Integrity • Compassion • Curiosity
As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and a National Certified Counselor (NCC), my goal is to support you through difficult times and assist you in making positive changes in your life. I love what I do, and I am consistently amazed at the strength and resilience of my clients. My counseling practice is grounded in my personal sense of integrity, the underlying compassion with which I approach every client, and the curiosity I maintain as we work together to understand and answer the questions you bring to therapy.
You need someone you can trust and rely on as your therapist, and you want to see someone with a strong educational background and training. I received my Master’s degree (M.Ed.) in Counseling from Wake Forest University in 1991, after graduating from Davidson College in 1987. Along with being licensed to practice counseling in Washington State, I am also licensed as a North Carolina Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).
The theoretical basis for my work is grounded in family systems theory, cognitive behavioral therapy, attachment theory, and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) I use EMDR work to help my clients process current and past traumatic events. I also integrate elements of mindfulness meditation into my counseling to help give clients skills that can be used to manage daily stress and help calm the mind.
My approach to counseling draws significantly on my experience working at Family Services, where I counseled older adolescents, college-age students, adults, couples and families. I also have experience working in independent-school counseling, where I spent the majority of my time helping students and families manage issues related to anxiety, peer relationships, dealing with losses, and family dynamics.
As a Seattle psychotherapist in private practice, I help clients identify particular thought patterns and reactive behaviors that prevent them from getting what they want in life, and that is the beginning of making change happen. As human beings, I believe we do the best we can when we cope with pain and frustration, but often those coping skills become the very things that prevent us from having the relationships we want and need. Change is possible, and having someone acting as a guide along the way is often all we need to create lasting change.
I provide counseling and support for many issues, and I welcome you to meet with me to discuss how I can help you. Areas of specific expertise for me are the following:
- Relationship Challenges
- Parenting
- Anxiety
- Grief and Loss
- Dealing with Chronic Illness
- Life Transitions (Relocating, Aging Parents, Career Change)
- Trauma
- Depression
- Academic or Professional Stress
- Women’s Issues (Pregnancy, Infertility, Pregnancy Loss, Postpartum Adjustment)
