Substance Use Therapists in 98177

Are you feeling not right in your body or as if you don’t belong to the gender you were assigned at birth? Are you afraid to come out to someone you love? Did your partner or spouse tell you he/she/they are transgender and you are left with confusion and fear? Are you a parent of a child who came out to you and identifies as LBGTQIA and you don’t know how to process your feelings or take a deeper look within? Do you use substances and feel stigmatized by being called an “addict” with no hope for support? Do you use substances and are not ready to stop, but want someone to talk to that will accept you where you are at?

Do you feel like you are in a power struggle with yourself? Lets team up and bring some balance to your life by processing and working thought current and past stressors and life events. We can collaborate on building your self esteem and develop a clear identity by utilizing creativity, abstract thinking, somatic practices, mindfulness, and cognitive processing. Imagine a future where you can heal from the impact of trauma, build communication skills to enhance your interpersonal relationships, and improve your overall satisfaction with life. We can work together to address the deep rooted patterns keeping you stuck.

I offer therapy for people looking to heal past trauma, explore their identity, create stability in their relationships, and live into their fullest expression. When people think of "healing", they often think of a serious, rigorous, and painful process. But healing can also look learning how to accessing more pleasure, play, joy, and connection in life! In addition to a clinical approach, I also integrate levity, humor, and curiosity into the therapeutic process.

My name is Paolo and I'm a licensed clinical psychologist providing therapy to adults, kids (10+), adolescents, groups, and families in the state of Washington. I offer a therapeutic setting that prioritizes privacy, convenience, and flexibility. From the start of therapy, we will take a collaborative approach meant to fit your specific needs. We'll create a space that welcomes and validates your full experience, along with simultaneously respecting your autonomy and boundaries. In addition to supporting your struggles, I offer just as much space to help you uncover and develop your strengths.

Over the years I have had the privilege to help individuals and families dealing with a range of problems, including trauma, grief and loss, addiction, mood disorders, anxiety, self-esteem and identity issues, and relationship difficulties, to name I few. I also provide psychological assessments for children and adolescents. I particularly specialize in assessing for Autism, learning and intellectual disabilities, and general diagnostic clarification.

Talk therapy is great, but what many of the people I work with have missed in past therapy experiences is how to implement what they have learned about themselves into their real life. Self-regulation is key and after establishing a solid foundation using skills training for increasing distress tolerance and emotion regulation, I work with people to get at the root of the problems they are experiencing by using EMDR therapy and other interventions that address the core stuff, which is often the stuff that has kept us stuck in patterns that hurt. From there, we can work on improving your relationships and personal development.

I enjoy helping couples, families and individuals in working on relationship issues and concerns in a wide variety of areas these may be facing or dealing with. Some of the issues I can help with include depression, anxiety, health and medical problems, grief, loss, transitions, adjustment, self-esteem, troubled/at-risk youth or children, marriage and couple relationship issues, step-families, relationship concerns, sexual issues, teen concerns, child development, sibling and extended family concerns, and more. I work with clients on their issues and help them attain their goals. I focus on strengths, successes, emotions, thoughts and feelings in helping them.

I am passionate about what I do. Helping people take control of their lives, especially their emotions, is what I do best. I like to help people learn to be “un-upset about upsetting things!” I work best with problems of anxiety, depression, relationship issues but I'm also quite experience and capable of helping clients reduce stress both personal and work related, and have significant experience helping client with PTSD.

My training is in systems therapy, which examines the many facets of our lives interact. In therapy, we often look at how surrounding relationships and past experiences effect our current beliefs and values. If emotions and mood are difficult to manage, or there is difficulty adjusting to developmental and life stage changes, I offer support and tools to work through this. These challenges often arise for young adults, new mothers, managing intimate relationships and employment transitions. Too often, grief and loss bring up painful struggles for individuals and families. Therapy can be helpful in these most challenging times.

Please email to join the waitlist. Life can be meaningful even when painful events happen. I believe the path out of suffering is when we pass through our struggles, instead of running away from them. I am honored to be your secure emotional support through your personal and relational struggles. I hold a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy and work with a broad spectrum of challenges including depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance addiction. I help my clients improve their self-esteem, process grief, and heal from painful events. My clients often find strength, relief, acceptance, and growth from working with me.

I believe that the world is a beautifully complex, and yet sometimes concerning place. Within our human connections we are able to lighten the load and free ourselves from the burdens we carry. I offer compassionate and individually designed sessions. My approach is strengths based and garnered to find hope and inspiration. In my work I also incorporate theoretical perspectives such as expressive arts therapy, narrative therapy, existential therapy and mindfulness.

I provide psychotherapy and counseling services to adults, adolescents, and couples. In the framework of authentic therapeutic dialogue and connection, I honor the strengths and uniqueness of each client in the context of their life experience, and work to support them in creating the change they seek. My approach is client centered and flexible to best meet the needs of each client and their particular situation while being largely informed by an integration of Gestalt and mindfulness, as well as humanistic and attachment perspectives.

I have been in this field of psychotherapy for 25 years. I tend to be more pragmatic, excelling in the "Now What?" stage. I am solution-focused and action-oriented providing applicable skills and cognitive understanding. I have worked in two different private practices since my graduation from Seattle Pacific University back in 2006 before I started my own here in Edmonds, WA. So I have gleaned enough experience and confidence to provide you a mental health service you can trust. If you're interested in self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-disciple, I invite you.

My goal for each of my clients is to help them build and sustain a life they want to live. This can seem like a daunting task, especially for the many of us who have struggled to make long-lasting changes in our mental health. As a clinical psychologist, I strive to help clients foster awareness of the underlying thoughts and behaviors that drive emotional suffering, and to help clients build a diverse repertoire of evidence-based skills for taking back control of these experiences.

Reaching out is a big decision. We all have the ability to change, learn and grow. We are not born with skills, throughout our life we gain many coping mechanisms, but some of those are born out of survival, fear or toxic family dynamics and might make it challenging to navigate in relationships or during life’s transitions. For many this leads to experiencing a variety of symptoms. Life can also throw us some big curveballs that feel impossible to adjust to. I believe with assistance anyone can process the past, heal, build coping skills and cultivate a mindset that is needed to create a life that is enjoyable