Meet Your Therapist

Aaron Welch, Counselor & Founder, Forge & Path Counseling

I’ve always been drawn to people’s stories, probably because mine hasn’t always been easy to make sense of.

I know what it’s like to live with the tension between what’s visible and what’s vulnerable.

I didn’t set out to become a therapist. I just knew something had to change…and in that moment, God got my attention, and began reshaping my heart from the inside out.

Over time, walking with others on that same path became one of the clearest parts of my own story.

In addition to my years as a counselor, I have over two decades of serving in pastoral ministry. That ongoing work has shaped me in how I walk with people through times of deep grief, wrestling with questions of faith, and the everyday struggles of life. It’s given me a way of listening with honesty, compassion, and respect for the sacred weight of people’s stories. Alongside this, my experiences teaching at the college level and coaching athletes have sharpened my ability to guide, challenge, and encourage growth in men and young adults. My faith is strong and naturally informs my perspective, but I work with people from all backgrounds, always with the same commitment to presence, care, and genuine respect. My clinical training builds on this foundation, giving me the tools to help clients not only find insight, but also experience lasting change.

My Approach

Therapy shouldn’t feel like checking boxes or nodding politely for 50 minutes. I offer something different:

A space that’s honest, grounded, and deeply respectful of your story.

A place where your pain is taken seriously, but your strength is too.

Where we work with what’s real, not just what’s expected.

I bring a mix of clarity and compassion, with just enough humor to break the tension when it needs breaking. Clients often tell me they feel deeply cared for, but also gently challenged in ways they didn’t expect. I don’t offer quick fixes or polished platitudes. I’ll give you practical tools when you need them, but I’ll also invite you to face the deeper work, the kind of stuff that doesn’t go away just because we avoid it.

Along the way, I draw from a blend of approaches to support the work. These include:

Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT): to make sense of emotional patterns and unmet needs.
Psychodynamic insight: to explore the deeper roots of your story.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) tools: when something practical is needed.

At the core, I work from a foundation of honesty, warmth, and deep respect for your pace.

Sometimes that work includes facing the harder questions; about meaning, identity, purpose, and what it looks like to live with intention. Healing isn’t just about relief. It’s about forging a life…and a legacy that matters.

My years in both counseling and pastoral ministry have taught me that real healing often means walking through grief, doubt, and the deeper questions of life with honesty, courage, and faith.

Sometimes healing feels like walking into fire. You feel the fear… and you walk in anyway. That’s what courage does.

Not all therapists walk on two legs…

This is Ludo. He was trained as a service dog, but his path took a turn when his person moved on. That’s when our stories met. These days, he’s part of the team, and honestly, he just knows when something’s weighing on you, often before you do. Ludo knows when someone needs quiet. Or presence. Or just a little bit of kindness… even if it’s furry. Therapy doesn’t always look like a couch and a clipboard. Sometimes it looks like a dog who understands.

Credentials

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) – Florida
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) – Ohio
Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC)

Over 25 years of experience in counseling, pastoral care, and story-focused mentoring

Specialties include:
• Men’s issues and identity development
• Unresolved emotional pain
• Performance-driven anxiety and pressure
• Wrestling with faith and spiritual disillusionment
• Story-centered from a trauma-informed lens
• Life direction, legacy, and leadership

A Few Personal Notes

I’m a husband (shout-out to my wife, Michelle) and a dad…roles that have stretched and blessed me more than anything else in life. And these days, I’m learning how to be a grandpa, too (with joy, humility, and a little bit of trial and error).

I drink my coffee strong, root faithfully for the Cincinnati Reds, and find peace walking wooded trails with Ludo.

Grace changed my life, not with a pat on the back, but by breaking me open, remaking me, and walking with me the whole way.

That same grace now shapes how I sit with others…with presence, compassion, and a deep belief that healing is possible.

A Final Word

I won’t pretend to have all the answers.
But I’ll walk with you toward what matters.
This is your story.
And the best chapters are still ahead.