Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapists in Kirkland, WA

I endeavor to walk with my clients - to provide clarity and insight as they navigate the waters of their journey....be it loss of a loved one, conflict or codependency in valued relationships, anxiety and depression, trauma or abuse, major shifts in family systems or the complexities of diversity. Whatever your challenges may be, I’m here to support you.

As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate, and as someone who has also been in the client seat, I consider it an honor to walk alongside you on your journey towards wholeness and healing. From birth, we experience various types of relationships; relationships with others and relationships with ourselves. It is in these relationships where we often experience our greatest joys and deepest wounds. In our sessions together, we will explore these past hurts, feelings, and perceptions with compassion, offering you the opportunity to make changes in your life that will ultimately lead to contentment and personal growth.

I work with adult women who are struggling with a variety of issues including (but not limited to) personal and professional transitions, relationships, identity, anxiety, and depression. I am interested in addressing the many unique challenges that women face while navigating their lives: not feeling seen, the mental burden of feeling overly-responsible for others, burnout, anger/irritability, emotional numbing, withdrawal and isolation, body image, and issues of self-worth and self-esteem. I want to help women develop their sense of themselves and connect with their power.

Changes and transitions in our lives can provide opportunities for growth and insight. My approach is tailored to each client's need- whether you have a specific goal or are simply in need of a supportive space. Everyone has inherent strength that can be drawn upon. Our work together will center around diminishing the struggles that you feel and increasing your enjoyment of life.

Life comes with joy and pain, love and anger, accomplishments and mess-ups, and sometimes confusion. The times when we struggle and feel stuck or confused as individuals, as couples & as parents are often signals that it’s time to grow. I work collaboratively with my clients and have great success utilizing techniques from Internal Family Systems ( IFS ) as well as Narrative and Psychodynamic therapy to treat trauma, anxiety, panic, depression, grief and eating disorders. I also work with individuals, couples and families facing every day parenting, life and relationship challenges.

With compassion & an open heart, Amy helps people expand their human potential by creating a personal roadmap to their emotional health & wellbeing. Listening, acknowledgement, & building trust are key ingredients to her approach. Amy tunes into the client in each moment of every session to understand what they are experiencing to help them get their needs met. Attachment wounding seems to be a part of many people's childhood and those experiences can be present now. Many times, reparenting occurs through the therapy process and results in a corrective experience, bringing peacefulness & healing...to feel whole again.

Hello! With over 25 years of experience, I provide a safe space to support you on your personal journey to mental health and wellness. Whether you are experiencing anxiety, depression, isolation, loss, past trauma, or being raised in an unhealthy environment, I'm here for you. Working together we can improve relationships with yourself and others, help you to navigate life transitions, and build self-compassion and confidence. This is done by addressing internal parts that have been wounded and may carry negative self-thoughts. I look forward to working towards mental health and wellness with you. Let's get started!

If you’re tired of trying to do the work of healing on your own and are ready to have someone with skills and knowledge to lovingly support you towards your therapeutic goals, I can help. I’m passionate about helping women learn how to experience safety, belonging, and abundance in life after trauma. My work focuses on accessing your inherent strengths and resources to cultivate self-acceptance, empowerment, and even joy. I believe genuine human connection can be profoundly therapeutic, and I’m committed to offering a supportive space where you are welcome to come exactly as you are.

My approach to counseling is holistic, humanistic and client-centered. I am trained in EMDR and trauma. I work with you and together we create an individualized approach to counseling that supports your goals. My professional background is in Trauma, PTSD, Grief, Loss, Early Parent loss. Anxiety, Depression. CBT, Family Systems Counseling, Narrative Therapy, Restorative Retelling, EFT, Matrix Reprinting, Multicultural Cultural Counseling, Feminist, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Since 2000, I have had the experience of living abroad as an elementary K-8 Certified teacher in Shanghai, China, Chiangmai, and Saudi Arabia.

I'm currently accepting new clients. Whether you are struggling with anxiety, healing from past traumas, or are working through any number of relationship or transition difficulties, you deserve a non-judgmental space to heal. Often what is most healing is the opportunity to tell your story, and receiving new, compassionate witness. Together, we will take a look at the wounded places, finding compassionate and practical ways to address them. In everything, I deeply respect your personhood, boundaries, and culture. I’m committed to creating a safe and productive space to work through whatever you feel is holding you back.

Often the safest way we cope with the aftershock of childhood trauma and neglect is by creating a workable persona or "protector," fervently committed to keeping us safe by avoiding further emotional injury at any cost. As adults, daily challenges trigger our protective parts with anxiety-provoking situations that elicit reactive, shielding responses, and keep us stuck looping in repetitive cycles. While these protective defenses with their "never again" mantra have reliably sheltered our vulnerability in the past, today they function as painful reminders of lingering wounds and barriers to joyful, meaningful connection with others.

I collaborate with clients to overcome the disabling symptoms and behavior patterns caused by trauma and to reclaim a sense of safety, security, self-worth and serenity. Together we work through the issues causing deep pain and holding you back from a healthy, happy, hopeful life. Trauma survivors often have symptoms - depression, irritability, insomnia, mistrust, chronic pain, compulsive behavior, loss of sense of self - rather than memories.  For the person suffering from trauma, just being is an act of bravery. Working toward healing is a courageous step.

Therapy is a challenging process of self-discovery. It requires curiosity, honesty, vulnerability, persistence and courage. In this process I am looking to partner with individuals who are tired of feeling unsuccessful and out of place in their own life and who are ready to commit to their own healing. I am fully bi-lingual/bi-cultural, and bring to my practice the wealth and flavor of 25 years of many modalities and experience, working with people from around the world.

I believe that when someone feels safe, growth can occur, and my goal in our sessions is to meet you where you’re at and help you achieve your goals. Although we may already have the skills to create change in our lives, we often need help identifying and developing those skills, and I would love to help you develop the tools necessary to build the life you want to live and overcome challenges that might make you feel stuck. I view the counseling process as an alliance and the clients as the experts of their lives. Within the structure of the therapeutic relationship I will help you access your inner strengths and promote change.