Family Therapy in Bellingham, WA

Do you yearn for more harmonious relationships in your life? I will support you to uncover patterns that lead to disconnection, cultivate a deeper understanding of yourself and others, develop more effective communication skills, and explore solutions that can lead to lasting, positive change. Healthy relationships are fundamental to our well-being and yet the pathway is not always simple or clear. With a nonjudgmental, holistic, and growth-oriented approach, I counsel individuals, parents, intimate partners, and families who struggle with interpersonal issues so that they can achieve more ease and harmony in their relationships.

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.

Accepting New Clients w/ Immediate Availability: ONLINE for all Washington residents and IN-PERSON for Whatcom County residents . I work individually with children, adolescents, and adults and I work collaboratively with families to address various issues such as: life transitions (grief, divorce, moving, new family dynamics), academic challenges (learning disorders, attention/distraction, behavior), social dynamics (friendships, interpersonal communication), and symptom management (sleep quality, improved moods, reduced stress). I focus on providing person-centered compassionate care to my clients.

Thanks for taking a look at my profile page. It takes a great deal of courage to ask for help and support. Many of my clients have struggled with anxiety, depression, grief and loss, struggling to go out into the world, wanting things to be different in their families, and much more. I will work with you to develop new skills to handle any situation that is bothering you.

With your partner: Do you feel alone in your relationship? Are you recovering from infidelity or broken trust? Do you want to communicate in a way that pulls for your partner's understanding and connection? For yourself: Do you want to resolve your internal conflicts? Do you want to learn self-compassion and feel at peace with yourself? Do you want to break negative patterns in your relationships? I'm here to help. Over the past 15 years, I've helped hundreds of couples and individuals create emotional security, happiness, and connection through evidence-based and empirically validated therapy methods.

I work extensively with past/childhood trauma, divorces, family conflict, grief, and fear. The focus of my work is about acknowledging and releasing the beliefs we develop about ourselves from events that occur in the past that are hindering our True selves for flourishing in the present. As an original life coach and counselor of 40 years, I help people see all possibilities and make a greater vision of themselves, their unique talents, gifts and abilities. I have been teaching seminars, workshops, and private sessions for my whole career. My unique healing modality, "The Clearing Process", is the basis for all 24 of my workshops.

COUPLES: Whether you are hoping to relate to each other in healthier and more fulfilling ways, deepen intimacy, and/or you feel stuck in spite of your best efforts, I am ready to meet you where you are at. Together, we can heal painful patterns in your relationship so that everyone's needs are met. INDIVIDUALS: I work in a deeply compassionate, trauma-informed way to help you heal your wounds (including those from racial trauma). I welcome clients of all ages, and after 15 years as a middle and high school teacher, I really enjoy working with adolescents and teens. I am particularly welcoming of BIPOC & LGBTQ+ folks.

Do you often find yourself caught in the same repeated cycles or pattern in your life? Are you in a relationship that feels stuck? As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor for over 10 years, I specialize in working with adult individuals and couples. I offer a process to access deep emotional connection and change patterns that keep you stuck. A key focus in my practice is helping you to a deeper understanding about your individual journey and exploring effectively ways to interact with the significant people in your life. Free yourself from constricting self-limiting ways and learn new skills in communicating with others.

**Currently accepting new clients** As you look to begin a counseling relationship, the right fit is critical. When we work together, you can expect directness, compassion, curiosity, and gratitude. I work with children, teens, and adults experiencing a wide range of symptoms. Anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, difficulty communicating, and navigating difficult life transitions are a few of the most common issues that I work with clients to resolve.

You are full of potential... but you are not living the life you want. Maybe you have experienced trauma or struggle with anxiety and depression. You might feel trapped in a cycle of negative thinking, painful emotions, and failing relationships. A part of you may carry burdens of shame, anger or sadness. No matter how bad things seem, there is a part of you that knows change is possible.

Are you sad or anxious? Maybe you are hard on yourself and want to stop, but can't. Maybe something difficult happened to you, or world events have disrupted your ability to function. You're not alone, and you're welcome here. I am an Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed psychodynamic therapist. That means that I am guided by the therapeutic relationship itself, and I trust that there is an innate healing force within each of us that emerges naturally as each part of us is fully heard and understood.

Life's heaviness may weigh you down and stop you from doing the things you want to do or being the person you know you are. That heaviness does not need to be carried alone. My approach is warm, flexible, welcoming and fluid. I value having an authentic working relationship with individuals by practicing respect, empathy, honesty, and consistently working to create a safe and comfortable environment.

I provide therapy for children and adults dealing with ongoing stress related to trauma, anxiety, life transitions (divorce/separation, grief/loss, job changes, family changes, etc.). It can be hard seeing your kiddo struggling- they might have trouble making friends, having increased outbursts, dealing with nightmares/sleep issues, or generally struggling after traumatic or stressful experiences. Adults, you might feel overwhelmed with your own stress, tough memories that keep popping up, worries that you just can't shake, or are seeing negative impacts on your various relationships due to how you're feeling. Therapy can help!

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).

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!

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.

I provide psychotherapy to all age clients including children (5+), family, and elderly. I speak Cantonese and Taishanese fluently. Image, you have your freedom and trust yourself to be who you want to be and live the life that you want to live. You are trapped, stuck, and carry heavy invisible responsibilities from your background, culture, tradition, and expectations from your society. You feel like you cannot breathe, keep your head above water. That’s enough! It’s time to change, it’s time to live life with the happiness that you deserve.

As a dedicated mental health therapist, I specialize in Family Systems therapy and Somatic Experiencing. My approach is rooted in creating a safe and collaborative space for individuals and families to explore, understand, and navigate the challenges they face. Family Systems therapy allows us to delve into the interconnected dynamics within relationships, fostering healing and growth. Additionally, my training in Somatic Experiencing enables me to guide clients in reconnecting with their body's wisdom, promoting resilience in the face of trauma and stress.

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.