Relational Therapists in Friday Harbor, WA

James Michael Seehof attained a Masters Degree in Psychology and was a licensed psychotherapist with a private practice in Idaho for 15 years. He is now practicing in the state of Washington on Orcas Island at the Healing Arts Center in Eastsound. He is currently licensed as an LMFT in the state of Washington and an LCPC and LMFT in the state of Idaho. He is comfortable working with diverse clients and respects their individuality. He tailors his technique to the needs of his clients, comfortable listening and exploring as well as discussing strategies needed to create change or solidify boundaries.

My therapeutic approach is relational, liberatory, collaborative and strengths based. I work with folks who are navigating life transitions, identity, gender and sexuality exploration of self/loved ones, chronic illness, workplace challenges, survivors of trauma, and those who want to understand how to make adaptations in their lives to support their neurodiversity. I am a queer, white, jewish, neurodiverse, 2nd gen american, parent, who lives with chronic illness. My ideologies are grounded in: social justice, fostering resilience, Black Feminist theory, Queer theory, a HAES model, and trauma informed practice.

During our lives, we encounter experiences that can move us away from a direct connection to ourselves. Influences from family, friends, peers, jobs, and the greater culture can affect how we view and express ourselves. We can become conditioned to thinking, feeling and behaving in a way that is incompatible with who we really are and what we want in our lives. This compromises our ability to value our unique identity and to express and apply ourselves, and our strengths. I will help you to identify, understand and remove barriers that are keeping you from realizing your fullest potential. I offer Telehealth only in California.

Do you have trauma, anxiety or depression and feel ready to work on yourself? Perhaps you are new to therapy but feel motivated or inspired to heal and work through emotions, conflicts or blockages to living a more fulfilling life. Have you had other therapies but feel “it’s time” to go deeper and explore root causes of patterns and issues? Do you feel you are in an “awakening“ and hope to work with a Transpersonal Therapist to support the integration of your higher or Whole/Core Self?

With over 8 years of experience supporting queer couples and Asian American individuals, I am here to help those experiencing challenges in their relationships. I offer a space for queer and/or Asian couples to understand the cycles of conflict and what keeps them stuck in those cycles. I help couples break unhelpful patterns and create new ways of connection and affection. As to my work with queer individuals, I help clients actualize their preferred identities in all aspects of their lives and process any relational or spiritual traumas that they may have faced throughout their lives.

Therapy is something you have probably contemplated for awhile. It takes a lot of courage to work on tough issues that are making your life less fulfilling than you have envisioned. People seek counseling for different reasons. It can be something from your past that you feel it is time to work on, relationship disharmony, or help finding your direction and motivation to reach your goals. I work with you to overcome whatever blocks are in the way of living the life you want to live.The important thing is to bring more joy into your life.

One of the bravest and kindest things we can do for ourselves is to ask for help. Maybe you’re here because you’re feeling stuck and lonely, or imperfect and messy, or maybe you feel disconnected from others and yourself. Maybe this is a difficult season or it has been many difficult seasons. Whoever you may be and whatever reason brought you here, I believe that you are here because somewhere inside you also feel a sense of hope, longing, or possibility that things can be different. In my practice, I seek to create a space that allows you to unfold into becoming more compassionately connected with yourself and others.

I am committed to creating a warm, inclusive, and compassionate environment where you are supported in becoming your best self. I specialize and am certified in Perinatal Mental Health, which just means I work primarily with those seeking support for issues related to prenatal, pregnancy, and postpartum periods. This may include: life transitions, relational challenges, trauma, pregnancy, birth, postpartum period, infertility, reproductive losses and early years of parenting. I also work with those who have relationship concerns, anxiety, depression, and highly sensitive and/or empathetic persons.

I work often with clients on issues such as learning to set and hold boundaries, unpacking codependency, and understanding why they are unhappy in relationships. We all find ourselves repeating behaviors and patterns that once helped but begin to no longer work for us. Often my clients are in a stuck place, a life transition, grieving a loss, or wanting to change relational patterns. Other areas of interest and experience include identifying and addressing current patterns of abuse or healing from past abuse (emotional, sexual, physical, spiritual).

My passion is to motivate, educate and support the deepest level of healing and highest level of achievement available to my clients, personally, professionally and in their relationships. I assist my clients in healing long standing issue as they move through difficult life circumstances with a deeper understanding and appreciation of themselves and others. Utilizing my training in fitness, holistic nutrition, & personal growth combined with over 20 years experience in mental health, I feel uniquely qualified to assist my clients in understanding and healing their "whole being". I'm licensed and have practices in WA and CA.

There are times in life that leave us feeling uncertain about who we are and what direction to take next. While these periods can be difficult to navigate, they can be times of deep transformation. As your therapist, I will support you in developing curiosity and deepening clarity around your decisions, your relationships, and your internal experience. From a place of collaboration and warmth, I will work with you to navigate life’s obstacles, meet your challenges, and take steps towards reconnecting with your most authentic Self.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist and have been working as a psychotherapist for over 25 years. My orientation is psychodynamic and relational, which means that I view psychotherapy as a collaboration between therapist and client focused on exploring thoughts and feelings as they emerge in the context of a therapeutic relationship. Ultimately, successful psychotherapy may alleviate suffering, increase self-awareness, help one enjoy a broader range of emotional experience, and enhance one's ability to engage more fully in relationships with others.

Even though it may not seem like it, often times our symptoms are messengers from a deep part of our own psyche, sent to inform us that we need to find new ways of relating to ourselves and those around us in order to reach our next level of growth. My philosophy is one of wholeness; our bodies, emotions, thoughts, and background work in unison to inform our present experience. It is my goal to help you find more flexibility within your experience, so that you can move towards the life that you truly want to be living.