Reality Therapy in Anacortes, WA

Hi! Samantha Johnson, QCSW, LICSW. I started into counseling when I was just a youngen’, so now I have 14 years of experience! But don’t worry, I am not too old to understand. I work with people who are suffering. I understand how difficult life can get and want to do anything I can to try to help you find better days. I have worked in ‘discrete addictions programs’ to community mental health and few in between. I have been trained in Gestalt, Motivational Interviewing, Play Therapy, Reality Therapy and CBT. My approach is simple, where are you? And where do you want to be? Then is it just figuring out how to reach those goals.

Everyone has a story to tell and I'm here to listen to yours, to provide a warm, nonjudgmental space to reflect on your experiences and create lasting positive change that matters most to you. Anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, and major life changes can often make us feel detached from ourselves and those around us. It is an absolute privilege for me to provide a space where you can feel supported and understood. I specialize in my work with adolescents and young adults, with extensive experience in this demographic. I also assist adults with anxiety and addiction and help couples improve communication.

I have provided counseling services to clients since 2008 and have experience with a wide range of mental health and behavioral disorders in a variety of treatment settings to include crisis stabilization units, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, inpatient substance abuse treatment centers, outpatient community mental health, and both inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment in correctional settings. As such, I have gained extensive experience working with individuals with complex issues. I am an inclusive therapist and work with individuals/couples with a wide range of presenting issues, backgrounds, and lifestyles.

My passion lies in working with both youth and adults alike and believe that counseling offers an opportunity to reflect on the current challenges that you may be experiencing in life, and working together with you on moving forward. In particular I have a heart and passion for working with youth and young adults of color. I believe that racial identity is linked to every aspect of daily lives for people of color and often leads to ongoing symptoms of stress and anxiety. I love working with individuals of all races and ethnicities, including folks who identify as children of immigrants.

I feel counseling is an opportunity for individuals to have an open space to share their story. I work with a variety of age groups including adolescence, teenagers, and adults. I also provide both couples counseling, pre-martial counseling, and individualized counseling. I specialize in working with individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, Bi-Polar, ADHD/ADD, Autism, Intellectual/Developmental Disability. I use a variety of counseling approaches and understands there is no "one approach fits all." Counseling should be individualized to the individual, their needs, and what they hope to get out of counseling.

I really like helping clients out when they are having anxiety and or panic attacks. I have a unique approach, that I learned from having a panic attack myself, and applying my knowledge, and asking myself the question of, how do I not ever have a panic attack ever again. Their goal is to not have any more panic attacks, and I can show them how to arrest it and to not have any more ever.

Are relationship issues, anxiety and/or depression keeping you up at night? The counselors at ECC will work with you to help you improve the quality of your your life and your relationships. Our dynamic team of counselors seek to understand and resolve the real-life, everyday challenges many of us face. We work with a wide range of issues and have a diverse team of therapists trained in a variety of specialties. This allows us to create a personalized treatment plan to meet your individual needs.

If you are seeking to improve your life whether through coping, communication, life skills, relationships, or parenting I am here to assist. I believe therapy is an opportunity for you to establish goals and the two of us work collaboratively together to accomplish them. I will work towards building your trust allowing you to feel free exposing your vulnerability. My goal is to help you manage emotional distress i.e. anxiety and depression as you navigate interpersonal relationships and work through life's difficult transitions - grief and loss, becoming a parent, job transition, separations and defining new boundaries.

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.

Hi - I'm Alyxx. My pronouns are they/she. My ideal client is someone living on the fringes, someone who feels like they have never quite fit in with the thin/white/cis/het esthetic that is so predominant in our culture. If you are ready to do the work to change, I'm ready to walk that path with you!

Are you experiencing anxiety or depression? Perhaps you are suffering the aftermath of trauma, from years ago or recently. You might be having difficulty seeing yourself positively. Are you plagued with shame? Maybe you are having difficulties in important relationships. Grief might be overshadowing gratification in your life. You might want to set new goals for the new phase of life you are living. My decades of training and experience address all aspects of emotional, thought and personality issues.

I believe that we are relational beings, and that health can be cultivated in intentional, honest, and reciprocal relationships that respect and reveal our inherent dignity. Because relationships with others and ourselves hold great promise and power, they can also be the focus of most of our pain as we move through life. The therapeutic relationship we build together acts as a staging ground and microcosm to help you renew the relationships you have with yourself and others in life.

Born in California, where I spent my formative years, before being stationed in Washington. During our initial sessions, we will embark on a comprehensive exploration of your challenges, working together to create a collaborative roadmap for your journey ahead. It's not uncommon for many of my clients to notice a reduction in symptoms within the first month, and as we continue our work together, they often experience lasting and meaningful improvements in their well-being.