Family Therapy in Downtown Business District, Bellingham, WA

You want the very best for your child, you want them to feel confident and competent, to be able to manage their emotions, to be kind. Parenting is hard, even harder when you are caring for a child who is struggling, when your family is navigating a big transition, or when you are faced with adversity. When your child's moods and reactions are taking over the household and when power struggles and conflict are the norm, when typical parenting is not working, Parenting Academy can help. Fortunately, Children, Parents and Families are resilient!

In my practice I work with both teens and adults ages 13 and up, and I particularly enjoy working with teen girls and young women on issues such as self-esteem and body image, school and familial struggles, trauma, and anxiety. I am also a mom to a toddler and love working with new mothers on the unique challenges, experiences, and joys that come with motherhood. I work best with clients who are motivated, open, and engaged in the therapeutic process.

Welcome to my practice. I am here to support families of all kinds from the beginning onward. I do this by creating “a home for emotional dwelling” where together we navigate the journey of pregnancy, postpartum, parenthood, loss and other life experiences that forever change who we are. These shifts aren’t always easy. You may ask: "Who am I now? What kind of parent do I want to be? How do I move with grace into the unfolding of my life?" I will walk alongside you in your journey offering the support you need. We may explore issues including past trauma, family-of-origin, relational changes, and shifting identity.

Do you feel anxious, depressed, confused, alone or misunderstood? Are you having difficulty communicating within your relationships, going through a big life transition or feeling pain and constriction from past traumas? During these times it is helpful to have someone listen and support you without judgement within a safe place. Everyone has a personal history that makes them unique with both strengths and vulnerabilities. I know the courage and perseverance it takes to face and feel the pain as well as embrace your gifts, strengths and light.

Cindy Watson is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with 11+ years of experience in the mental health field. Cindy is passionate about helping individuals, families, and couples find the coping skills and tools that they need to find the happiness and peace that they so desperately want and deserve. Her goal is to help them turn the stumbling blocks they have come against into the stepping stones that lead them across the muck. Cindy specializes in trauma, depression, anxiety, and relationship issues. When it comes to relationships and family situations, Cindy is very knowledgeable both personally and professionally.

Good For You! You have taken the first step: You are asking for help at a time when life challenges have caused you to pause and reflect. Life can feel out of balance, leaving us with feelings of despair, anxiousness and loss. Our basic human needs are those of connecting to others. We feel pain and discomfort when we feel separated. It takes courage to look at ourselves, to find the meaning of the discomfort. This struggle can have profound lasting results for personal growth, better health, and closer relationships with our family, friends and the community at large.

Do you feel anxious, depressed, confused, alone or misunderstood? Are you having difficulty communicating within your relationships, going through a big life transition or feeling pain and constriction from past traumas? During these times it is helpful to have someone listen and support you without judgement within a safe place. Everyone has a personal history that makes them unique with both strengths and vulnerabilities. I know the courage and perseverance it takes to face and feel the pain as well as embrace your gifts, strengths and light. whether as an individual or a couple I want to help you. .

My passion is in working with teens and young adults who have had to navigate parental divorce, loss, family conflicts, struggles with anxiety and depression, and healing from abusive relationships. The relationships we have throughout life can cause pain, but relationships also have the power to bring healing to those areas of our hearts and minds that have been damaged. This is why a therapeutic relationship is so impactful and why my approach to therapy is relational and collaborative.

We offer a full spectrum of parenting and family support for all types of families. We believe that healthy families create strong communities and with the right support, families, children and their communities can thrive. Parenting and marriage doesn’t come with an instruction book, but our experienced and professional, outcomes-based support professionals can be by your side to meet you right where you are at on your journey. We have a diverse, but small group of licensed mental health professionals and family support specialists to help you every step of the way.

Remember to recognize joy and excitement when it happens. When a child takes their first step, the whole family is elated. Parents, grandparents and other supporting adults Celebrate wonder and accomplishment. I work with families to help them grow to be healthy and to share the joy and reciprocity as the build healthy connections and then watch their children become loving, engaged adults.

My best self feels just out of reach...what happened to me? Why am I so stuck? Anxiety, depression, grief, difficulty with boundaries or a general feeling of ungrounded self are common experiences. We can watch patterns repeat and often feel powerless in the process. We find ourselves in systems or roles that no long serve our highest selves. Present or past experiences might keep us from living life in a way that feels physically healthy, connected to others, and with purpose. You are ready to live in stronger connection with yourself and the people around you. You are courageous and honoring your natural growth.

I work with a wide variety of folks who are experiencing mental health, trauma, family, and life related stressors. With experience supporting children ages 3 and up, teens, adults, and families I aim to provide holistic services meeting folks where they are at in their journey. My work includes providing affirming services for LGBTQ+ and Non-monogamous folks. I am skilled at providing services for neurodivergent (ADHD/Autistic) folks aimed at increasing self-understanding and coping with the stressors of the outside world.

Currently Accepting New Couples Clients. I meet with individuals, couples, and families to connect with body, spirit, and mind, to heal from past injuries, and explore how habits from injuries limit freedom, self-acceptance, and fulfillment. Helping you reconnect with your purpose in life, rekindle your playfulness and passion, and invite moments of harmony and peace. I welcome people in a non-judgemental and supportive environment to heal and grow through depression, trauma, anxiety, and addictions.

As a therapist, I believe first and foremost in the healing and growth that can happen in relationship. My therapeutic approach is about meeting people where they are, and engaging each individual in a healing dialogue that is appropriate and specific to his or her life. I am a process oriented therapist. This means that I am primarily interested in understanding the process through which my clients respond to the world and how they make meaning out of their experiences. My goal is to facilitate increased awareness in my clients and improve agency, choice, and connection in their lives.

You're on-edge and having trouble concentrating. You feel restless and unable to stop overthinking. Maybe you're wanting to isolate to protect your friends and family from your sadness and anger. It's hard to continue pretending that everything is fine when you are feeling so desperate inside. You want to feel heard, seen, and understood. You would love to figure out your anxiety or depression—where it might be coming from and how to make it stop (or at least not be so intense).

Have you experienced a loss that is impacting your quality of life? My focus is to support individuals who are experiencing chronic grief, trauma, depression, anxiety, identity confusion, or developmental adjustments as a result of traumatic events, environmental changes or life transitions. As you engage in a therapeutic trusting relationship, your core strengths, values, insights and resilence will emerge to gain balance. Humans are in a continual process of transformation. When developmental process is interrupted by an event, loss or stuck in the social structures we live in, an opportunity for new growth becomes possible.

I have extensive experience as a school counselor, drug alcohol counselor and in my private practice helping adolescence navigate and work through issues regarding anxiety, school struggles and family conflict. I also assist and give parents skills in raising teens. My Masters Degree is in marriage counseling. My primary focus with married couples is a family systems and Gottman method approach which is researched based approaches to help couples work toward reconciliation by overcoming resentment and better communication in marriage. Lastly, I have close to 10 years experience working in inpatient drug and alcohol treatment.

Through Life Stages: offers an array of services including but not limited to individual, children, couples and group counseling, crisis intervention, grief and loss therapy and conflict resolution. Dr Kaufman uses state of the art Mental Health Assessments. The Assessment includes a comprehensive social history, referral information, diagnostic impression, significant findings, and recommendations for treatment. A thorough Mental Health Evaluation like this is the best way to help yourself, your child, and your family. As a Professional Counselor Isabel E. Kaufman is experienced, knowledgeable and able to help!

I have been in private practice since 2004 and work with individuals, couples and groups dealing with a wide variety of issues. I recognize that each client is unique and strive to create an individual plan of therapy tailored to each person's specific needs. This often includes dealing with what isn't working in their life, whether it's depression, traumatic past experiences or relational difficulties, also recognizing the aspects of their life that may be working well and finding ways to build on those strengths.