Therapists in Seattle, WA

As a therapist, and human in general, I am passionate about creating space for the stories and emotions that are so often pushed away, hidden from view, and disavowed. I believe that to be seen, heard, and accepted in these tender places can be a profoundly healing experience, even (and especially) when there is "nothing to do about it," other than bear witness and grieve. An important piece of this process is moving towards a way of being that centers less around achieving, perfecting and “doing” and much more around “being.” Being present, being messy, being perfectly imperfect and ok with slow processes and uncertainties.

Different seasons of life can open doors to various experiences that we may find challenging, intimidating, painful, or unfulfilling. Past methods of coping with daily stressors, or our way of simply being in the world may no longer feel authentic or true to who we are. I work with clients to explore and identify patterns of thinking and behaviors that are unhelpful; confront discrepancies and limitations that prevent forward movement; enhance self-love and acceptance; and ultimately empower clients to create a life that is more meaningful, intentional, and fulfilling.

I believe that the root of therapy is about finding connection to self, others, and the world. As a therapist, I work to cultivate a space that will support you in feeling connected, witnessed, and heard. My approach to working with clients is relational, humanistic, creative, and nurturing yet direct. In our work together, we will explore what it means to be human and the suffering that comes with it, examine the narratives and beliefs you hold about yourself, delve into what brings meaning to your life, and reflect and process past wounds in an effort to move towards healing.

I love working to support folks building a container for reflection and exploration with the goal of a more regulated and grounded nervous system. This looks different depending on the individual, but mainly fall into three main categories: LGBTQIA teenagers moving through identity exploration, folks moving through significant traumatic events, and therapists/activists facing burnout. I also love working with white folks working with whiteness. I see therapy as a space to process, hold and move through the struggle of engaging with oppressive systems.

My approach counseling is to promote hope, healing, contentment, and lasting growth, for the clients I have the privilege of serving. My mission is to provide a safe, nonjudgemental, and empathetic space, to dive deeper into the inevitable ebb and flow of our collective human experience. While at the same time, I'll introduce tools to help you enhance your strengths and uncover your greatest potential to evolve and heal from within. I'll utilize contextual, historical, intersectional, and cross-cultural techniques, in order to uniquely foster sustainable and transformative change to achieve and maintain holistic wellness.

Are you struggling with anxiety, depression, relationships, transitions, or the pressures of life? Are you looking for relief and change? Recognizing the demands of our fast-paced world and the complexities of our relationships, together we can explore the meaning of your connections, desires, and the beauty and challenges that define life. My training and philosophical background are centered around you—your habits, your questions, and the experiences and perceptions that make you truly unique.

Recognizing the need to work on a problem demonstrates courage. I work collaboratively with adult individuals, couples, and families (including teens and children) interested in personal and relational growth. Couples and families in conflict, adult individuals seeking better relationship skills, and individuals wanting relief from trauma are all part of my practice.

I am a guide in the darkness to help you get to where you want to be. If you are working through painful memories, life transitions, the weight of grief, feeling stuck in old patterns, not feeling safe in your body or in the world, I help you identify what is blocking you and find what you need to move through it into the life you want.

Every single person has seasons of struggle, phases of life where changes and stressors become too challenging to handle alone. Whether deep unresolved pain is coming to the surface once again and interfering with your day to day, or perhaps it’s a fight just to get through each day, regardless of where you are at in your own story, I believe we all need support and a little extra help to get through from time to time. I would be honored to walk with you through whatever you might be facing in the present moment.

To quote Søren Kierkegaard, "The most common form of despair is not being who you are." Perhaps you have found yourself painfully out of alignment with your values, feel stuck repeating the same patterns in your life even though you want to change, or are experiencing a stressful life circumstance or event that you can't seem to recover from on your own. It could be that you need better coping skills, wish to better understand how to process your emotions or want to harness the power of your mind. Maybe you feel ready to transform and do the work of becoming who you really are but have no idea where to begin.

I specialize in couples/relationships, communication issues, sex therapy, and grief and loss, as well as anxiety and sex therapy for individuals. Finding a therapist you feel comfortable with is an important part of the process, and I look forward to meeting with you.

I specialize in the areas of grief and loss, particularly in working with young widows and bereaved men, and caregivers of those who are ill. I hope you will find working with me to be a safe, compassionate space in which to explore your experience, the story of your loss, the impact of grief in your everyday life, and progress towards building a life around your grief. My clients come to me with many areas of grief; challenging relationship dynamics or divorce, loss of a job or hope, change in health, or other significant life transition. My practice also addresses other areas of mental health, including anxiety and depression.

In my work with individuals, couples and parents, I focus on the attachment styles within the relationship. It is my belief that when we are securely attached to the most important people in our life, we create an environment in which we can reach our fullest potential. I specialize in attachment and relationship trauma; adjustment to divorce and blended families; anxiety and/or depression; parenting support.

I follow a strengths-based, client-centered approach that seeks to walk along and support your life journey. In the therapeutic space, I act as a reflective lens to build insight by helping to make connections between present and past issues and experiences. I will work with you to identify, understand, and possibly change coping mechanisms and patterns as they exist in your environment.

While I enjoy working with a variety of therapeutic approaches, I am primarily psychodynamic in orientation. This means that I believe that our early environment and experiences have a profound impact on our way of understanding and relating to the world. As adults, we may discover that we are unable to create the lives we want while being constrained by unhelpful beliefs, feelings, and behaviors stemming from our younger years. My work is also shaped by psychoanalytic and object relations theories, and attachment theory.

You've achieved incredible success, but beneath the surface, you feel unseen and unheard. The truth is, 75% of High Performers share a secret: moderate to severe trauma, including loss, poverty, or abuse. People see your wins, but not the struggle with the fear of failure, isolation, exhaustion, and the need to perform or else...who are you? Like you, I've had to work a lot on myself, alone. The unfortunate paradox is the more you know, the harder it is to find someone to truly help. I get that frustration. With my unique approach, you will feel empowered to cultivate healthy systems and make conscious choices towards healing.

I work with clients to process trauma, emotions, and life stressors; cope with and ease symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, and post-traumatic stress and expand their window of tolerance/what they are able to tolerate; rewire thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and thereby one’s environment to align with their authentic truth and desires; define and draw boundaries; and identify core beliefs. I love to help women create a life in alignment with their menstrual cycle (intentional scheduling, eating, intimacy, and socializing for optimal energy functioning), as well as help all people structure and deepen their spiritual path.

I'm passionate about supporting late teens and young adults (ages 16-35) who are processing where they come from, what they inadvertently picked up along the way, and what they want to intentionally set down or take with them. Some people call this deconstruction and reconstruction. It may involve processing relationship patterns, building self-compassion, grieving a loss, learning to set different boundaries, or re-examining a faith you once took for granted. I also have experience working with teens and young adults diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes to cope with a new diagnosis or move through feelings of burnout.

I meet couples where they are (in their challenges and their goals) and provide them with a purposeful and intentional therapy space. Together, we will begin (or continue) having the conversations (and exploration) needed to start growing and co-creating a more meaningful, and connected relationship.