Nancy Wright

Hi Folx! 

I’m Nancy (she/her) a Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor at The Oak Center. In 2025, I completed my internship here, and I am thrilled to be back on this team practicing Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). 

After witnessing the enormous impact DBT skills had on people I love - changing the trajectory of their lives -  I could not help but want to shout these skills from the rooftops! In my 40s, I returned to school and became a DBT therapist. Today I am living the dream by helping individuals and groups learn how to apply these skills, step-by-step, empowering them to create meaningful change and build lives filled with more joy, purpose, and fulfillment. 

DBT is a huge commitment for the client and the therapist. My goal is to walk the journey beside you, developing trust, fostering authenticity, and supporting you through healing and transformation, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. 

Although I am a Columbia native, I went west for college and then spent 20 years in Arizona. My kids and I moved here in 2020 to deepen our family roots and community connections. Prior to becoming a therapist, I spent more than 20 years as an award-winning women’s sexual health educator. Helping people understand and become comfortable with their sexuality and gender continues to be a priority for me. I also care deeply about suicide prevention and helping others come out of that darkness. 

My bachelor’s degree is from Grand Canyon University in Behavioral Health: Family Dynamics, followed by a Masters of Education in Counseling from Stephens College.

Beyond my work at TOC, I am deeply involved in advocacy and volunteerism. I volunteer with The Center Project, mid-Missouri’s LGBTQIA+ community center. I have also worked with The Trevor Project, a crisis intervention and suicide prevention service for LGBTQIA+ youth, and have been involved with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Finally, I have a large, diverse family that includes a fantastic partner, a hodgepodge of children, two dogs, two rats, and a cat. For fun, I enjoy traveling, swimming, doing artsy projects, and spending time with my people. 

In my experience, life is short and sometimes very hard. In the meantime, I want to help you create a Life Worth Living.