About Annabelle

A therapist who understands what it means to not quite fit.

I'm Annabelle — a French American therapist, born in France, who came to the United States in my early twenties. I arrived navigating a new culture, a second language (well, third — Spanish came first), and the particular kind of displacement that comes with being between worlds. That experience of not quite belonging — of having a layered identity that doesn't map neatly onto anyone's expectations — is something I carry into my work every day.

I'm also neurodivergent myself: ADD and highly sensitive. I know what it's like to have a brain that works differently, to mask for years without realizing it, to burn out and not understand why, and to keep wondering why the "normal" strategies never quite seemed to stick. I'm a Gen Xer, agnostic, and I sit somewhere on the gender continuum — which is to say, I understand something about the experience of existing outside tidy categories.

None of that is window dressing. It's why I do this work — and why I believe so strongly that people deserve support that actually fits how their minds and bodies work, rather than the other way around.

I practice in Lakewood, Colorado and offer telehealth across Colorado and Louisiana. I work with adults 18+ and offer all of my services in both English and French. At home I share my space with two cats who have strong opinions about everything.

Annabelle Denmark, LPC

Photo coming soon

The octopus

Why an octopus?

The octopus isn't a random mascot. It's a deliberate choice — one that reflects something real about the kind of therapy I try to offer, and maybe something about the kind of person I am.

Octopuses are independent but not isolated — they choose connection on their own terms. They're relentlessly curious, remarkably adaptable, and when they lose something, they regrow it. They're also deeply weird in the best possible way: intelligent, complex, and unlike anything else in the ocean.

That felt right for a practice built around people who are also a little unlike anything else — and who are learning that their complexity is an asset, not a liability.

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Independence with chosen connection

Solitary by nature, yet capable of deep and deliberate connection when it matters. Healing doesn't require you to be social — just to choose what's right for you.

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Curiosity & exploration

Octopuses investigate everything. Therapy here is the same — we approach your inner world with genuine curiosity, not a predetermined map.

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Adaptability without losing yourself

They can change color and shape to navigate any environment — but they're always still an octopus. Adaptation doesn't have to mean erasure.

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Self-healing resilience

When an octopus loses a limb, it grows a new one. Regeneration — not just coping — is what we're working toward.

Outside the office

A few things about me.

I think it matters to know something real about the person you're considering trusting with your inner world. So here's a little of what makes me, me — outside of the credentials.

I'm drawn to well-written stories in almost any form — books, film, long-form journalism. A good sentence can feel like a small act of generosity.
I love the light at sunrise and sunset — that particular quality of soft, sideways illumination. Golden hour is not a cliché to me; it's genuinely restorative.
Paddling on lakes is one of the things that fills me back up. Something about being on the water — quiet, moving, present — does what an hour of scrolling never will.
Shopping malls are my personal nemesis. The combination of fluorescent lighting, crowds, and the faint smell of styrofoam is a sensory experience I could live without entirely.
I live with two cats who have deeply held opinions and are not shy about expressing them. I respect that in a creature.
I came to this country in my twenties without knowing exactly what I was building — just knowing I was building something. That uncertainty taught me more about resilience than most things I've read about it.

I bring all of this into the room — not just the degrees and the training, but the actual lived experience of navigating a complex life.

Training & credentials

Education and clinical background.

I bring specialized training in trauma, dissociation, neurodivergence, and somatic approaches — because complex problems need approaches built for them. My path to counseling wasn't a straight line: I hold degrees in Spanish, business management, and clinical mental health counseling, from three countries.

Education

M.A. in Counseling, Clinical Mental Health — CU Denver
B.A. in Spanish — University of North Texas
Master's in Business Management — MSG Lille, France

Licenses & Memberships

Licensed Professional Counselor, Colorado (LPC 0021783)
Registered Telehealth Provider, Louisiana (TEL1037)
NBCC Certified
EMDRIA Member

Specialized Training

Trauma Informed Stabilisation Treatment (TIST)
Internal Family Systems — IFS / Stepping Stones
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for Trauma
ADHD-CCSP Certification
EMDR — pursuing EMDRIA certification
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT)
LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Provider — Envision: You, Levels 1 & 2
Reiki Level II

What I believe

The values that guide my practice.

These aren't just things I say — they're the commitments that shape how every session is held.

You are not the problem.

Your responses — to trauma, to an overwhelming world, to a nervous system built for survival — make sense. Therapy here starts from understanding, not correction.

Pace matters as much as depth.

Going slow isn't a detour — it is the work. Healing that lasts requires a system that feels safe enough to change. I won't push faster than your window of tolerance allows.

Your whole identity belongs here.

Your neurodivergence, your cultural background, your gender, your body, your internal world — all of it is welcome. I offer affirming, culturally humble care.

Complexity is the starting point.

"Complicated" isn't a barrier here — it's the entry point. I work specifically with people whose experiences don't fit standard templates.