About Us
Awake O' Sleeper, Rise up from the dead.
In 2001, a vision was given of a community hopeful for the future, set free of mental illness, and awake to the Truth that they are unique, here on purpose, and have a purpose. Together, with this shared vision, we will take Counseling Beyond the Couch and see the world changed for good,
one life at a time.
Close to Home
Our founder and director, Heather Freeman, was motivated to start this program after watching her own loved ones struggle.
Meet Heather's brother-in-law, Matt. In 2018 he left us in a car accident on his way to bring others into a recovery center, but his life was full. His smile and laugh contagious. Matt was larger than life. He never did anything halfway and never knew a stranger. Matt had a charisma that was unmatched, but he also struggled with addiction during periods of his life. Being 13 years younger, seeing him as a big brother, Heather saw the impact it had on his life and relationships. When she was a teenager, there were a lot of "what if" questions she asked herself as he struggled.
What if someone had been able to see his need for help before it escalated to addiction? What if he had found help sooner? What type of man could he have been without these struggles. These questions motivated her through her middle school, high school, and grad school career, leading her to seek out a position working with high-risk clients as a licensed professional counselor.
Matt found sobriety and was an avid fighter to help bring others to find the freedom he had found. Matt's story may have ignited the fire that would become Awaken360, but the countless stories of struggling and hurting people since then have stoked the flames that keep the team at Awaken going strong.
Meet the Team
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
Allow me to introduce you to the people who take Awaken's vision and see it become a reality. Each clinician and professional is specialized in various treatment paradigms and trauma-informed interventions.
Heather Freeman, mA., LPC, CCTP
Executive Director & Founder
Author of multiple publications, specialized in trauma informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, assessed safety of sex offenders in open populations, interventions rooted in trauma care for victims of sex crimes, coordinated with treatment teams in psychiatric settings for over a decade, worked with NCIS and the FBI on sex trafficking cases from the West coast.
Sara Iverson, LPC, LMHC, CCTP
Therapist, EAP Specialist, and Trainer
Sara comes with decades of experience supporting the mental health of those from many backgrounds. With training in EMDR and trauma focused interventions, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, specialized marriage intensives training, and a background working alongside law enforcement deescalating hostile and crisis situations, Sara has a unique touch with walking clients out of trauma responses. From coordinating with treatment teams to training new counselors, Sara’s breadth of experience and knowledge is a blessing to those around her.
Michaela DeGroat, LPC
Therapist & A360 WI Groups Liaison
Michaela has been working with clients from various professions and ministries specializing in trauma-informed interventions such as EMDR training, motivational interviewing, and person-centered. Michaela has worked with children and adults in various settings coordinating with teachers, school counselors, and families to see the best in her clients/students. Michaela believes the effective anchoring into Truth can set everyone free.
Katherine Kordes, PLPC
Therapist
Katherine is passionate about mental health advocacy and supporting clients who struggle with assertiveness. Katherine invites people from all walks of life to the therapeutic table encouraging them along the journey to discover the best version of themselves. She utilizes expressive-based therapies for ages 4+ working from CBT, motivational interviewing, family systems, and more.
Daniel Drinkall, PLPC
Therapist
Daniel is a professional counselor with extensive experience working with youth from abuse situations and backgrounds, as well as individuals out of corrections seeking rehabilitation. Daniel speaks a unique language developed during his military service, and history alongside law enforcement officers. Daniel advocated for vulnerable youth while riding with BACA, going to event venues with his family, and exploring the beauty of the 417 on motorcycle rides with is wife. He is passionate about seeing people set free from their past choices and traumas.
Clifton Littlepage, PLPC
Therapist
Clifton is an EMDR trained therapist with a history of working in in-patient psychiatric placements as well as in ministry. Clifton has specialized training and a unique perspective in working with couples to restore broken relationships. Clifton focuses in his work with men as they navigate struggles in life as fathers, husbands, and sons. We can be better fathers, husbands, and sons when we start with being better men. Clifton loves to enjoy life, laughing at a good joke, and seeing others discover the brighter side despite dark times.
Jessica Benjamin
Client Coordinator & Biller
Jessica is a certified biller coordinating with insurance companies utilizing the plan benefits for each client we serve. Jessica greets each client who calls or comes to our office with the same warm, kind, and welcoming spirit we have come to love and appreciate in working with her every day.
Awaken's Story
2001
At the climax of his battle with addiction, my brother-in-law and sister, along with their children, moved in with my parents and I. I witnessed the struggles of addiction and sobriety. Bouncing a basketball in my driveway I had a vision while praying and asking God "what if".
2007
I began pursuing Psychology education in an effort to learn how to prevent in others what I witnessed in the one's I loved.
2009
If I wanted to prevent the struggles I saw, naturally I would go where the struggles were the strongest felt; inpatient psychiatric settings. I began working with at-risk youth and families, as well as military personnel in local psychiatric residential treatment facilities.
2016
After witnessing many of the gaps in treatment, and struggles advocating for youth and families within a broken system, my husband asked me about that vision from my childhood I had told him about so long ago. I shared my vision with colleagues and members in the community I hoped would share my heart. We prayed for a meeting place and were offered one unexpectedly from a friend, sent out email and letter invitations, and met in November of 2016.
2013
After four years as a direct-care staff and trainer, I finished my masters degree in clinical psychology and began perfecting the art and science of Counseling, specializing with some of the most extreme cases of child abuse in the U.S., working with male and female adolescents from 3-21 years of age along with their families.
2017
2018
Added a partnership with City Reach Church/Freedom City Church and their women's Hope Homes facilitating groups teaching moms recently released from prison the elements of healthy relationships, parenting, and true discipline that builds relationships and empowers children.
2022
Opened a summer therapeutic academy for early childhood to prepare families and youth for kindergarten seeking to decrease the expulsion rates for early childhood behavior in public schools.
Continued offering outpatient counseling to the public working to decrease the barriers to mental health.
-January of 2017, Awaken360, Inc. was officially founded under a Board of Directors seeking 501c3 status.
-Partnered with the Springfield Dream Center to offer counseling to youth before Wednesday night neighborhood dinners, and in their after-school program.
2019
Originally slated to open a summer therapeutic academy to prepare youth for school, seeking to curb Greene Co. expulsion rates for Kindergarten until Covid happened.
We instead opened a counseling center on the third floor of the Springfield Dream Center offering access to professional counseling at little-to-no cost for families and youth (virtually and then in-person).
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2024
2026
Vision for '26
-Expand into additional high school/middle schools to reach more and more youth.
-Continue reaching a growing number in our outpatient counseling by opening an additional office space in Taney or Christian County.
-Launch our first mission trip for youth. A dual edged approach empowering youth to be the solution to a community in need, while working through a therapeutic program addressing their own mental health struggles tearing down mental barriers to healing.
-Begin fundraising initiatives to ensure as many of our services are available to as many as possible taking out the financial barriers.
Moved our practice to a leased space at 3259 E. Sunshine St. STE L Springfield, MO 65804 seeing a massive growth in our reach and impact.
Began the first steps to take Counseling Beyond the Couch tearing down barriers to mental health, counseling, and going where the need is; straight to our youth in local high schools.