Relationshifts Therapy

I have been in the mental health field for almost 15 years. I spent the first part of my career as a trauma advocate, working with survivors of child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Through a nonprofit, I had the honor of supporting survivors through public speaking, workshops, and writing for our publication on the trauma survivor experience. Along with my advocacy work, I have over 20 years of experience working at the University of Washington, providing counseling on the American healthcare system to international students from over 50 countries. Through this I have develop competency with individuals from a variety cultural backgrounds and traditions. In my early years, I grew up in a military family, living in a variety of places both domestically and abroad. With all my academic and practical education, it is my early life which I draw from the most to hold space for my clients and provide a warm, collaborative approach to help achieve their life goals. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associate in the state of Washington. I received a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from the University of Washington. I have a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy with Antioch University Seattle. ----- My Approach Individual Real therapeutic work can feel daunting but it can provide great rewards and help us access parts of hidden parts of ourselves that are necessary to be who we were always meant to be. You, the client, dictate the approach that is the best fit to achieving your goals. I may use Internal Family Systems to explore the aspects of ourselves that are in conflict and often prevent our true Self from taking a leadership role in our life. I use Narrative Therapy to identify what stories we were told about ourselves that often hinder a more authentic story that is hopeful and nurturing. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is helpful to explore and break out of patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that leave us feeling anxious, depressed, and without healthy options. Through it all, you are the expert in your personal experience and our collaboration helps us decide the approach that will most honor your journey and provide a shift toward wholeness. Couples With couples, I synthesize a variety of approaches. I use aspects of the Gottman Method to help my couples explore how to strengthen their relationship and work on the aspects of relationships that often predict why they often fail. This requires a new way of being in your partnership and increasing awareness of how we contribute and experience challenges. I take elements of Emotion-Focused Therapy to explore and dig into underlying emotions that can both hinder and provide freedom to find our true voice in our most important relationships in life. The guiding heart of my work with couples is Attachment Theory. We form attachments early in life which show up in a variety of ways in the relationships we have today. These can be coping strategies that allow us to set healthy boundaries or triggers that leave us confused and hurt. We have a right to be seen by others and express our fuller selves in our individual pursuits and within our relationships.