Trauma Focused Therapists in Richland, WA

Are you leading the life you want? So many people aren't. Stress, anxiety, and discontent become fixtures in our daily lives. If yours is not the life you want for yourself, therapy can be a powerful means by which to let go of suffering, to find fulfillment and joy in your life. I provide therapy for people dealing with challenging life issues: depression, anxiety, relationship problems, life changes, grief and loss, trauma, and family issues. I also work with people who want more happiness in their lives and want to work on personal growth. My goal is to help you re-identify your strengths and work through your challenges.

I take a Solution Focused approach to guide clients to find solutions on life or personal issues they are struggling with. I work with the client at a pace they are comfortable with to resolve past, present, or future issues of concern. I utilize a variety of theoretical tools that best fit the client’s needs in session. I serve children, adolescents, adults, and elder populations.

I work with clients from age 12 to age 65. I prefer to work with one client at a time, but see two clients occasionally (parent/child or partners). I can accommodate three, but I am not a family therapist. I am a good listener, and am direct with questions.

Building safety and security is an uphill climb. Imagining a steep mountain - without the appropriate equipment or support, you may stumble, or even find yourself in rougher terrain. If you are someone who has suffered from any form of neglect, trauma, depression, or anxiety, you may find yourself trudging through rough terrain alone. My intention is to help clients overcome and build resilience by deepening their experiences and helping them develop a greater sense of safety in themselves and their relationships.

As a dual diagnosis/co-occurring psychotherapist, (licensed mental health counselor and licensed substance use disorder professional) my goal is to help you uncover your true potential and lead a life that is worth celebrating. While we can't change difficult situations of the past, we can work together to better understand and resolve challenges. By applying specific therapeutic approaches and techniques, we will unearth long-standing behavior patterns or negative perceptions that may be holding you back from experiencing a more fulfilling and meaningful life and incorporate healthy coping skills.

Feeling lost, hurt, emotionally drained and afraid, let me help. I know that asking for help is so very hard especially when at times it feels as if no one could possibly understand and you're alone in pain but I am here to help. I have been helping for over 15 years and I am honored when I get to be a part of your life. If you allow me, I will go with you through your difficult journey to find that peace, relief and sense of purpose you so desperately seek.

Life can be hard. Therapy doesn't have to be. In a world full of pressure to "get it right" it's easy to feel wrong! Sometimes we are facing unchangeable circumstances. Sometimes we have hard choices to make. Sometimes we just think we're supposed to be different. I believe our greatest struggle is being torn between who we think we should be and who we are able to be. Exploring our origin stories, guiding values, and present choices allows us to align with who we are in a meaningful way. With respectful humor - mostly sarcastic jokes about life's ironies - we can work together to find who you want to be.

There are times when we find life is getting harder to manage and we run out of ways to cope with the challenges. We all need someone who will listen to us and help us find our way back to successfully managing our life.

During an intake session, it is important to me to understand why my client is looking for some assistance at this time in their life. I believe that we often have difficult experiences during our lives, and it is fine that we may need some extra help! I believe that listening to their challenges and goals for therapy are very important and try to adjust my approach to the needs of each client.

Does life feel out of control due to your own, or your partner's sexual behaviors? As a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist, and a Certified Partner Trauma Therapist, trained in ART & EMDR, I specialize in helping individuals find hope, recovery and healing from infidelity, porn/sex addiction, partner betrayal trauma, PTSD, depression/anxiety, grief, loss, and divorce. My goal is to provide a safe space where clients find and give voice to their stories and achieve personal growth, empowerment, and change through self-compassion and self-care, while challenging the patterns and barriers which prevent them from living joyfully.

I am board certified in counseling, especially enjoy working with men and women misunderstandings, and their worries. I assist clients explore their life experiences, to notice how they have shaped/affected their responses to life challenges today. The therapy that I apply heals without re-traumatizing, and successfully helps clients overcome depression, anxiety, panic disorder, OCD, DID, or PTSD, including adult survivors of ACEs. After therapy, people find themselves spontaneously reacting to current stressors in more age-appropriate ways, utilizing their God-given inner strengths and core qualities such as self-assurance, calmness, clearness, audacity, creativity, compassion, and connectedness.

**I am accepting new teen and young adult clients. I am also accepting adult survivors of domestic violence/teen dating violence clients*. We would be a good fit if you’re looking for support with: depression, anxiety, anger, mood instability, parent-teen relationship challenges, self-esteem, creating healthy relationships with others, teen dating violence, self-injury, or life transitions. Additionally, I treat adult survivors of intimate partner domestic violence. The focus is on personal empowerment finding increased awareness about abuse, clarity, and improved safety.

**Unless (Washington State) Richland School District Employee, not currently accepting new Clients.** I look forward to helping you discover how to live life in harmony with your values. I trust my clients as experts in their own life, and I'm confident our work together will help you identify, resolve, and accept life's challenges. My primary theoretical orientation is ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). I have 15 years experience as a counselor working with teens, families, individual adults, and children. I am not currently billing insurance companies.

***Currently Full and unable to take new clients***The teenage years can be some of the most challenging for both teens and their parents alike. They often feel misunderstood and alone while parents may feel helpless and disconnected from their teenager. I am here to help. Finding the "right fit" therapist for a teen is tough. You want your teen to be able to open up and feel comfortable. Well, hopefully you don't need to go much farther. I speak grouchy, anxious, and depressed teen fluently. I am known for just "getting it" in the teen world and teens truly enjoy coming to see me and doing the hard-work that counseling requires.

I believe that you are the expert of your life and have strengths that will help you reach your goals. I am here to support you in your growth, through your transitions and through the tougher times. Using a Strengths Based approach we will work together to identify the best tools that you need to get to where you want to be in life. Each person is unique and I don’t believe that any one modality is a “one size fits all”.

You feel stuck, repeating the same patterns no matter how hard you try. And you try - try harder to do better, forgive, heal, and move forward. However, too often you end up right back where you started. It's hard to trust people, and when you do you often end up hurt. During the day, you feel you are in a constant fog and find it difficult to make decisions or meaningful connections. At night, you wish you could flip a switch and turn off your mind so you could sleep. The way you have been coping isn't working, and you feel overwhelmed. You want hope: hope to heal, hope to move forward, hope to feel more in control.

Does life seem to throw more at you than you can handle? Are you constantly finding yourself exhausted from life's demands? Do you find yourself feeling unmotivated, overwhelmed, or on edge? If this is you, you are not alone. I have had the privilege of working with many people that feel just the same. It's time to take your power back. I am passionate about working with teens and adults who are looking for solutions and breaking free of unhealthy patterns. Together, we can work on how to overcome these barriers and get you on to living your best life!

My Counseling Approach: Motivational techniques by truth and honesty. Be empowered from life lessons. Strive balance in life for peace and harmony. And create life goals to keep moving forward toward a positive direction.

**CURRENTLY HAVE A WAITLIST OF 12 PEOPLE AS OF 04/29/2022** Trying to focus on one task at a time can be challenging and sometimes boring. Emotions then take over and you find ways to release that tension in a negative way. During this time, it can cause conflict between family members, peers, and/or significant others. These negative thoughts/actions are easy to express and obvious strengths are pushed to the side. Having someone who has gone through this personally/professionally can provide active solutions, which can help develop a sense of ease and comfort within the family and individual.