My Approach
My approach combines humanist, existential, and cognitive therapies. This means that in our sessions I will listen not only to what you talk about but also to how you observe and make meaning of the world in which you live. I will support you through an ongoing process of identifying the goals of your therapy and the pace at which change takes place.
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Your goals might include improving relationships at home or at work, feeling more creative with your career or in your relationships, understanding the sources of your fear, anger, or depression and moving from them, or getting "unstuck" in your life.
If you wish, I can help you explore your stories and your patterns of thinking and feeling through writing or other creative expression. Above all, I believe that you, not I, hold the key to your growth and that emotional pain and anxiety, when given respect and non-judgmental attention, can often provide some of the best opportunities for learning.
As a part of my practice with you, I will consult with a small group of licensed and professional psychotherapists in confidential sessions about the work we do together. This enables me to draw on the rich insight and experience of my peers. My consultation group is guided by the same Code of Ethics that I adhere to in my private practice.
If you wish, I can help you explore your stories and your patterns of thinking and feeling through writing or other creative expression. Above all, I believe that you, not I, hold the key to your growth and that emotional pain and anxiety, when given respect and non-judgmental attention, can often provide some of the best opportunities for learning.
As a part of my practice with you, I will consult with a small group of licensed and professional psychotherapists in confidential sessions about the work we do together. This enables me to draw on the rich insight and experience of my peers. My consultation group is guided by the same Code of Ethics that I adhere to in my private practice.
Education and Experience
Since 2002, I have counseled adults, couples, and groups in community mental health and medical clinics, as well as in my private practice. I have also conducted in-depth research on trauma, hopelessness, empathy, and intimacy. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Washington, which is the culmination of a number of years of intensively supervised one-on-one work with clients. I continue to take classes and workshops, as well as to consult with my colleagues, in order to remain current in my field.
I hold a Masters of Arts in clinical Psychology from Seattle University (2003) and I also have a doctorate in American literature from the University of Washington (1997).
I came to my work as a psychotherapist after thirteen years of teaching creative writing and literature and I have taught in the English, Psychology, and Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies departments at Seattle University for the past twenty years.
In addition to finding wonderful opportunities for connecting with and learning from others as a psychotherapist and a professor, I find profound meaning in raising my children, engaging in a variety of local communities, and exploring the beautiful natural world within and surrounding Seattle, where I have lived for thirty years.
I hold a Masters of Arts in clinical Psychology from Seattle University (2003) and I also have a doctorate in American literature from the University of Washington (1997).
I came to my work as a psychotherapist after thirteen years of teaching creative writing and literature and I have taught in the English, Psychology, and Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies departments at Seattle University for the past twenty years.
In addition to finding wonderful opportunities for connecting with and learning from others as a psychotherapist and a professor, I find profound meaning in raising my children, engaging in a variety of local communities, and exploring the beautiful natural world within and surrounding Seattle, where I have lived for thirty years.