My name is Ashley Hudson and I am teen and young adult therapist in Orange County, California.  I work with teens and young adults who have never dated before, learning how to date, and are struggling with anxiety on how to start dating. Below I will help you define what dating means to you, the roadblock and scariness of starting to date, where to start if you have never dated before, and strategies to use.

If you’ve ever caught yourself longing for the one that got away, you might feel equal parts embarrassed and confused. I invite you to lean into reflection and curiosity to gain clarity about how to proceed.

There's this idea floating around on the internet that we have to be 'fully healed' and 'self-heal' before we dare to enter any type of relationship. Yes, it's a good idea to practice self-awareness and not carelessly project our pain onto new partners. But also, we are social creatures and we heal in and through relationships. So how do we know when we're ready enough to go back out there after a breakup or after trauma?