Elizabeth Davis, LCSW
I founded Thrive Wellness in 2019 in Norwood, Colorado, after a long career across mental health and social work. These days I’m based in Durango, offering in-person Sunday sessions from April through November, and online in the winters.
My therapy is skills-based and experiential—I don’t just teach DBT, I live it. Like the time I was in Argentina trying to light a gas stove, completely oblivious to the smell of gas until neighbors knocked on my door, worried I was about to blow up the building. That’s distress tolerance in action. I use IFS to observe the parts of myself that get activated in those moments, and I bring that same real-life, human perspective into my clinical work.
I’ve lived and worked in some intense environments—from serving as the school counselor on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, to crisis work in the ER, detox units, and jail. I know how to work with people experiencing real crises, and my clients often tell me that my combination of human honesty, humor, and grounded skill makes therapy approachable, relatable, and effective.
I recently completed a 9-day silent mindfulness meditation retreat with some of the leading figures—so to speak—in the field of psychology and depth work. The experience deepened my ability to bring presence, clarity, and compassion into the therapy room, and continues to inform how I practice EMDR, DBT, and IFS. I also dance tango—an embodied, somatic practice that keeps me grounded in community and connection.
I don’t see myself as just a traveler passing through places; I integrate into communities. That same philosophy shapes my work: therapy that is approachable, accessible, grounded in evidence-based practices, but always taught through a real, human lens. I accept most major insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare, because therapy should be affordable and available to all.
A Little About Me
I understand how important it is to find the right fit in a therapist, so here’s a bit about me. I grew up in New Jersey and pursued my education at Penn State and New York University. After a transformative trip to Yosemite National Park, I moved west and began working in the National Parks until 2010.
I was a school counselor on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and became deeply involved in many aspects of school life, such as coaching track, serving as class sponsor, PTA president, and leading various clubs. It was a special time in my professional and personal life. During this period, I traveled to India as part of a Rotary Club professional exchange program, discovered ultrarunning, biked down the coast of Baja, and began learning Spanish as I traveled through Central and South America.
After moving to Colorado in 2010, I fell in love with the mountains and settled in Norwood to work as an integrated behavioral health provider in the clinic. For the next 10 years, I lived in both Durango and Norwood, gaining invaluable experience working in outpatient therapy and on the crisis team. After 15 years in various therapeutic roles, I started Thrive in 2019.
Like many, the pandemic brought significant changes to my life, leading me to discover new parts of myself. I have returned to learning Spanish and found healing in an unexpected place—en el bailar de Tango (in the dance of Tango). I resonate strongly with parts work, as trauma is often stored in our nervous systems at a non-verbal level. As an athlete, I have always pushed my body, but as Gabor Maté discusses, we can be skilled at enduring while neglecting to attune to our bodies and emotions. This is why I have found so much healing in Tango. You can learn more about this journey on my blog!
I heard a quote on a podcast about community that resonated with me, especially in contrast with the idea of "finding the right fit in a therapist":
“Are we listening deeply enough to be changed by what we hear? We are not fixed in our own traits. You don't unify by trying to get people to be all the same; you unify by complexifying the individual. I have multiple identities within me, some of which are paradoxically opposed and some have not been sorted out. You have multiple identities within you, and we can allow ourselves to connect across some of those paradoxes.”
My Story
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Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
123-456-7890