Teletherapy for Washington

Accepting new clients. Are you a couple struggling with communication and/or sexuality and intimacy? Are you an individual that has issues with sexuality and needs a non-judgmental and safe place to grow? I bring together research-based therapeutics, in-depth education, intuition & personal experience. I specialize in Couples: general counseling, sexless marriage, mismatched desire, new parents, infidelity, spiritual shame; Women: unable to orgasm, low or no desire, painful intercourse, past abuse, menopause; Men: Erectile Disfunction, out of control sexuality, abuse, low or no desire, pornography addiction; Cancer Patients

In practice since 1994, as a therapist I have learned many ways of approaching issues with clients and can really tailor to your needs and what works best for you. The agenda for therapy is set by you. I also have a wide array of experience working with various issues. I often use EMDR which is considered the treatment of choice for PTSD and also very effective with panic attacks, phobias, performance issues, etc. I believe that no one has to be stuck with the ways they were injured in life.

This time has been isolating and life alternating to say the least. Many of us are left with a feeling of overwhelm as we are separated from one another and cannot participate in the lifestyle routines that once helped us to feel grounded. I have been working with many clients this year to find a source of balance and inner peace when so much of the world has shut down and become unavailable to us. From anxiety, depression and Pandemic PTSD to low motivation and deflation. Feelings of isolation, loneliness and despondency are a few of the many issues I work with in my clients at the moment. Let me help you build your new world!

I believe we were created for relationships. Relationships can bring healing, wholeness and happiness. However, despite their powerful role in our life, they can be extremely difficult to manage and can cause us a lot of pain and stress. This is where I hope to be able to help you. I love working with individuals, couples and families to help them on the their road to finding peace and joy in their relationships. At Charis Counseling Associates you will find an accepting and understanding atmosphere where you can be open about the real struggles of life.

We all crave connection, peace, a sense of worth and belonging and we all go through periods of struggling to find wholeness. I see therapy as a partnership where I work to support you on your particular path towards healing, wholeness and thriving in your relationships. I believe my most important task is creating safety within the therapeutic encounter so that my clients have a place where they can vulnerability heal.

I help people struggling in their intimate relationships - to move from feeling isolated and alone, to finding the deep satisfaction of being known by the ones they love. If you feel trapped in a life that lacks connection to others, I can help you create relationships you want for yourself.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? All of us experience seasons of unbalance, heartache, and emotional distress. My practice is centered on us co-authoring respectful and lasting solutions to the struggles you have experienced in the past or are presently experiencing. It is important to me for sessions to include: hopefulness, compassion, and a sense of humor. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Washington State. I also have a Professional Counselor License for the State of Oregon (LPC). I have worked at CHARIS Counseling Associates for over a decade. Before my counseling career, I was a high school teacher with PPS.

I work with clients who are ready for transformative work. My focus is to guide each client/s towards building a sense of competency, resourcefulness and helping them recognize that they hold the key to their own healing. I will explore current behaviors and life situations with clients and help them figure out which ones are inhibiting progress, which ones are serving them, and which are ready to be evolved into something else. I also like to look at the past, and family of origin to find what the patterns are that are ready to be broken and how to move forward in an empowered way. I help clients bring to life their next self.

In our sessions, we will work on understanding emotional responses, protective mechanisms, and inner system work. Together we will work to increase yourself-efficacy and compassion to deal with any stressful life situations that can and will occur. My clients will want to work on developing a stronger sense of self. Goals in therapy will be a collaborative process structured to help you along your introspective journey. If you are interested in delving deeper into your personal story, please don't hesitate to contact me to see if we are a good match.

Pull up a bean bag chair, grab your favorite fidget, and let's talk. Maybe you describe your life as "a lot," and struggle to find the spoons to get all your stuff done as well as make meaningful change. Maybe anxiety takes up so much space in your day that it leaves little room for the things you want. Maybe your story includes trauma, and that burden is getting so heavy, it hurts. You want to pursue fulfillment, satisfaction, meaning, and peace in your world. If any of these or other painful places in your heart are true, I would love to get a chance to walk alongside you and find what you're looking for together.

In relationship with counseling participants, my approach is trauma-informed, person-centered, and I draw on somatic and mindfulness-based interventions. This means that you can expect a non-judgemental environment to increase your understanding of self with the belief that each participant has their own force for therapeutic change within themselves.

I know that reaching out for therapy can be so intimidating, especially with issues related to sexuality. You may be looking to step into a more authentic versions of yourself or you may be dealing with relationship struggles. You may have felt stuck for some time or are just beginning to question what doesn't feel right. Together, we can embrace the challenges of life's struggles and work towards your dreams and goals. I am an identity affirming therapist who especially loves working with people who are queer, BIPOC, neurodivergent, disabled, or somehow 'othered' by society.

My goal is to help you discover your own strength and resilience and to create the life you want for yourself. I think of my role as your travel partner on your journey to knowing yourself and your motivations better than you ever have before. I draw on 20+ years of experience in human behavior, human performance, and organizational behavior from my careers in counseling, business, marketing and sports.I bring to my counseling a diverse multicultural experience having lived/studied/worked in half a dozen countries around the world. I also created my trade marked counseling approach Positive Existential Therapy.

My goal is to help each of my clients experience self-acceptance, growth and healing in their particular context. I specialize in treating relationships and communication issues, anxiety, depression, grief, and emotional trauma, but welcome other areas of focus as well. My clients can expect to find a safe, judgement-free atmosphere where we can journey together toward lasting solutions. I take cues from my clients to determine how quickly we move forward and in which manner. Together, we can better understand the internal structures driving behavior, and chart a course toward growth and health.

Do you feel there are aspects of your sexuality or sexual self that have been unexplored, overlooked or neglected? Perhaps you're grappling with dissatisfaction and frustration in your current relationship? Maybe you're struggling to recover from infidelity or even contemplating divorce? Although we are inundated with cultural messaging about sex and relationships, most of us were not given the tools that allow us to connect to our partners or granted the space or permission to freely explore the depths of our sexual selves. Let's change that. You deserve fulfilling relationships and an authentic intimate life.

I work within the modality of Somatic Movement Therapy and practice from the premise that body experience and movement hold a unique role in understanding and transforming human behavior. Sessions develop by directing clients awareness to sensation, impulse, movement and/or emotion in order to support physiological and neurological process. The pace and direction of this work is client led through verbal and nonverbal feedback. This approach is founded in developmental therapy, interpersonal neurobiology and attachment theory.

I am passionate about helping clients heal and transform through an eco-art therapeutic approach that combines art, nature and play. Working and playing in a natural setting, I offer a variety of mediums to encourage growth, both indoors and out. This allows an emergent and imaginative approach to therapy that adapts to fit the unique needs of each individual, couple, family and group. Moving from sand tray to clay, collage to art journaling, clients can walk outdoors on paths that meander past waterways and through old growth forests. With labyrinths, meditative walks and an enormous sound chamber, I offer many creative outlets.

The path to healing is not one-size-fits-all or linear. Regardless of who you are, we're all out here just trying to be human. The decision to seek help is not an easy one, but my calling is to make the process feel safe, approachable, and welcomed. My goal is to be your mirror and witness to your story. I hope to create a collaborative and safe space to address your needs, achieve your goals, and bring peace and contentment to your whole self.

Integration of traumatic memories will elicit profound change, and enable us to feel and act from the love that is inherent in all people. I believe we are best able to become more aware of ourselves through studying our relationships. I will work with you to discover how you relate to others; we will study how your brain functions to bring past experiences into the present moment, distorting your sense of self and creating conflict. Clearing trauma can enable you to differentiate between then and now, so you are more free to make conscious choices about how you relate today.