“I never thought it would happen to me. I always thought, ‘No way. Not him. Not me. Not us.’ I never wanted to call it what it was… Abuse.”
– Dr. Ramona
Dr. Ramona M. Probasco is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 25 years of clinical experience devoted to helping women heal from the devastating effects of coercive control, emotional abuse, domestic violence, and the trauma of high-conflict family court experiences. Throughout her career, she has specialized in helping women reclaim their voice, rebuild their confidence, establish healthy boundaries, and rediscover hope after relationships marked by manipulation, intimidation, betrayal, and fear.
Widely respected for her compassionate, trauma-informed approach, Dr. Ramona combines extensive clinical expertise with the unique perspective of someone who deeply understands the complex emotional, psychological, and relational impact of abuse. She is passionate about helping women move beyond merely surviving to experiencing genuine healing, freedom, and lasting transformation.
Dr. Ramona holds a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology and is the published author of Healing Well & Living Free from an Abusive Relationship: From Victim to Survivor to Overcomer. After enduring a painful and abusive 20-year marriage herself, she understands not only the clinical aspects of trauma recovery but also the fear, confusion, grief, and courage it takes to begin again. Her book shares the practical, faith-filled steps she took to heal well from the trauma of abuse, rediscover hope, and ultimately build a joyful and fulfilling life beyond abuse.
Throughout her career, Dr. Ramona has spoken at both national and international conferences and has been featured on podcasts, television, and radio programs, sharing her expertise on trauma recovery, emotional abuse, domestic violence, coercive control, and the journey from surviving to truly healing.
Dr. Ramona is also the President and Co-Founder of the Healing Well & Living Free Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering survivors of domestic violence and abuse through moments of hope and pathways of healing. The Foundation’s signature initiative, Make a Moment™, creates meaningful experiences that restore joy, dignity, hope, and connection for survivors and their children during seasons of rebuilding. The Foundation also created Advancing Justice in Family Law: Best Practices for Protecting Victims of Domestic Violence and Their Children, a groundbreaking initiative authored by Dr. Ramona with the collaboration of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Designed to help transform the way family courts, attorneys, judges, custody evaluators, and other professionals understand and respond to domestic violence, it offers trauma-informed best practices to better protect survivors and their children while advancing a more informed and just family court system.
Dr. Ramona’s counseling style is warm, compassionate, thoughtful, and practical. She believes healing occurs within the safety of authentic relationships and strives to create an environment where every client feels heard, respected, understood, and genuinely cared for. Her approach combines sound clinical principles with deep empathy, helping clients gain clarity, establish healthy boundaries, process unresolved pain, strengthen their sense of self, and move confidently toward emotional, relational, and spiritual wholeness.
For clients who desire it, Dr. Ramona thoughtfully integrates the Christian faith into the counseling process. For others, she provides clinically grounded care that honors each individual’s values, beliefs, and unique life experiences.
Outside of her professional work, Dr. Ramona considers her greatest blessings to be her family. She is happily remarried to a true gentleman who also happens to be her very best friend. Together they treasure time with their five wonderful adult children and delight in every opportunity to love on their precious grandchildren. Whether building makeshift blanket forts in the family room, searching the backyard for ladybugs and roly-polies, or simply cuddling together with a favorite book, those moments with her beloved grandkids are among her sweetest joys.
Above all, Dr. Ramona considers it one of life’s greatest privileges to walk alongside women on their journey toward healing. She is continually honored and deeply touched that her clients entrust her with their sacred stories and invite her into some of the most vulnerable seasons of their lives. Walking side by side as they discover healing, renewed hope, and freedom from the wounds of abuse is work she considers a profound calling. Her sincere desire is to help every woman discover that there truly is life after abuse—a beautiful, meaningful life—and that when we heal well, we can truly live free.
Dr. Ramona intentionally maintains a limited counseling practice to provide each client with exceptional individualized care. If you are interested in becoming a client, please contact the office to inquire about current availability.
NOTE: Dr. Ramona recognizes and fully acknowledge that abuse takes place in all sorts of relationships. Her heart breaks for all victims. However, because the majority of abusers are male and the majority of victims are female (of domestic violence victims, 85% are female and 15% are male [Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, Intimate Partner Violence]), she has utilized the pronouns “she” to represent the victim, and “he” to represent an abuser throughout the pages on this website. She may also, at times, utilize “their.” This is not meant to disregard the pain experienced in other contexts, it is merely a way to communicate with clarity. To learn more about the truth of domestic violence or explore resources, click here.