Therapists in Mercer Island, WA

Hi. I believe couples and individuals have more stacked against their thriving than ever before. Technology inundates us with messages that create unreasonable expectations and stress around personal relationships, parenting, living, and mental health. If modern life sometimes leaves you feeling unfulfilled, confused or anxious, you’re in good company. Most folks go to therapy for a simple reason: they want a smoother life. While I don’t promise to make life easier, I do create a supportive environment focussed on helping you develop tools to overcome relationship and behavioral patterns that might be holding you back.

*CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS* A veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a former domestic violence advocate, I specialize in providing evidence-based psychotherapy and advocacy-based counseling for survivors of relationship abuse and other traumatic experiences. As a general practitioner, I also help with issues ranging from self-image, depression, and grief, to social and general anxiety, OCD, family conflict and divorce, religious shunning / transitions, adolescent and adult giftedness, nontraditional relationships, and matters of sexual orientation and gender identity (LGBTQ/non-binary affirming).

I am available to help you heal, navigate relationships and transitions, and discover why you may face the same challenges again and again. If you feel trapped, uneasy or stalled in making decisions, I can help. The stresses of life squeeze our ability to think clearly and feel at the same time. As a result, our emotions rule us, resulting in depression, anxiety, anger, and relationship difficulties. I use evidence based practices, such as ACT and DBT to help clients regulate their emotions and reach their goals.

As a mindfulness-based counselor, I help individuals, adolescents and couples transform their struggles into opportunities for growth, learning and adventure. I help you turn your problems into pathways. This journey is an opportunity to unearth the home that is your deep and abiding sense of self. Drawing on nature wisdom, archetypal patterns, myth, mindfulness and the mind-body connection, I am here to be a guide as you dive into your own depths. I look forward to accompanying you on your journey toward wholeness, freedom and purpose.

Welcome, I'm truly grateful you're here. Choosing therapy, whether alone or with a partner, shows courage and care. In a world that often expects us to hide our imperfections behind a facade of success and happiness, therapy offers a refreshing alternative. It's about giving ourselves permission to occupy the space that is rightfully ours, acknowledging and moving through the twists and turns of our journeys with compassion and curiosity. It's about exploring the questions that keep you up at night: What do I want? What am I doing with my life? Why is parenting so difficult? How can we make this relationship work?

I am an Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist with 18 years of experience specializing in relationship counseling and trauma, i.e. helping individuals heal from the wounds of a difficult childhood.

I am a compassionate, culturally sensitive, solution-oriented mental health professional. I am dedicated to providing exceptional care and implementing effective treatment plans for individuals, couples and families. With an inherent ability to manage different types of personalities I am able to diffuse stressful situations to proactively resolve issues and meet challenging goals and objectives. As a client-oriented therapist I possess the innate ability to establish a genuine rapport and build the necessary trust for a solid client/therapist relationship. It is my belief that engaging communication and client advocacy can provide the motivation for growth and change.

If you’re tired of recycling the same argument, walking on eggshells with each other or don’t know how to repair your relationship, I can help you get to the root of your disconnection. I help distressed, disconnected couples remember what it's like to be sexy best friends instead of roommates. Together, we will identify your entrenched ways of arguing so that both of you can break these patterns by learning how to clearly state how you’re feeling to your partner and in turn, listen deeply. I'll help you pay close attention to each other, so that you both feel a little more held each time we meet.

As human beings, we are prone to intense joy, deep sorrow and a wide spectrum of emotions in between. Therapy is a place to learn how to navigate these changing terrains of life. As a therapist, I will come alongside you to listen, reflect, speak to, and bear witness to your particular experiences in life. I believe many personal struggles are relational and that we experience healing through genuine connection with ourselves and others. I'm passionate about helping people move from a life of fear and feeling stuck to a life of freedom, feeling grounded, and developing a growing trust in yourself and others.

I am a Clinical Psychotherapist,Board Certified Professional Counselor, Diplomate of the American Psychotherapy Association and Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of Washington I'm committed to grounding my work in a spirit of curiosity and collaboration. .I use an integrative/relational approach in therapy. I actively help my clients to better understand and gain clarity of their concerns in order to make necessary changes to facilitate personal growth. Psychotherapy can improve the quality and intimacy of your relationships, provide solutions to specific life problems, and significantly reduce feelings of distress.

DO YOU FIND YOURSELF THINKING... "I wish I hadn't reacted that way. ​I feel like I am giving too much of myself to others. I feel burnt out. I wish I had a stronger sense of self. I've heard about intergenerational trauma, but I'm not sure what that might look like." If any of those statements sounded familiar, then you're in the right place. I'm here to help you explore those thoughts and behaviors in a trauma-informed, creative, and individualized way. Let's get curious together.

Helping couples connect is my specialty. Do you sometimes feel alone in your relationship? Does it seem like your partner does not understand you, and no matter how hard you try it seems like you end up in the same fight over and over again? Has that sense of being close and connected changed to feeling more distant and roommate like? If you're ready to reclaim your relationship back from the negative patterns that keep you stuck, I am here to help.

I believe that having a compassionate and non-judgmental person to talk to can feel like a breath of fresh air. If you are feeling ready to begin exploring your thoughts, feelings, behaviors and experiences in order to gain insight and find solutions, I would be honored to help.