Marriage Counseling Therapists in Ellensburg, WA

Today you may be one step closer to a new you where you feel empowered and on a positive path to growth and well-being. With over ten years of experience, I serve a broad spectrum of clients. With compassion and understanding, I work with each individual to help them build on their strengths and attain the personal growth they are committed to accomplishing. Areas of most common practice include affirmative counseling for LGBTQIA+ (youth and adults), family conflict, and couples issues.

I have been a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist for 34 years and helping heal families in my private practice for 24. I specialize in many areas such as child abuse, domestic violence, adoption and infertility related issues, grief, anxiety, depression, addiction, communication training and fair fighting techniques. Many clients come for short, solution focused therapy. I welcome everyone, despite gender, age, ethnicity, religion or sexual preference. My goal is to make the client feel welcome from the moment they arrive, until the time they leave with information that can immediately make a difference in their life.

Although I treat a variety of psychological conditions, I have three main specialty areas. First, I specialize in treating children and adolescents with emotional and/or behavior problems such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, poor school performance, non compliant behavior, substance abuse, and emotional trauma from domestic violence or sexual abuse. I also specialize in working with children, families, and adults who are struggling with issues related to divorce and re-marriage. My third specialty area is treating relationship and marital problems.

Life is sometimes complicated and issues can arise that are often times overwhelming. We all are striving to do our best and reaching out for support and help during difficult times is one of the most courageous things we can do...we are not meant to do this alone. Trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship and family issues along side the wounds we carry with us keep us from connecting in real authentic and healthy ways with each other and with ourselves. I believe you are the true expert of yourself and together we will walk this journey to healing, self-compassion, and safe connections.

Life can be hard. It can be helpful to have someone to talk to while working through a challenging issue, in order to continue growing and developing as a person or in relationship with another. Together, we can explore new ways to approach your concerns, look deeper for underlying causes and meaning, brainstorm realistic ways to begin making changes, stay motivated, and practice holding on less tightly to those aspects of life that are out of one's control. I offer nearly 20 years of experience helping a diverse variety of people, from under three years old to over 80 years old.

I'm naturally interested in how people experience their lives and how they achieve self fulfilment and secure happy family and personal relationships. What I do is help people realize their goals by finding out what they want and need out of life, and then work with them to solve the parts of their lives that cause them frustration or pain. My approach helps individuals and couples problem solve and identify what is blocking them from creating a great relationship or what is stopping them from moving on with their lives after a crisis, loss or divorce.

We are an outpatient mental health practice that provides psychotherapy, assessment, dietetics, and medication management. We offer in-person and virtual appointments. Our staff includes psychologists, a psychiatric ARNP, licensed mental health counselors, social workers and a registered dietician. Our clinicians are experienced, utilize evidence-based techniques, and offer clinical specialties.

We live in unprecedented times of political turmoil, climate crisis, and a widening wealth gap that can leave us exhausted and deeply concerned for the future. Your unique personal struggles occur within this context. You may find yourself anxious, depressed, or angry, perhaps even feeling guilty for seeking help for yourself when others are suffering worldwide. You may find yourself falling back into old and painful patterns even as you yearn for equanimity, balance, and a richer life. For over 25 years I’ve offered a non-judgmental and compassionate space for exploration of the dilemmas with which you struggle.

I see couples, individuals, and families. I have tremendous faith in each person's ability to heal given proper opportunity and guidance. I practice in a small town and see all kinds of people with a range of challenges. I am lucky to have done my initial years of practice in a large community mental health setting which exposed me to a wide variety of patients with the full range of difficulties. Offering my support to people as they struggle with deeply personal issues is its own reward and I find this work very satisfying.

My ideal client is motivated to change, but struggling to find the right path for them. The issues facing them are usually falling into patterns of thinking or behaving that may have served a purpose at some point, but no longer do. I work together to develop their goals and check in regularly to get feedback about the process. I like to develop a connection and share positive reframes of their perceptions, primarily. My reflections help them take objective steps toward reaching their goals. My clients are looking for an objective outsider to share ideas with in order to change the way they think, act and feel.

I am a therapist who enjoys working with couples, individuals, and youth ages 11-17 . Marginalized folx are my specialty: Queer / GNC / Neurodivergent, POC. My goal is to help you find a better understanding of who you are and who you want to become and then together we will chart a path forward. When I work with couples, I consider your relationship the client. My couples therapy work is from an emotionally focused, trauma informed, and attachment style lens. With all of my clients I find it helpful to examine how your historical and present contexts impact your relationship with yourself and others.

Creative Hypnosis LLC, Hypnosis is being open to suggestion and can bring positive changes to your life such as change smoking habits, manage weight, relieve stress, and trauma symptoms. Using hypnotherapy We will work together to achieve your greatest potential through changing perceptions, patterns and other issues. In a safe environment you experience increased self esteem, freedom from emotional distress and deep healing. For trauma survivors I also practice Holographic Memory Resolution®, a trauma treatment using energy psychology, color psychology, internal family systems and hypnotherapy.

You've felt different your entire life. You've never felt like you fit in with what was expected of you. Because of this you never really got to learn who you really are. You never had a chance to create meaning, joy, and grow into your potential. You're exhausted and it feels like you have to fight every day just for others to see and recognize you for the person you are. You feel responsible for the demands of others. You feel like you're the only one in this world who feels the way you do. You want to be able to see yourself as who you truly are.

My guess is that you are struggling with how to cope with the life that’s around you. Your relationships likely have reoccurring disagreements. You’re stuck in a pattern that you don’t understand or at least don’t know how to change. You may feel overwhelmed, tired, angry, sad. My second guess is you’d like things to change and you’re ready to find someone who can help you do that. You probably want to feel joy, peace, and that you can be fully yourself without fear of what anyone else thinks.

Are you seeking a therapist to not only listen carefully and respectfully, but who will also offer active help including feedback? Are you going through a significant life change and do you need some support? We all feel stuck, confused, restless, unhappy or anxious at times. It can be helpful to have a safe space to reconnect to yourself and to find or rediscover your strengths.

I hold a humanistic view of counseling and wellness. I believe everyone is equipped with the potential to heal and fully experience a life well-lived; however, this potential is sometimes stifled by our past hurts, present fears or a feeling of simply being stuck. While diagnostic language is sometimes helpful and appropriate, my therapeutic approach views human suffering through a non-pathologizing lens. I see humanistic, client-centered treatment as a more powerful, humane and effective alternative to the medical model of mental health care.

I am a therapist with ADHD, so I love working with clients who have ADHD. I think our similar brains strengthen our understanding of each other and therefore our therapeutic connection. I will never tell you to just “try harder” or “buy a planner” or other things that neurotypicals have said to you (although I do love some good office supplies). Everyone with ADHD is different and deserves personalized exploration of their needs and barriers to help manage symptoms and achieve functioning goals. I also love working with couples who have ADHD, including mixed neurotype couples who are working to better understand one another.

Accepting New Clients as of 10.17.2023. Life can knock us off course in a lot of different ways, I’m here to help you find your own path to living the way you want to live. Anxiety, depression, burnout, along with feelings of isolation and low self-esteem can prevent us from living our lives the way we’d like to. When this happens, we tend to use whatever skills we have to cope but sometimes these tried and true methods end up falling short. Talking with a therapist can help shore up the skills we have and help to develop new skills to cope with the challenges of everyday life.

You hope to ease your distress and experience healing, and ultimately, to enjoy satisfying, fulfilling relationships with others and with yourself. You seek the magic that comes from looking within and cultivating a relationship with your own rich inner world- a brave and vulnerable first step to finding wholeness, relief, and self-awareness. Depth psychotherapy is the process of turning inward and examining unconscious aspects of the self that have influenced you outside of your awareness, a practice that not only alleviates symptoms and suffering, but transforms unhealthy coping behaviors and problematic relationship patterns.