Therapists in Washington

Are you struggling? Feeling stuck? Perhaps you're grieving a loss, feeling hopeless, or overwhelmed with all that’s happening in your life. Has a major life transition knocked you off axis? Feeling frozen by anxiety or paralyzed by shame? You don't have to face this alone. The primary goal of our work together will be restoration - to restore hope and reconnect you to your heart. A kind and curious therapist can cultivate insight, help heal wounds, and lead to lasting transformation.

During my career, I've worked with many diverse individuals, couples, and families to find healing and restoration from a variety of complicated and often very messy problems. I offer a unique measure of acceptance, support, and assistance for my clients. Besides my experience and training, I've personally struggled with difficult life issues myself. I know healing is possible and I am committed to helping you find it. If you choose to work with me, together we'll discover the root causes of your predicament and strive toward making changes that will ultimately lead to greater happiness and satisfaction.

Do you feel stuck? Through living our lives, we develop mechanisms to navigate specific contexts, but sometimes, those methods no longer work or we grow tired of them. Some signs of being stuck manifest as complicated relationships, a lack of creativity, loss of agency, inability to rest, hesitancy to play, feelings of overwhelm or a lack of interest in life. Together, we can empower your story and regain movement by having an empathetic witness journey with you, navigate your particular context, the relationships/systems around you, your unique brain and perception of self.

I am a warm and engaged therapist and bring a deep curiosity and playfulness as well as deep listening and feeling to our process. I have over 30 years of training and experience in the field of clinical and depth psychology. Whether you are an individual or couple, struggling with communication issues or reevaluating your relationship needs and history, I bring an engaged and informed perspective to our work together. I am extensively trained in early attachment, relational trauma, sexuality and intimacy and bring a compassionate collaborative presence to the therapeutic process.

I perceive life as a journey, consisting of searching meaning and coping: Meaning in different roles and aspects of life motivates us to move forward; coping is strategies to get there from here. However, at different life stages, we often got stuck because of different reasons. Thus, either we no longer can see the life meaning(s) and/or our coping strategies are no longer effective. We are likely stuck under these circumstances, which leads to sufferings. I believe that counseling is a catalyst to facilitate the needed changes & adjustments to get unstuck and to have a meaningful life again.

My approach to counseling is holistic, humanistic and client-centered. I am trained in EMDR and trauma. I work with you and together we create an individualized approach to counseling that supports your goals. My professional background is in Trauma, PTSD, Grief, Loss, Early Parent loss. Anxiety, Depression. CBT, Family Systems Counseling, Narrative Therapy, Restorative Retelling, EFT, Matrix Reprinting, Multicultural Cultural Counseling, Feminist, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Since 2000, I have had the experience of living abroad as an elementary K-8 Certified teacher in Shanghai, China, Chiangmai, and Saudi Arabia.

Hello and welcome to Dragonfly Counseling Center. If you are looking for trauma-informed counselors to work through some things you are dealing with in your life, you have come to the right place. We are a group of humanistic counselors who specialize in trauma, childhood trauma, grief, loss, and attachment, We listen to what our client's specific needs are and build a treatment plan using the modality that best fits you. Building a supportive relationship with your therapist is key. Research shows that building a relationship with unconditional positive regard helps aid in the healing process as well as attachment.

You may feel as if everyday life has become challenging due to issues of anxiety, depression or an inability to integrate a loss in your life. These issues become apparent in symptoms you experience, behaviors you develop at work or at home, or through a narrative you tell yourself.

I am not your conventional psychotherapist. My journey into the world of mental health is uniquely shaped by my background as a ski journalist and lived experiences of grief, loss, tragedy, and trauma. Driven by a desire to bridge my passion for storytelling with holistic healing, I use my sincere interest in the human experience in the therapy setting to treat adults, couples, and families living with shame, depression, anxiety, grief and loss, trauma, addiction, and life transitions and questions. As the Sufi poet Rumi once wrote, “The cure for pain is in the pain.”

I will help you to have more meaningful relationships in life, utilize your talents and abilities more fully, maintain a more truthful and accurate self-esteem, have more satisfying sexual relationships, understand yourself and others in a more meaningful way, and face life's challenges with greater freedom and flexibility. My specialty is relational psychotherapy for individuals, couples, and groups which aids in transformation for most issues in life: grief, loss, anxiety, depression and transition, to name a few. Take the step today toward your own transformation and healing, a lifelong investment.

I believe what people need to be well in life is to feel heard, understood, and accepted for who they are. I provide this to my clients through active and reflective listening, powerful questioning to provoke deeper thinking about one's challenges, and manageable practices to help you understand your own thoughts and beliefs about your challenges. When struggling with challenging issues such as end-of-life, grief, and depression, life can feel heavy and unmanageable. Clarifying one's needs and values can be a good starting point for creating goals to work toward. Having measurable goals provides purpose when things seem hopeless.

Seeking counseling is a responsible way to take care of what matters most. As Toni Morrison told us, "It's good when you've got a woman who is a friend of your mind." I welcome diverse clients navigating many situations and specialize in recovery and post-traumatic growth from narcissistic abuse, misuse, and relational or social trauma. I also focus on loss, grief, anxiety, depression, adjustments to changes, life stages, and the promises and pitfalls of pursuing an authentic creative life.

I have been providing psychotherapy and consulting services since 1993 for adults, adolescents, children, couples, and families. My practice is quite diverse and involves the following services: (1) Treatment of PTSD, trauma, bereavement, relationship issues, depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, borderline disorder, ADHD, bipolar, conduct disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Asperger’s. (2) Treatment of chronic pain, quality of life issues, and psychology problems due to debilitating or acute illnesses, such as cancer and auto-immune diseases. (3) Personal growth, spiritual development, and wellness counseling. (4) Sports psychology to improve performance and motivation. (5) Cognitive, personality, learning, and pre-surgical assessments.

It is often quite difficult to be honest with ourselves and with the world around us, particularly as it relates to our experiences of pain and suffering. As a result, patterns of relating with self and others often reinforce even deeper feelings of loneliness, isolation, fear, and anxiety. The various factors that may be driving this cycle include experiences of trauma, strained relationships, loss, and oppressive social/cultural systems.

It takes strength, courage, and self-awareness to reach out to a stranger for support. I believe you are the expert in your own story, and you have the potential for your own healing and growth. In our collaborative work together, I will help you navigate challenges you are experiencing, and help you recognize your strengths and skills to empower yourself through your journey.

Not sure what to do? Feeling desperate and hopeless? Struggling with letting go of the past? Having difficulty adjusting to postpandemic life? Don't know what to do about your child's out of control behaviors? We all come to a point in our lives when things seem unbearable. Sometimes we need a little help for a short amount of time, and sometimes we need a huge assist for an indefinite amount of time. We can then begin to gain the confidence and stability to live life, not simply survive this world. I pull from many therapeutic modalities to meet people where they are in their therapeutic journey.

As a clinical therapist, I help people who are struggling with feelings of anxiety, depression and loss. I teach my clients to practice what I call "the reverse golden rule": treat yourself as you would treat others! We are often so critical of ourselves, while with a friend we would be kind, supportive, compassionate. My 20+ years of experience have given me the tools to work using an eclectic approach that I tailor to each client. I offer a comfortable, safe environment where you can explore your thoughts and feelings, where you can feel heard, understood and validated.

I am passionate about working with Asian Americans and the Chinese population. I have a lot of experience in helping international students and employees navigate life transitions and challenges. My clinical areas of specialty include personal growth and development, anxiety and depression, interpersonal problems, grief and loss issues, trauma, and stress-related problems. I believe the difficulties serve a purpose: to provide us the chance to reveal authenticity and completeness in our life. Life seems to be falling apart when you focus on the broken pieces. I will help you see how they will come together to form the whole.

I work with career professionals, adults, couples and teenagers who are experiencing difficulty in the office, at home or at school. I work with clients whose life experience is impacted by: trauma, relationships issues, midlife, leaving home, relocating, job loss, grief, anxiety, depression, culture shock or other significant life events including simply feeling stuck or at a loss. I bring over 30 years of professional and personal development to my work with individuals, families, adolescents, and couples. I hold a safe, secure, non-judgmental space in which to explore emotions, behaviors, thoughts, and feelings.