Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Long-Stokes.
Hi Anna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always been drawn to two things: people and the deeper, energetic layers of their stories. I chose social work and counseling as my professional path, and for years I quietly cultivated the intuitive and energetic side of myself as a personal practice. Eventually, those two worlds stopped feeling separate.
I merged them into a holistic counseling practice focused on supporting people through major life transitions and grief. Along the way, I began attracting clients who identify as empaths or intuitives—people who often feel unsure about naming their sensitivity to energy because they worry it will be misunderstood.
My work now sits at the intersection of mental health and energetic awareness. Clients appreciate having a space where both aspects are understood and respected, and where their experiences don’t place them in a “crazy” category but in a human one.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The journey has been anything but smooth. Like many entrepreneurs, I’ve wrestled with self‑doubt, questions about my professional identity, and the temptation to mold myself into roles that didn’t truly fit.
In the mental health field, there’s a subtle expectation that therapists should present as perfectly composed and endlessly stable. But in truth, the clinicians who do the deepest work are often those who have walked through their own difficult seasons. My struggles have shaped my perspective and ultimately strengthened my ability to support clients with authenticity and compassion.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Collecting Hope Counseling?
Collecting Hope is a counseling and healing practice dedicated to supporting individuals navigating grief, loss, and major life transitions. The practice was built for people who find themselves in seasons where traditional coping tools no longer feel adequate and where deeper emotional, somatic, and energetic support is needed.
I’m Anna Long‑Stokes, LCSW and Certified Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist. My clinical work focuses on experiences that disrupt identity and meaning—bereavement, divorce, relational rupture, and life transitions that fundamentally shift how a person understands themselves.
In addition to my clinical background, I bring decades of contemplative, intuitive, and energy‑based training. Many clients describe these approaches as essential during periods of profound change, especially when their grief shows up in the body or in subtle energetic patterns that talk therapy alone doesn’t fully address.
Collecting Hope is intentionally structured to honor both modalities. Clients can choose traditional psychotherapy or a separate, clearly defined energy‑based session. This clarity allows people to engage in the type of support that feels most aligned, while maintaining ethical boundaries and transparency.
What sets the practice apart is the integration of intuition and energetic awareness into a grounded, clinically informed framework. Many therapists sense these layers but hesitate to name them; I’ve built a practice where they are acknowledged openly and responsibly. Clients often report breakthroughs in areas where they previously felt stuck, unable to articulate what needed to shift.
Brand‑wise, I’m most proud of creating a space where grief is not rushed, where sensitivity is not pathologized, and where people can explore healing in a way that honors both their emotional and energetic experience.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Like best about Portland: There are still unique pockets that feel homey and kind. Summers are soooo epic and an outdoor adventure is never far.
Like least: The traffic. When did traffic get so bad?!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.collectinghope.org/
