Therapists in Ballard, Seattle, WA

In the heart of ecotherapy lies the belief that nature has the capacity to foster emotional well-being and personal growth. I specialize in supporting motivated individuals overcome a range of challenges, including grief, stress, anxiety, depression, climate-related concerns, and the complexities of living in a fast-paced modern world. By integrating evidence-based therapeutic techniques with the natural environment, I guide my clients toward greater self-awareness, resilience, and a profound sense of connection with the world around them.

Dawn Kenner provides comprehensive psychotherapy services to adults, children, and families struggling with emotional and psychological problems. She offers multiple treatment modalities to assist with the unique needs of clients and their concerns. Her approach is warm, genuine, and collaborative, creating a safe and supportive environment to assist an individual with their needs and treatment goals. Treatment goals are created to offer you guidance and support as you identify and resolve problems, improve relationships, and gain an increased feeling of empowerment.

I understand how important it is to feel like you can authentically be yourself in therapy. The therapeutic relationship is the most important part of any therapy process. When working with me, we'll do the hard therapy work BUT we'll also make jokes, laugh, find things we have in common, celebrate our differences & move through the many emotions that come with being human. Relationships and our connections drive so much of our development over our lifetime. The relationship we often work on the least is the one with ourselves - yet, this one might be the most important.

My goal is to assist my clients in navigating challenging situations and working towards self-acceptance and conquering personal growth. I focus not only on the individual, but on the whole family system as well as systemic challenges throughout my work with kids, teens, adults, couples, and families. I bring a unique perspective that involves decades of personal and professional experience in my work with neurodivergent clients around communication and developing the skills and the understanding to be successful socially, emotionally, and relationally.

I am now offering ketamine assisted therapy in my practice. I have an online ketamine group starting March 25, 2024! Is this you? You’re frustrated because you thought you had a plan for your life, and things aren't working out the way you hoped. You feel guilty for being drained all the time. You look like you have it all together from the outside, but you’re falling apart on the inside. You’re scared that if you say no, you’ll lose important relationships. You’ve tried talk therapy and are ready for something deeper.

As a psychotherapist I believe in creating a safe and welcoming environment for people to feel and express their emotions and dialogue about their realities. Meeting the client where they are at and working together to build insight and awareness towards creating a more fulfilled life is my main goal in therapy. I assist clients who are facing a wide range of issues including: suicidal ideation, grief and loss, trauma, depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, eating disorders, and spiritual concerns in taking steps towards healing.

I specialize in helping deep feelers and thinkers heal past wounds, generational and belonging trauma, and break cycles that feel overwhelming in order to live a life aligned with your passions, dreams and values. We co-create a space to work on a profound level so you can actualize your healing potential and experience the wellness you desire. If you value community impact and want to contribute to collective healing, we need to address our own wounds and patterns. It is possible to experience relief, confidence, and feel grounded and aligned in yourself, your relationships and life. Now offering ADHD/ASD assessments for adults.

Are you in midlife or older and experiencing anxiety, depression, grief or loneliness? Perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed as a caregiver? Would you like to: cope and build on your resilience during challenging times, go beyond merely surviving to experiencing psychological well-being and finding ways to live with vitality as you age, more fully savor and appreciate the gifts of age with mindfulness and self-compassion, thrive in life, expressing your unique wisdom and connection to the world?

Usually, people seek therapy during their most vulnerable states. As a therapist, I view it as a true honor to be a part of your life in these times, whatever it may be. I hope to help you receive healing during your therapy journey. Whether you are seeking help for yourself or for your teen or child, I genuinely believe in the possibilities and resiliency of all my clients. I enjoy working with a diverse population of people including children, teens, families, and adults. Additionally, I am passionate about helping people in the perinatal stage and those seeking healing from traumatic events.

Unfortunately, I am not accepting new clients at this time - please contact me if you'd like to be on my waitlist. I believe that everyone has the ability to heal from complex life situations with the help of a supportive ally. Whether it be evaluating your intimate relationships, managing high anxiety that just keeps getting in your way, or finding someone to help your kid or teen deal with emotions - I'm ready to do that complex work. I strive to cultivate the safest space for people to process all that the world throws their way. I honor that the therapeutic process includes genuine acceptance and a healthy dose of humor.

My passion lies in supporting people to learn the skills necessary to live their best life at every stage. There are times in life when a professional perspective is needed, and my goal is to provide for psychosocial and emotional healing, helping to navigate difficult circumstances and provide for a supportive environment where each individual can achieve growth and fulfillment on their terms.

Do you ever feel that you may be getting in the way of yourself in your efforts to live a rich and fulfilling life? Maybe you feel unmotivated or disconnected from a sense of joy. Often, this results from a lack of clarity about what matters most to you or even well-intentioned efforts to escape feelings of pain and suffering. I believe that a rich, meaning-filled life includes both incredible highs and inevitable lows. Through the lens of that belief, I seek to help people mindfully, authentically, and compassionately embrace the range of ups and downs that they experience in their lives. Through this, true healing can occur.

Did you grow up in a controlling religious environment? Did you receive shaming messages leaving you to feel divided on the inside? These experiences can be confusing, making it difficult to know who you really are or what you want out of life. Even though you’ve left the church where you grew up, you still feel shame, guilt, anger, and more. Your family relationships are strained because you no longer fit in with the family culture. These problems have negatively affected the way you interact with romantic partners, authority figures at work, and even with your own body.

Before therapy, most people have identified emotions and behaviors that they have tried to change. When these efforts are not successful, there are often blind spots or important ties to unresolved, and sometime unrecognized, issues from the past. I work collaboratively to define the problem, identify patterns and their sources, and then to uncover new options. Since my former practice was in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA, I have worked extensively with students and young adults. Often I use family theory in working with an individuals to increase awareness of options within relationships and with his/her family. .

Finding yourself amidst the chaos of work, parenting, relationships, and life in general can be tricky. You might know that you need some attention, but it feels impossible (or even wrong) to prioritize yourself. Perhaps you're afraid to slow down and deal with those things that you routinely push aside - tough relationships, work and career, hard decisions, your past. Whatever might be bringing you here, you are deserving of a space to connect with yourself and generate movement toward growth, healing, and positive change.

Relational in nature, my approach to therapy is rooted in witness and connection. I believe that healing is the result of being truly seen by a compassionate other. In our time together, you can expect me to set all judgements aside in order to create space for your unique complexities to unfold. In this opened clearing, we will do the work of therapeutic integration so you can rediscover that sense of wholeness that was always there even when obscured.

There is power in our voices, and we deserve spaces where we can learn to feel safe expressing our pain, our hopes and our truth. I consider it my life's work to help create sacred spaces for those seeking ways to let go of the weight of their trauma and/or simply learn how to live life well and more authentically. Trust fostered in therapeutic relationships can open doors for increased self-awareness and self-love, inviting you to create healthier beliefs about yourself, your relationships, your life, your choices and your potential.

Implementing a client-centered and trauma-informed, I support clients on their mental health journey through empathic understanding, empowerment, and a belief in their ability to evolve and heal. I value cultural humility, a lifelong process that involves acknowledging my limitations as a counselor, suspension of judgment, meeting clients where they are, and respecting diverse experiences and points of view.

I work with people who face challenges with relationships, self-esteem, depression, anxiety, mood disorders, grief, substance abuse, traumatic experiences, and difficult life transitions. Therapy can help you gain insight that can enable you to move beyond obstacles that keep you from having a more fulfilling life. I use an integrative approach to psychotherapy, respecting the goals of each client and her/his specific preferences.