Therapists in Freeland, WA

My primary approach is based on family systems. Our values, relationships, and self-image are impacted by our culture and family and it can take time and empathy to understand their impact. Therapy may take the form of structured behavioral therapy, or of a free flowing existential conversation with the goal of helping you become centered with the awareness of the forces that surround you and the ability to understand and cope with them. I will provide a calm, non-judgmental, compassionate and supportive atmosphere in which you can learn and explore. I look forward to meeting you and hearing your story.

I use a compassionate, holistic, person-centered approach because I recognize that you are the expert on you, and that exploring vulnerability began with you choosing to reach out for support. Because you are an individual with your own collection of needs and goals, I draw on several practices and modalities, including: Strengths-based Therapy; Narrative Therapy; Experiential Therapy; Somatic Therapy; nonviolent communication; personality typing; core values; identifying and holding boundaries; processing personal, social, and cultural roles; and achieving your best Identity of Self.

My specialties are managing depression/anxiety, healing trauma, and relationship enhancement. I also enjoy working with individuals and families facing addiction, especially process addictions such as social media, pornography, gambling, and food. My style is best described as experiential, which means that we learn and grow through experience (rather than being told what to do). I view everyone's problems in the context of their life, history, and relationships. As a somatic practitioner, I believe that our body is our most effective healing tool.

Seeking out counseling is a courageous act of support that you give yourself and is a challenging and rewarding process that is full of support and deep exploration. I am excited to talk with you about what you are experiencing and how to move forward through the challenges you are facing today.

I work with individuals experiencing anxiety and stress, and couples wanting to work on their communication. Anxiety and stress affect all of us in different ways, and we will work together to find what method of help works best for you. My work focuses on helping people to better understand themselves within the scope of their current lives. I think reaching equilibrium in relationships is vital to growth, and I can help you restore that within yourself. We will work on balancing the past and the current to help people learn how to better rely on their resilience.

Do you want more from counselling than just talking things out? Perhaps you would you like to bring your spirituality to counseling as a simpler, easier way to become free from painful feelings and relationships. In this counseling approach you not only find a safe place to be heard and work out problems, but you also find ways to change troubling patterns from the inside out. Through powerful yet gentle methods alongside inner prayer/intention, you can resolve the root causes of personal problems like anxiety, loss, depression, relationship trouble, chronic illness, lack of meaning, trauma, spiritual abuse, and addiction.

As a therapist, it is my mission to help you live a joyful, vibrant life, even if you are facing life circumstances or mental health issues that are less than ideal. I specialize in helping individuals and couples, and have experience helping with compulsive sexual behavior, ADHD/ADD, depression, OCD, anxiety, and/or PTSD resulting from abusive situations. I also help couples who feel as though they no longer "connect" or who don't feel as close as they once felt. I believe you have the strength to reach your goals, and lead a joyful life.

I have always been interested in how people develop over their lifetime. At each stage of life there are challenges that many of us face, and for some those challenges become too great to handle on their own. At these points, therapy can be a valuable tool to help get back on track. I enjoy talking with people from all walks of life and getting to experience their stories as we work together. From processing trauma, working through interpersonal and marital issues, developing parenting skills, I cherish the journey of therapy with clients so that they can grow and develop.

Do you want to experience true intimacy and deeper connection in your relationships? Are you bothered by painful emotions, anger, anxiety, depression, or a sense of emptiness in your life? Or maybe you aren't suffering but would like to get more out of your life, sexual life, or relationships? I can help! I have over two decades of experience helping adults and couples transcend emotional suffering and discover their true selves leading to happier people and more fulfilling relationships.

When you get stuck, it's wise to enlist the support of professionals. An experienced therapist can help you create secure and meaningful relationships, overcome emotional pain, find clarity and meaning, and handle stressful situations effectively. My counseling practice often involves supporting people who struggle with relationships, depression, anxiety, trauma, and coping with difficulties. Couples work involves breaking through old, stuck patterns that create conflict and disconnection to create strong and satisfying partnerships.

I provide an intentional, and meaningful, therapy space for individuals, couples, and families. For some, sessions are used to process the week, or the month, and are a regular place to go; to game plan, to reflect, to contemplate, to gain understanding, to challenge, to grow. For others, sessions are used to explore and connect about love, boundaries, relationship dynamics, and communication: to talk problem solving, intimacy, togetherness, values, forgiveness, trust. For others, still, sessions are used to create the space to heal, to let go, or to change course (as we begin to catch the winds we wish).

The human condition is a complex one. Life’s complexities can create barriers from living to our fullest potential. Many of us encounter struggles with inner anxieties, self-criticism, avoidance, or fears of failure. We judge who we are based on how we are perceived by others, neglecting what we value within ourselves. In moments, we may feel like we have to hide parts of ourselves from others or busy ourselves to divert our attention from the challenges that life continually throws at our feet.

David (he/him) is a licensed psychotherapist (LMHC) in the state of Washington. David primarily works with adolescents (16+), adults including individuals and couples, and LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples who are dealing with a variety of issues including trauma, anxiety, depression, performance anxiety, low self-esteem, identity integration, relational conflicts, sexual identity, and comorbidity. David also provides integrated treatment for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders within a collaborative team of medication prescribers and/or primary care physicians.

Sometimes we struggle to make meaning where life has thrown us a curveball: a death, a divorce, coming out, or even a pandemic. It’s overwhelming trying to bring order to chaos, at times having to impossibly reconcile competing truths. “It gets better” fails to appreciate the acute pain of the moment, only going so far in moving the needle towards hope. In an age where humans are increasingly polarized, buoyed by deeply held beliefs, there remains a need for something more than personal happiness alone. As a relational Therapist, I help clients find sustainable wellness; prioritizing relationship with self and others over ideology.

One of the things I’ve come to value the most in life is honest conversation. It’s freeing to share about things we’re struggling with, and to be truly heard without judgment. In every session, I aim to give this opportunity to my clients. I use a number of therapeutic approaches, all of which consider the whole person and recognize the impact of their closest relationships.

Understanding our emotions is a skill we all must learn to prevent relationship conflict and to promote inner peace. There are reasons we have the deep feelings we experience. We just need to understand why we have our feelings and what causes us to suffer so much from them. We suffer from our emotions because something else is going on inside of us that we may not understand. It does not need to be this way. You can learn to know yourself better, sooth your emotions and improve your relationships with partners, kids, co-workers and friends.

Life creates many obstacles and we do our best to provide balance in our lives. Families can be in need of more efficient structure and boundaries. Couples experience hurt and difficulties when attempting to communicate feelings and work through yesterday and today's problems. My specialties include, but are not limited to, working with high conflict couples, infidelity, working through past resentments and managing conflict in a productive manner. I am currently taking classes to become a certified sex therapist. I work with individuals, couples and families to help them strengthen their relationships with others.

Almost everyone at times needs some support or coaching on their life journey. As a seasoned therapist I'd be happy to sit down with you and compasionately listen to your story and lend some hope and support. I see "crisis" as an opportunity to face and overcome the dangers around and in us and a time to open up to the radiance and mysteries of Life.