A New Story Counseling in 2022 with a simple goal: to create the kind of therapy practice she would want to walk into herself.

After experiencing the transformative power of therapy firsthand, Brooke knew she wanted to create a space where people could show up exactly as they are—without judgment, pressure, or the need to have it all figured out. She envisioned a practice that combined evidence-based therapy with genuine human connection, helping individuals and couples navigate life’s challenges, heal old wounds, and create meaningful change.

Since then, Brooke has had the honor of walking alongside clients in Colorado, Florida, and beyond as they navigate life’s challenges, deepen their relationships, and write new chapters in their stories.

At its core, A New Story Counseling exists to help people better understand themselves, heal the parts of themselves that may be keeping them stuck, and create lives and relationships that feel more authentic, connected, and meaningful.

I believe that when we do our own inner work, it creates a ripple effect. The way we relate to ourselves impacts the way we show up in our relationships, our families, our communities, and the world around us. While therapy often begins because someone is struggling with anxiety, relationship challenges, trauma, or a major life transition, I hope that it becomes an opportunity for deeper self-discovery and growth.

Ultimately, my mission is to help people feel more connected—to themselves, to others, and to the life they want to create—so they can live in greater alignment with their values and become the fullest expression of who they are.

A New Story Counseling’s philosophy of care is rooted in the belief that everyone deserves a safe space to be fully seen, heard, and understood without judgment. We believe that when we share the deepest parts of ourselves—the parts we often keep hidden—and they are met with compassion, acceptance, and understanding, real change can begin.

While we bring clinical expertise, we believe that you are the expert on your own life. Therapy is a collaborative process, and our role is to walk alongside you through life’s challenges, sit with you in moments of pain, celebrate your wins, and help you uncover the patterns, beliefs, and experiences that may be keeping you stuck. Our goal is to provide you with the tools and insight needed to navigate life’s challenges and become a more regulated, confident, and authentic version of yourself.

Our approach integrates evidence-based modalities such as EMDR, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and attachment-focused work. However, more than any particular technique, we believe that meaningful and lasting change comes from developing greater self-awareness, cultivating a healthier relationship with yourself, and living in alignment with your values.

One area of specialization at A New Story Counseling is EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Many clients come to therapy with insight into why they think, feel, or behave the way they do. Traditional talk therapy can be incredibly helpful for building awareness, but sometimes clients find themselves understanding the problem without feeling like it has truly changed. That’s often where EMDR can be especially powerful.

EMDR helps clients process traumatic experiences, difficult life events, and deeply ingrained beliefs about themselves in a way that feels less overwhelming than simply talking through them. Through this process, clients can begin to make new connections, access parts of their experience that may have been outside of conscious awareness, and develop healthier, more adaptive beliefs about themselves and their past. Many clients describe feeling lighter, more at peace, and less emotionally activated by experiences that once felt overwhelming.

Another specialty we offer is sex therapy, which is a topic that is often overlooked, stigmatized, or difficult to talk about—even within the therapy world. This is something I became passionate about after encountering therapists in my own personal therapy journey who seemed uncomfortable discussing sex or approached it from a place of judgment or shame.

At A New Story Counseling, we strive to create a space where conversations about sex, intimacy, and sexuality can happen openly and without shame. Whether someone is working through sexual trauma, navigating differences in desire, addressing sexual dysfunction, exploring pleasure, or simply wanting a healthier relationship with their sexuality, our goal is to provide a space rooted in acceptance, compassion, curiosity, and evidence-based care.

I believe that sex is a normal and important part of the human experience, and clients deserve a therapist who can talk about it comfortably, openly, and without judgment.

Starting therapy can feel intimidating. Many people worry they’ll be judged, won’t know what to say, or will walk into a cold, clinical environment. My approach is the opposite. I never want clients to feel like they’re sitting across from an expert analyzing them from a clipboard.

I aim to bring my human into the therapy room. While I bring training, experience, and evidence-based approaches, I also bring authenticity, warmth, and genuine curiosity. My goal is to create a space where clients feel comfortable being themselves, talking about the hard things, and knowing they don’t have to go through it alone. I want clients to feel like they’re sitting with someone who gets it—someone who will challenge them when needed, support them through difficult seasons, and celebrate their growth along the way.

Every day can feel like an adventure. We never know what new stories will be brought up or what clients will need support with, and that is the beauty of therapy.

The one thing I want every client to know is that you don’t have to have it all figured out to start therapy—or to be worthy of support.

I understand that beginning therapy can feel vulnerable, and my goal is to create a space where you can show up exactly as you are—without judgment, pressure, or the need to present yourself in any certain way. You are not a problem to be fixed but a person to be understood.

Therapy is a collaborative process, and I see you as the expert on your own life. My role is to walk alongside you as you make sense of what you’re carrying, explore the patterns that may be keeping you stuck, and help you move toward a life that feels more aligned with who you are and what matters to you.

At its core, this is a space for honesty, connection, and growth—and you don’t have to go through it alone.

One of the most rewarding parts of this work is witnessing a client’s transformation. There is something incredible about watching someone come into therapy feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or weighed down by life’s challenges, and then seeing them begin to heal, grow, and step into a more authentic version of themselves.

Over time, you can feel their energy shift. They become lighter, more confident, more connected, and more aligned with who they truly are. Watching someone overcome obstacles they once thought would always define them and begin living with greater freedom, purpose, and self-trust is what makes this work so meaningful to me.

Authentic, compassionate, transformative

Trust is built over time through consistency, safety, and genuine connection. I aim to create a space where clients feel comfortable showing up exactly as they are, without fear of judgment or feeling like they need to perform or have everything figured out. Starting therapy can feel vulnerable, and my goal is to make it feel as human, collaborative, and approachable as possible.

I bring my authentic self into the therapy room while maintaining clear professional boundaries. I want clients to feel like they are sitting with a real person—someone who is warm, genuine, and present with them in the process. I also believe that appropriate self-disclosure, when it has therapeutic intent, can be a powerful part of therapy. At the right moments, it can help normalize a client’s experience and remind them that they are speaking with someone who is also human and has navigated their own challenges and growth.

Trust is also built through consistency and presence. By showing up with empathy, curiosity, and compassion, clients learn that they can bring forward even the parts of themselves they may have never shared before and still be met with understanding rather than judgment. Over time, that sense of safety allows for deeper exploration, vulnerability, and meaningful change.

At its core, I strive to show up with empathy, curiosity, and presence so clients feel seen, heard, and understood. When that happens, therapy becomes a space where people can truly explore themselves, heal, and create lasting change.

Yes, I had a period of life in which I experienced crippling anxiety, including panic attacks, body image struggles, feeling lost and stuck, depression, and a loss of direction and purpose. While I do believe all of these experiences were part of my journey, I also believe that sometimes we have to know pain to experience real joy. Sometimes we have to get so far from ourselves that we wake up and do the hard work of finding ourselves again. We have to take off the mask to uncover who we really are and remember who we were before the world told us who to be.

And while that process can be liberating, it doesn’t mean it isn’t incredibly challenging. There are highs and lows and everything in between. It can feel disorienting at times—like you’re rebuilding yourself from the inside out. The outcome is worth it, but as the cliché saying goes, it’s the journey, not the destination. And the work can be hard.

So I know what it’s like. And I strive to meet my clients in that place—with patience, compassion, empathy, and understanding. I believe there are moments in therapy where what someone needs most is not to be rushed out of the difficulty, but to have someone sit with them in it. To get in the mud with them.

So I put on my boots, get in the mud, and stay present with my clients. And even when it’s hard to see in the moment, I hold onto the belief that there is a forest ahead with things in bloom.

I previously traveled around the country facilitating workshops called BodyImage3D, which focused on promoting a healthy relationship with mind, body, and spirit among college women. These were typically three-hour interactive workshops that often felt like large group counseling sessions, where participants were invited to explore body image, self-worth, and identity in a supportive and reflective space.

What stood out most to me during these experiences was witnessing how powerful it can be when people are given a space to be honest about their struggles and realize they are not alone. There was something incredibly meaningful about watching shifts happen in real time—when self-judgment softened, connection formed, and new perspectives emerged.

These experiences had a profound impact on me personally and professionally. They were a major part of what led me to pursue becoming a therapist. I realized how deeply I valued sitting with people in their vulnerability, helping them make sense of their experiences, and supporting meaningful change through connection and insight. In many ways, those workshops were the beginning of my path into this work.

I spent half a year in India. During that time, I ended up having what one could call a “spiritual awakening” (or possibly quarter-life crisis… that terminology is up to the interpreter 😉)

During that time, I asked all of the big life questions—“Why am I here?” “Who am I?” “What am I here to do?” I spent time in solitude in a silent retreat in North India and heard the call to get into service work. I wasn’t quite sure what that looked like yet, but after being in a third-world country for an extended time, I felt a duty to get into the helping field. I wanted to do something that I felt was meaningful.

I moved back to the East Coast (of the US), and after much meditation, volunteering, and taking a job that was not aligned with my values, I decided to leap back to school to become a therapist. At the same time, I had sought out my own therapy and experienced firsthand the healing power of the therapeutic process. I know what it’s like to go through seasons of hardship, to feel lost, to engage in unhelpful behaviors, and to believe the lies we tell ourselves that keep us stuck and disconnected from who we truly are. My own therapy, travels, self-development work, and the right relationships were transformative.

To share the deepest parts of ourselves – the parts we often carry shame around—with another person and have them met with compassion, acceptance, and nonjudgment can be life-changing. It certainly was for me.

Ultimately, it was a combination of my travels, life experiences, desire to help others, and my own experience in therapy that led me to become a therapist. Through each of those experiences, I developed a deep desire to be of service and support others on their own journey of growth and healing.

What continues to motivate me today is getting a front-row seat to people’s growth. There is something incredibly meaningful about watching someone reconnect with themselves, move through a challenge they once thought would always hold them back, and become more confident, authentic, and aligned with who they truly are.

I am a member of AASECT (American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists) and the American Counseling Association (ACA).