Therapists in Gig Harbor, WA

Life is difficult (M. Scott Peck). I remember reading that in his book and thought yes, it is! And sometimes we don’t have the tools to manage the difficult times or move through and beyond them. That is why I became a therapist because life is difficult and sometimes, we need support and help to move forward. My goal is to establish a safe environment where adults and children can take the time to process difficulties in life. Through this process you will find your strengths, develop new ways of coping and discover new insights. I enjoy working with both children and adults in a variety of areas, including childhood and adult tra

Are you struggling with anxiety or depression? Having trouble dealing with issues from your past? Recovering from a toxic relationship? Finding it difficult to love and accept yourself? We all need support at times. We are not meant to be self-sufficient islands. By reaching out for help, you are taking your power back and confirming that you deserve to be supported and understood. Therapy can be a healing, transformative experience. We can work together to create a healthy plan to help you achieve your treatment goals.

I am a partner in Summit Health Management, a group founded by an eclectic partnership of four established, experienced providers with the vision of offering a variety of therapeutic services to meet the needs of children, adolescents, adults, elders, couples, and families in our community. Our group’s mission is to provide the region with experienced, compassionate, professional, and proficient mental and behavioral health care. We offer a therapy and psychiatric care for all ages, presentations, relationships and disorders, including individual, couples, family and group therapy, as well as substance abuse recovery for all ages.

My treatment helps increase self-awareness and insight while challenging unbalanced thought processes. Enhancing self-worth and self-acceptance is a core theme for my clients. Common issues I work with are depression, anxiety, disordered eating, PTSD/trauma, panic, mild dissociation, perfectionism, people-pleasing, codependency, and performance anxiety. My trauma-informed and integrative approach involves a reflective, person-centered openness, where you can develop introspection, safely release emotions, and discover your true authentic self.

We all have stories to tell. What happened in our lives isn’t who we are, it is what happened to us. The challenging stories are based on past events, being activated now via negative automatic thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and repeated behaviors…which can keep us stuck and/or prevent us from living in genuine alignment with who we are. I believe we each have the ability to reset, readjust, restart, and rewrite the parts of our story that are no longer helpful or serving us. We are amazingly intelligent, creative, resilient, and adaptive beings! What story(ies) do you want to rewrite, or let go of, that are no longer helpful?

At the core of my treatment philosophy is the belief that families heal when movement occurs and people begin to step out of their comfort zones to unlock their potential and capacity for growth. Often there is underlying pain and/or trauma that needs to be addressed in order for the system to recover and break the cycle. Whether the results of the family dysfunction is abuse, addiction, estrangement, divorce, suicide, broken communication paths, or some other behavior, treatment can provide relief.

Are you experiencing the lasting impacts of traumatic experiences, such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, shame, and negative beliefs about yourself? Have you heard of EMDR therapy and wondered how it may benefit you? Would you like to rediscover a sense of peace and empowerment as you journey towards healing from the aftermath of trauma? You are in the right place if you have said "yes" to any of these questions! I offer online therapy to clients in Washington and Oregon, and if you are ready to set down the heavy weight of past experiences, enjoy the present, and feel excited about the future - email me today!

At the core, I am an attachment focused therapist. This lens follows through all my work and informs how I view healing and change. My practice is specialized toward work with attachment injuries, whether from childhood or more recent. These wounds can show up in adulthood as relationship challenges, anxiety, poor boundaries, emotional avoidance, complex post traumatic stress, etc. In my practice, I'm also honored to hold pregnant / postpartum people, birthing people experiencing mood challenges, and couples going through the transition to parenthood.

I work with adults of all ages, individuals and couples, who are experiencing problems with anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress (including stress related to prior abuse and neglect), eating disorders, and relational problems (repairing and strengthening current relationships;identifying and changing relational patterns that cause problems in living). I work with persons who are experiencing panic attacks, phobic avoidance, intrusions, maladaptive anger, grief, and stress-related physical problems. I also work with persons challenged with a variety of adjustment problems and life transitions (e.g.,transition to young adulthood, family communication difficulties, divorce, career change, mid-life crisis, retirement).