Divorce Therapists in Lake Forest Park, WA

I'm an individual and family therapist who enjoys helping adolescents and adults cope with life changes and traumatic experiences. Some issues I help clients with include: healing from abuse, divorce, school difficulties, parenting challenges, domestic violence, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, and coping with chronic illness. I work to provide my clients with a safe and comfortable space to talk as well as to provide them with tools to help get through difficult times and situations. I am experienced in working with clients from the LGBTQ community, as well as those in non-traditional family/relationship structures.

I am a licensed Marriage (Couple) and Family Therapist and an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor with over 30 years of experience helping individuals, couples, and families from a broad range of ethnic, cultural, physical health, gender, socio-economic and sexual diversity. My experience includes many persons and families challenged by high conflict and multiple interlaced problems. I have extensive experience helping children, teens, and adults struggling with anxiety, depression, and the impact of grief, trauma and challenging relationships and/or a family member's chemical dependency.

Childhood is a sacred time yet our children are facing many challenges and choices as they try to navigate growing into the best and healthiest version of themselves. I provide support and a safe place for parents to be real about their hopes and fears and work with children in a way that celebrates their strengths. In our sessions together I will bring over 25 yrs of experience as a counselor serving children and families (outpatient & in schools) and 23 yrs of learning and personal growth raising two children. I have hand-picked each item in my therapy office to help meet the needs of my clients.

I am passionate about supporting individuals, couples, and families as they navigate life's challenges and transitions. My practice focuses on helping clients develop effective coping strategies to overcome challenges related to anxiety, depression, relationships, and family dynamics. As an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, my primary areas of focus include: distress related to attachment, identity, and adjustment issues, as well as communication difficulties, relationship concerns, healing from traumatic experiences, and family dynamics.

The problems and desires you bring to therapy are invitations to heal and grow. I'll help you respond to those invitations with creativity, vitality, and hope. Jung wrote that "The greatest and most important problems in life can never be solved, only outgrown." Such problems, he continued, "fade when confronted with a new and stronger life urge." I'll help you find those new, stronger, deeper, more authentic parts of yourself, and bring them to life.

In psychotherapy much depends upon the rapport. You must feel comfortable with the therapist and hopeful about the therapy. When you feel this way, therapy is more likely to be helpful to you. I have been practicing clinical psychology since 1977. I focus on the interplay between our internal world and our relations with others. Not restricted to one approach, I integrate a range of useful change strategies including interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral. Psychotherapy is both an educational process and an interpersonal process. Each person’s experience is unique. I have special interest in eating disorders, relationship disturbances, depression, and stress.

I have over 20 years of experience working as a mental health counselor in the State of Washington. My areas of expertise include individual, couple, and family therapy. My specialties are PTSD, trauma, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and substance abuse. Also, I have been facilitating different groups for 20 years and a DBT group for 9 years. All of the clients who have committed themself to this DBT class have learned some specific DBT skills that they can apply in their daily lives when they feel depressed or anxious.

I view therapy as a collaborative relationship. By providing a respectful, judgment-free atmosphere, I hope you will feel comfortable sharing the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that are concerning to you. Through this cooperative and supportive process, my goal is that you will better understand and have compassion for yourself. It is my privilege to work with couples, individuals, families and clients in nontraditional relationships to help navigate life's challenges. I believe in a holistic approach to therapy and I use a variety of techniques from biological, psychosocial, sexual and spiritual perspectives.