Counseling Specialties
You have specific concerns and goals for counseling. I have a broad range of counseling experience and love working with diverse people on many different issues! These are some typical services I offer my clients:
Anxiety Counseling and Stress Reduction
Depression Counseling
Posttraumatic Stress Counseling/ PTSD Counseling (Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Violence, Accidents)
Counseling for Transitions and Change
Mindfulness and Counseling to Increase Focus and Attention
Career Support and Work-Life Balance
Parenting Support
Counseling for Self Esteem, Self Confidence, & Impostor Syndrome
Counseling for Panic Attacks
Counseling for Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Relationship Counseling including Break-ups, Infidelity, and Divorce
Grief Counseling
Counseling for Guilt and Shame
Anger Management
Counseling for Fears and Phobias
Existential Counseling considering Purpose, Spirituality, and Religion
In addition to counseling clients in the various ways described above, I am especially adept at providing therapy to a few specific client groups. My 16 years of therapy experience, prior work experience, education, training, skills, social identities, and interests align nicely with these common and critical counseling services:
Counseling for Men
Counseling for Trauma, Abuse, and Sexual Assault Survivors (Posttraumatic Stress & PTSD)
Counseling for Military and First Responders (Police Officers, Fire Fighters, & Emergency Medical Services Personnel)
Counseling for Essential Workers and Pandemic Stress
Counseling for Spirituality, Religion, Social Justice, and the Greater Good
Please continue reading to learn more about these specialty counseling services!
Counseling for Men
Although gender biases for parenting and socializing children are improving, we are all still impacted by toxic masculinity. As a boy, you were taught to hide or overcome your feelings. The “man up” or “suck it up” command and various emasculating put downs encouraged you to disregard your feelings and overcome emotional and physical pain. You were taught to compete, do it yourself, and win at all costs. These life lessons did not prepare you to build healthy relationships or to accept suboptimal success (ex. your career, physique, or your partner). You may have learned to cope with disappointment in unhealthy ways (ex. overworking, drinking/drugs, pornography, gambling, numbing out, gaming, and TV). If you became a father, you might not have experienced enough positive parent role modeling to connect with your children or to teach them healthy life lessons.
Many men appreciate working with another man in counseling. They value my familiarity with their journey and my expertise in helping men recalibrate. Counseling for Men will help you to reassess your social expectations and beliefs, develop your emotional intelligence, connect with peers and the people you love, and determine and progress with new goals for a more fulfilling life.
Counseling for Trauma, Abuse, and Sexual Assault Survivors (Posttraumatic Stress & PTSD)
Most people will experience at least one trauma in life. Many experience multiple traumas. If you are a trauma survivor, you may be bothered by posttraumatic stress symptoms or PTSD. You may experience intrusive thoughts of the incident. You may avoid the trauma memory, trauma reminders, or life in general. Your emotions and beliefs (about safety, trust, power/control, esteem, and intimacy/relationships) might be “stuck”- negative, unrealistic, or unhealthy. You may find yourself overwhelmed with hypervigilance. Fortunately, you are resilient! Even if you experienced the trauma long ago, trauma recovery is the norm! Posttraumatic Stress/PTSD Counseling will help if those struggles persist.
With eight years’ experience providing evidence-based Posttraumatic Stress/PTSD Counseling to hundreds of trauma, abuse, and sexual assault survivors at Harborview Abuse & Trauma Center, I am well versed in trauma-specific treatments. I will help you overcome avoidance, develop your ability to handle the trauma memory(s), recalibrate your beliefs, feel better, and courageously reengage in life!
Counseling for Military and First Responders (Police Officers, Fire Fighters, & Emergency Medical Services Personnel)
Military and First Responders provide critical services to the community. You encounter danger and traumatic stress frequently and work in a high adrenaline environment all the time. Unfortunately, that adrenaline does not flush out of your system for many hours. You might not be adrenaline-free until you return to duty the next day! After a stressful workday, you might gather with your partner, coworkers, or team to debrief or detach from the day and commiserate about the political, bureaucratic, and administrative headaches associated with the job. Or you might just head home to numb out in front of the TV or endlessly click and scroll on your cell phone, too exhausted to engage with your family, friends, or interests. More than other careers, you identify with your job, and may struggle to develop a fulfilling lifestyle and rewarding relationships beyond it.
Depending on your goals and concerns, Counseling for Military and First Responders might include elements of Counseling for Men (regardless of your gender identity since hypermasculinity permeates the work) and/or Trauma Counseling as described above, support for stressors associated with the job, encouragement to develop a meaningful life beyond the job, recalibration of negative beliefs that are barriers, treatment for unhealthy coping and expansion of healthy coping skills, relationship counseling for home and work, and parenting support.
I have worked with many Military personnel and First Responders in my 15 years of counseling. They appreciate my patience and understanding as well as my no-nonsense and direct approach. I look forward to supporting you with critical changes necessary for improving and expanding your life.
Counseling for Essential Workers and Pandemic Stress
The COVID-19 Pandemic is unprecedented. No doubt you have been impacted! You must keep up with rapidly evolving safety recommendations from authorities and constantly assess COVID-19 danger when interacting with family, friends, and the community. You may have lost your job. You may have quickly adapted to the work-from-home context and faced incredible change in your role or business. You may be rigorously paddling to stay afloat financially while stepping in to supervise distance learning for your children. You may have lost your patience with your partner or children. All the while, your social supports are much less available to process this challenging time, and your coping options and activities have decreased dramatically. You may be coping in unhealthy ways and drinking or using drugs more often.
Some of you face additional COVID-19 Pandemic stress as an essential worker. Challenges are different whether you are in healthcare, restaurants, retail, or another front-line industry, but your work demands constant recalculation to limit the probability of coronavirus exposure. You may have experienced trauma in your work or stress about unknowingly exposing your loved ones to COVID-19 while asymptomatic.
I have 16 years of therapy experience providing Trauma/PTSD counseling, anxiety counseling, depression counseling, grief counseling, relationship counseling, and parenting support. I am well suited to provide the support you need in this unprecedented and stressful time!
You are not alone in feeling overwhelmed or delaying starting Online Therapy for Pandemic Stress in Seattle and greater Washington State. The sooner you start, the sooner you will experience relief. I hope you schedule an appointment today!
Counseling for Spirituality, Religion, Social Justice, and the Greater Good
You are plugged in and well aware of world instability. Earth is in crisis and humanity seems to be in constant conflict. The capitalist system doesn’t work well enough for all people. Human rights are far from equal. The US and other world governments are intensely divided and lack the direction and cooperation to progress. We find ourselves seeking social justice for all people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, ability, age, and faith. We yearn for an end to the COVID-19 Pandemic, greater stability, and more social connection and opportunities.
This is an important time to recalibrate. How hopeful and purposeful do you feel in life? Are you reconsidering your values, actions, and integrity? How is your spirituality and religious identity? Have you been harmed by religious leaders or fellow faith community members?
I love counseling diverse clients on their spiritual journeys and in their desire to make a difference in the world. I am so grateful for experiencing a liberal Jesuit undergraduate education at Boston College, working with homeless individuals as a Jesuit Volunteer, supporting faith and spirituality of high school students and teachers as a campus minister for five years, exploring social justice, privilege, oppression and systemic change as a masters student at the University of Washington School of Social Work, counseling youth and families stuck in the King County juvenile justice system for three years, counseling trauma survivors at Harborview Abuse & Trauma Center for 8 years, and now supporting diverse clients with various concerns and goals in private practice. My background informs my ability to counsel clients as they integrate faith, spirituality, and meaning into their lives. Please reach out today so I can accompany you on your journey!
Please click the button below to learn more about Individual and Online Counseling Services.