Trauma Focused Therapists in Des Moines, WA

Currently Accepting New Clients. Email is the best way to contact me regarding scheduling or questions. My priority as a therapist is to create a warm, non-judgmental environment for clients to process their emotions, relationships, and experiences. My hope is to create a safe space for you to explore and identify your needs for the therapeutic relationship so that we can create the most effective experience for you. I recognize that each client is unique and therefore approach my work using a client-centered, strengths-based model to personalize treatment based on each individual’s needs and goals.

With all that’s happening in your world right now you need support with feelings of overwhelm, grief, and isolation. You may be noticing the ways systems of oppression and traumatic experiences have impacted your self worth, relationships, and wellbeing. You want to get back your sense of inherent goodness, joy, and personal power but don't know where to start. You are searching for a therapist who is passionate about exploring cultural nuances in mental health. You have come to the right place.

I view successful therapy as an experience where your strengths and values are supported while you navigate toward your chosen life direction. Do you feel it would be of value to better tune into your needs? Are you striving for a more fulfilling life and recognize that you are ready for a change? I believe that our spirit knows how to heal and I will partner with you as you align your life with your aspirations and pursue your goals.

Come as you are. You are experiencing life’s struggles living with ADHD, anxiety and trauma. Things are not working like they might have in the past and you are looking to reflect on what is right for you to heal, to transform. You need a safe space to explore, express and feel all your emotions and values. You are done feeling judged about the right and wrongs of your own feelings and thoughts and are ready to focus on yourself and what works for you. Through fostering a strong therapeutic alliance, we can amplify your strengths to handle life’s challenges.

I work with adults, children, teens, and couples who are seeking insight into their own processes and behaviors, with a desire to heal broken places. I am passionate about helping people connect to their inner strength, beauty, and goodness, which means I will have a bias toward kindness and self-compassion. It can be intimidating and overwhelming making the first steps toward wellness-I aim to be open and authentic right off the bat to help ease some of the anxiety. I am an artist who has spent many years working in restaurants, so I especially love working with artists and folks in the service industry as they pursue wellness.

You wake up one day realizing you can no longer go on like this. You're ready to find help navigating difficult emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and conflicted relationships. You might be experiencing disconnection from yourself or others, anxiety, depression, feeling overwhelmed, or processing grief. I’m here to support you as we work through the things that seem to be getting in the way. Your emotions and internal experiences are seeking your attention and pointing the way towards your growth and healing. My style is warm and direct, working with you towards clarity, depth, and expansion of the self.

I have over 35 years of service in individual, couples and group counseling. I am a compassionate friend, open to healing your heart and opening your mind by deepening spirit and celebrating the Real You. I have worked in community mental health centers, schools and private practice facilitating domestic violence offender programs, recovery programs, anger management programs, protective non-risk parenting groups, providing spiritual, emotional, cognitive and behavioral counseling to individuals. I love working with individuals around issues of trauma, relationships, and emotional regulation.

Everyone goes through difficult times and needs a little additional support sometimes. I am interested in assisting you in finding ways to meet your personal goals. This is a collaborative, confidential process that can involve learning new coping skills, improving communication skills, increasing motivation for change, working through past trauma or feelings of grief, starting recovery for an addiction, or any of numerous other therapeutic goals. I have been working as a mental health therapist since 2000, and I find it very rewarding to be able to help others enrich their lives.

You want to try therapy for yourself because you want to stop the family chain of poor boundaries. Or you are worried about your child, related to changes in their life that you feel to not have control in. You want professional advice to better understand how to control your mind by not letting it control you. You and your family deserve a relationship that is built on love, trust, and mutual respect.

You have found the courage to seek understanding of who you are and to begin to heal from life’s challenges. You are struggling with anxiety, depression, or trauma and its impact on daily life and relationships. You desire to develop awareness and compassion for yourself, your partner and those around you. You want to foster connectedness and build trust with your partner. You recognize it is time to begin that journey. And I am here to help.

Are you struggling? Feeling stuck? Perhaps you're grieving a loss, feeling hopeless, or overwhelmed with all that’s happening in your life. Has a major life transition knocked you off axis? Feeling frozen by anxiety or paralyzed by shame? You don't have to face this alone. The primary goal of our work together will be restoration - to restore hope and reconnect you to your heart. A kind and curious therapist can cultivate insight, help heal wounds, and lead to lasting transformation.

Do you feel stuck? Through living our lives, we develop mechanisms to navigate specific contexts, but sometimes, those methods no longer work or we grow tired of them. Some signs of being stuck manifest as complicated relationships, a lack of creativity, loss of agency, inability to rest, hesitancy to play, feelings of overwhelm or a lack of interest in life. Together, we can empower your story and regain movement by having an empathetic witness journey with you, navigate your particular context, the relationships/systems around you, your unique brain and perception of self.

My professional experience includes therapy with children, adolescents, individuals, couples and families who have sought help with a variety of issues including depression, anxiety, traumatic experiences, behavioral issues, difficulty with emotion regulation and emotional expression, social deficits, issues related to educational or occupational functioning, relationship issues and difficulty communicating. I work from a LGBTQ+ affirming, racially equitable and feminist framework to provide clients with the support they need and deserve.

Please note I do not have any evening availability at this time. I aim to provide a non judgmental, welcoming environment for people from all walks of life to come in and explore their emotions and patterns of thinking. Whatever your reason for seeking counseling, I will meet you where you are at and explore treatment options in a collaborative manner.

I can help you find solutions to persistent problems like: panic attacks, not being able to say no, struggling with your children,, excessive worrying or unresolved grief & loss. I am committed to working with children & teens as well as adults. I am told that I am easy to talk to, warm, validating & practical. You are tired of banging up against the same wall, the same problem. Working with me is collaborative. WE work as a team. We focus on your strengths and needs. You are ready to put in the effort and take action to change.

As a systemic therapist and child of immigrants, I am interested in learning about how lived experiences inform perceptions, as well as mental and emotional states. Systemic stressors (such as family conflict, systemic poverty and racism, marginalization, etc.) are often at the root of mental health issues. Many of my clients deal with symptoms of anxiety and depression due to issues ranging from trauma and abuse to imposter syndrome, perfectionism, shame, and lack of self-worth. If you are ready for change, I am here to help.

You are in luck! Thankfully you no longer need to sift through anymore therapist profiles on this site, I assume you're looking for a competent therapist to help you deal with the various curve balls that existence throws at us. First off, life is hard & we need other people to help us through times when things fall apart. All of us have fears that most of us spend a lot of energy avoiding for good reason. But unfortunately avoidance can get in the way of our growth and compound our difficulties. Going about this alone can make our challenges even more difficult. We need someone with compassion/skillset to guide through the BS

Are you struggling to feel at home in your body? Do you often feel flooded by intense emotions? Does it seem like you’re always too much but somehow also not enough? Maybe you have intrusive thoughts & uncontrollable urges that leave you saying things you don’t mean or doing things you wish you hadn’t. Whether you’ve survived traumas or simply have big feelings, know that it’s OKAY to FEEL! You get to be here. You can learn to come home to your body, embrace your emotions, deepen connections, & discover your true voice. If you’re ready to reconnect & regulate your system to help you live more embodied & in control, I've got you!

Are you struggling to achieve work-life balance as someone with bipolar disorder or in a high stress job? Do you feel exhausted and overwhelmed trying to manage your mood or stressors of daily life? If you've had difficulty prioritizing your needs and happiness and want more skills to help you relax, now might be the time to reach out to a therapist. You're ready to advocate and put yourself first. You crave balance in your routine and want to learn how to set healthy boundaries so you can find time to take a break. Let's work together to rediscover joy and pleasure in your life once again. I'm here to help you each step of the way.