Therapists in Rainier Valley, Seattle, WA

Changes in relationships and life circumstances can bring about challenging feelings. I see folx for individual, couples, and sex therapy to help people navigate: high couples conflict, communication issues, trauma, anxiety, avoidance, trust issues, shame, infidelity/betrayal, desire discrepancy, erectile dysfunction, sexual avoidance and more. My clients usually begin therapy feeling stuck and fed up of where they are and are looking to learn, change, and transition to a place where they are satisfied in their relationships and have greater clarity, confidence, and peace within themselves.

I imagine that you are looking for a safe and trusting place to explore some of the issues that lead you to seek therapy. You may be seeking a non-pathologizing framework to help you focus inward and acknowledge how the burdens from the past might be playing a role in your current life. You may also be seeking a place to explore the meaning of your life and who you are at the core. I seek to offer a space for you to access a deeper understanding of yourself.

I work with people who are experiencing challenges around anxiety, depression, sex, intimacy, and trauma. I am particularly drawn to clients who are committed to personal growth and want to deepen their experience of life. I truly believe that we all have the capacity to lead fuller lives with more ease and a greater sense of safety. I have been a social worker for more than 20 years and live in Seattle with my family. I identify as gay, white and cis-male and enjoy working with couples, including those in open and poly relationships.

Through my life and work experience, I learned to view my work through the lens of anti-oppression: I acknowledge the impact that systemic, cultural, and societal expectations have on our daily existence and sense of self. We all carry with us a unique set of intersecting identities, which, taken together, influence our life experiences and shape our worldview. I believe that the foundation of mental health exists in the exploration of these identities and the radical acceptance of our whole selves.

My approach is tailored to meet your goals and may include helping you solve your problems, develop your strengths, and provide skills to increase your daily life effectiveness. Often, this process involves giving attention to the thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and experiences that hinder living a balanced and meaningful life. My deliverance when working with clients is client-centered, collaborative, and non-judgmental.

I became a therapist because I want to join with clients as they heal from pain and trauma. People need support for many reasons, some relatively simple and some so complicated as to seem unbearable. Psychotherapy is not only for people with severe illnesses or trauma but for people who feel stuck with their relationships, their careers, their friendships or have experiences that have a major impact on their daily lives and functioning.

Therapy is not an easy process, which is why building a strong therapeutic relationship is so important, no matter who the client is. It is my goal to create a safe, comfortable and non-judgmental space where clients can learn to have difficult conversations, experience rupture and repair, and find safety even in pain or discomfort. Therapy should be a place you want to come to, even when it is hard. If that is not the case, then I am not doing a good enough job.

I am a relationship and sex therapist who works with couples, groups, and individuals. I offer therapy in person in Seward Park, and online. My goal is to create an warm environment that centers your unique lived experience - you are the expert of your life. I hope to support your goals for therapy such as increasing connection, intimacy, knowledge of self, acceptance, growth, and healing. I work with all gender, sexual, romantic and relationship identities. I am sex positive and HAES-aligned.

Welcome! I am here to support and encourage you through the trials and joys of your life experiences. It is an honor and privilege to be allowed into the deep and private areas of your life. Many of my clients enter therapy after a life crisis such as a death or illness, a change in season, a break-up, family struggles, the effect of an addiction, identity issues, spiritual struggles or simply patterns of worry or regret. My desire is to sit with those who are hurting and to walk alongside those who are on a journey towards healing, wholeness, or personal growth.

I am very open and accepting. I will believe your experiences and help you navigate a world that is neither just nor equitable. I focus on being kind, curious, and compassionate, rather than judgmental of your experiences and challenges.

Are you creative? In transition? Depressed? Different? Parenting? Re-discovering YOU? Are you wanting to make changes in your life or to heal from old wounds? Do you want to develop self-compassion? Do you want to learn how to be present for your life, to learn mindfulness to help you through the tough times? If so, let’s see if we can create a compassionate, interactive and authentic therapeutic relationship to work collaboratively towards healing. In therapy, I can help you identify your goals, look at what is and isn't working for you, explore your stories, emotions, and experiences (past and present), develop new skills, and embrace your learning styles and talents. I also provide consultation and supervision to therapists.

I welcome people who are facing any number of challenges including life transitions such as divorce, job loss, illness, death of a loved one; all shifting the ground beneath us in dramatic ways. What worked no longer works. My trMy training as a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher complements training and practice in psychotherapy addressing a dysregulated emotion system resulting in various symptoms such as anxiety, panic, depression, and identity disturbance and sometimes even a desire to die or hurt oneself. There can be a painful sense of isolation and feeling unmoored. There is a way out; first understanding, then tools to heal.

With a mindful and compassionate approach, I provide individual, family and couples counseling on a wide range of topics including depression and anxiety, self-esteem, relational trauma, conflict resolution, identity issues, perinatal struggles, and the transition to new parenthood. My ideal clients span across age groups, encompassing children, teens, and adults who are seeking greater self-understanding and inner wholeness. With a a passion for fostering deeper and more fulfilling relationships, I offer a safe and nurturing space for individuals and families to explore and grow.

My specialties include anxiety, depression, shame, ADHD, and trauma healing. I integrate existential, person-centered, and somatic modalities into my practice. Together we can identify your strengths and values so you can live your life with a strong sense of meaning. You may be looking for a therapist for a variety of reasons, such as living with grief, feeling stuck, relationship conflicts, depression, stress, trauma... Whatever brings you here, I hope to help.

Do you feel broken? Do you struggle to feel connected and present in relationships? Are you often stuck in numbness or struggle with intense emotions and don't know how to cope? You long to decrease the daily distress you experience and I can help you get there. I help people move from surviving to thriving. I am successful at what I do and I can help you become more empowered to improve your mental health and your relationships.

I am in awe of the function of human beings as story-tellers and meaning-makers. The meaning you make from your experience is important and valuable. Sometimes the meaning made from an experience can be a barrier; to intimacy, to growth, to happiness. Undergoing psychotherapy can be a highly rewarding and beneficial process to explore yourself. Therapy is taking a moment to step out of the role of ‘doing’ in order to just ‘be’ so to reflect on your current life, especially as it is informed by the past. Encouraging self-awareness and, in particular, self-acceptance, are ongoing goals that are the cornerstones of the work I do.

I work with teens, couples, and adults. I believe that psychotherapy offers unique possibilities for healing and growth. The first step in therapy is to understand your needs and develop an approach and plan that will help achieve your goals. I will listen carefully and thoughtfully to you. This opens up new ways of approaching problems. Working together lightens the load.

Currently accepting new clients. I work with people living with trauma, depression and the struggle to love the body he/she/they live in with Yoga Therapy. I am passionate about working with people to embody and hold all the aspects of themselves with loving kindness, compassion and resilience. Many of the people I work with come in with beliefs of "there is something wrong with me," or "I am not good enough." As a dually trained licensed mental health therapist and certified yoga therapist I approach mental health from a holistic and body-centered framework.

My practice has a special focus on women of color and their relationships with their children, partners and families. I look forward to working with those who are motivated to explore, express, understand and love themselves while creating positive life changes. Sometimes our past continues to impact our present life. Other times life creates conflict and tension for us and our families. For BIPOC there's the stress of navigating racial bias, discrimination and racism in our world. And of course, intergenerational trauma adds another challenge to our healing journeys. I feel honored to walk this path with you!