My Approach to Helping
I believe that one of the major components of the change process with the people I have the privilege to work with is to empower them to first see the possibility of change. I approach this by helping them identify their strengths, work alongside them to adaptlearn new skills and assist them to connect those strengths with the skills learned to create change in their attitude, their thinking, their actions and their relationships. My practice stands on core beliefs of serving you with Respect, Insight, Compassion and Empathy. You are free to be yourself, but I will challenge you to be your best self
My Therapy Focus
I am certified in Functional Family Therapy and have worked as a Family Therapist for the Snohomish County Juvenile Justice System, counseling troubled adolescents and their families. This gave me a solid background in counseling adolescents boys and young men struggling to find their place in the world. This Family Systems expertise often applies to my couples work as well.
My approach to couples counseling is to create a safe place where each person can feel hard and investigate why these conflicts are happening, and, in a non-judgmental way, to bring awareness of the negative patterns and why they are occurring.
From there we can find ways to bridge the gulf between partners and begin transforming an unhealthy pattern of conflict to one of supportive, fulfilling partnership. In this process we'll work cooperatively to forge a path that brings you from to a place of respect instead of resentment, mutual support instead of alienation, and empathy instead of isolation.
For individual clients, I'll often pull from many different counseling approaches such as existentialism, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). Existentialism is a model that emphasizes the process of making meaning out of life, and is appropriate for those seeking guidance in developing that meaning. For others, CBT and ACT are appropriate approaches. They are both evidenced-based, goal-oriented approaches that help people recognize and change unhelpful thinking patterns and explore how their behavior, emotions, and thoughts are connected and can be changed to improve our lives dramatically.
Clinicians who offer sliding scale payment structures may offer lower or reduced fees based on an individual's ability to pay. Please contact this clinician for more details regarding their fees or sliding scale policy.