Psychoanalytic Therapists in Seattle, WA

My therapeutic orientation encourages me to see people as unique individuals who have particular strengths. While building on these strengths, we focus on issues in their past and current relationships that are causing difficulties. Within the context of an empathic and confidential relationship, psychological growth and comfort are possible.

I am passionate about helping you reach your potential. We accomplish this together through a psychoanalytic, interpersonal, mind-body-spirit integration that draws on your strengths and resources. I believe psychoanalysis and psychotherapy are not about fixing what is wrong, but about using what is working well for you and deepening your skills to increase your health, well-being, and overall freedom and flexibility. I care deeply about providing excellent care, and trying out new ways of relating and understanding yourself that will lead you to optimize your health and connections with others.

My practice is comprised of individuals and couples. I see adults, adolescents, and children who are managing a range of issues from anxiety and depression, to relationship issues, to trauma. The couples I work with are often struggling with feeling disconnected and unheard by their partner and are seeking help to regain connection in their relationship that has been compromised or lost over time.

Life does not always flow smoothly. The past, the present, or the future can seem unclear or full of obstacles. People can get stuck, feel trapped, and the road forward is not always in plain sight. There is always a way forward. In my counseling work I am dedicated to helping people advance towards being their optimal selves, towards self-acceptance, and towards achieving their most impossible goals. With experience and specialized training in couples counseling, with mental health disorders, families, and in crisis situations, I utilize the therapeutic relationship in all of my work.

Welcome. Are you looking for more joy and better relationships? My training has taught me to help people examine and describe the life they have, identifying areas in which they are "stuck," and reconnect to the life-goals that motivated them. Sometimes this stuckness has to do with certain feelings, sometimes it is about past traumas, often it shows up as repeating patterns in significant relationships, and sometimes it manifests as a malaise in which a direction in life seems impossible to find.

My style is warm, genuine and open. Together we will take the time to listen to your inner and outer experience in order to better understand and attend to your unspoken needs, injuries, fears, and uncertainties. I work with individuals experiencing anxiety, trauma, depression, relationship issues, relationship breakup, career and workplace issues, life transitions, abandonment, co-dependency, and loss and grief.

As a Doctoral Candidate supervised by Jeff Grant, Ph.D., owner of Portage Bay Clinic, my practice has been reliably successful with individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, grief, anticipatory grief, trauma, and PTSD. I have extensive experience as a mental health advocate for disabled and underserved individuals. Informed by depth psychological and relational psychoanalytic approaches, my goal remains to act as a guide identifying strategies and highlighting solutions to access inner strength, and tap into sources including insight, courage, and resilience critical in making important mental health and lifestyle changes.

My healing begins from a place of connection and an appreciation of your potential and the power we have to impact each other. I will support you in your search for greater meaning, emotional awareness and empowerment in a world that can be overwhelming and isolating. We will begin a thoughtful exploration of how your past experiences and relationships impact you presently. Together we can uncover and co-create new meanings out of your experiences, and these new understandings can give you the power to relate differently to yourself and others.

Are you looking for attuned support to explore your struggles? Do you wish to become mindful of how your life history impacts your present experience? Are you interested in intuitive and spiritual practices, and holistic supports (including food, herbs)? If these questions resonate with you, reach out to me! I offer relationship-focused therapy, drawing from wisdom traditions and holistic approaches.

Is there a part of you that feels like something is missing? Like you’re not in touch with your full self or even your ‘true’ self? Perhaps meaning feels distant and your emotional inner world feels difficult to put words to. When these troubling feelings and thoughts arise, life asks us to slow down and get to the root of the issue. In therapy we will do just that. Whether you are working through a difficult relationship, experiencing paralyzing existential dread, or emotional pain manifesting in your body, you deserve the space to get to know yourself on a deeper level and allow for a much needed deep emotional release.

I provide an honest and compassionate space for you to grow your understanding of yourself, who you have been, and who you are becoming. Whether you are finding yourself repeating a pattern that you'd like to change, feeling overwhelmed or out of control, or simply looking for a place of support, therapy is somewhere you can grow an authentic connection with yourself and others.

Grappling with anxiety, depression, grief or a significant life transition can feel all consuming. Even if you have good support in your life, these experiences can exhaust your energies and feel isolating. It may be hard to see beyond a current painful time, or imagine things can feel different. In our therapy relationship, I will hold these challenges with care, and try to help you grow, find deeper meaning, peace, clarity, and ultimately more of yourself. It’s my belief that the therapy relationship invites more creative and authentic capacities to navigating life's inevitable changes and challenges.

The Only Cure Is Strength. Our work together will focus on your needs. Psychoanalytic Therapy, integrated with other perspectives, is a powerful and effective way to help individuals and couples address life's most urgent issues. Together we can work through, overcome, or improve: Depression, stress and anxiety, Love and intimate relationships, Family conflict resolution, Sexuality and body image, Parent-child conflicts, Drug abuse and eating disorders, Balancing work and personal life, Managing emotions effectively, Strengthening the will/ego, Artistic and athletic creativity, and Creation of meaning. Every effort in therapy should be focused on achieving an aesthetic self-creation.

Welcome to a space where transformation begins, and the promise of a brighter future awaits. I work with individuals seeking profound change. My ideal client is someone ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery. Clients who resonate with my approach often seek a therapist grounded in curiosity, compassion, strength, and insight. They are drawn to a methodology influenced by attachment theory, psychoanalytic theory, somatic work, nervous system regulation, and neurobiology.

My work is ideal for people who have a desire to understand themselves more fully, and who are interested in exploring stuck patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior that cause suffering to themselves and the people in their lives. I work with clients experiencing anxiety and depression, grief and loss, relationship difficulties, life transitions, and issues around identity, including sexuality and gender issues. I also work with clients who are grappling with existential issues of meaning and mortality. I focus on the cultivation of awareness and acceptance in the safe environment of a compassionate therapeutic relationship.

**CURRENTLY OFFERING TELETHERAPY SESSIONS in ARIZONA & WASHINGTON** Relationships can be challenging, particularly the ones that are most important to us. We want to feel known, connected and loved but often end up hurt and lonely, stuck in patterns which aren't working. Relational pain can show up as anxiety, fear, depression or grief among other things. I have extensive training in Psychodyamic Therapy. I have also learned directly from masters in the field of Couples Therapy: John & Julie Gottman and Phil Ringstrom to address these very issues.

Seeking therapy can be a daunting process, while also being one step toward greater wholeness/healing. Relationship is where we are both wounded and healed. I work with individuals seeking relief from distressing symptoms such as; demanding too much of yourself, finding it hard to trust self, trust your own experience, self-soothing through addictive behaviors, pleasing others at your own expense, anxiety, depression, CPTSD. Our patterns of relating develop early within our first attachments, so our journey might include visiting some of those relationships to wonder how they impact you in the here and now.

Pain is the best teacher, but often it can be difficult to understand what emotional pain is trying to speak. It may be trying to get your attention through an unwanted behavior, an unbearable feeling, or an unbreakable thought pattern. It may show itself in repeated relational dysfunction, addiction, or disturbances in mood or sleep. I find I work well with people who are exhausted from trying to manage or control emotional pain, and are ready to face it holistically and head-on. I also help people suffering from complicated and acute psychological problems which have not responded well to other therapy treatments.

As your therapist, I will work with you in order to alleviate suffering and develop insight. Sessions take place in a confidential and safe space where you will be met with empathy, compassion, and acceptance. I believe people can change and that times of crisis may offer the opportunity to experience new ways of being in the world, new relationships, and a more authentic and meaningful life. Professional membership and affiliation: -The Alliance for Psychoanalytic Study: Member of the Education Committee - Northwestern Psychoanalytic Society & Institute - PSG Psychotherapy Network - The Center for Object Relations - Northwest Family Development Center