LMHC is a designation for Licensed Mental Health Counselor. This means that I am licensed in the state of Washington as a psychotherapist. This requires a Master’s Level education, a specified amount of supervised clinical hours, passing a licensure exam, and continuing education and training as psychotherapist.

Psychotherapy is a specific type of therapy that involves working with the psyche, meaning our mind, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and beliefs. It’s a term that designates this type of therapy aside from other therapies, i.e. physical therapy or speech therapy.

In this this type of work, therapy is a process where therapist and patient commit to a consistent time and space to think and feel together. It is collaborative work in which the patient and therapist explore the patient’s internal world of emotions, beliefs, and experiences that shape who they are and how they interact in the world.

This was a change I made about a decade ago when I realized that patient better describes this type of working relationship. In most client/consultant relationships, the work is about exchanging ideas and receiving expertise for a particular problem. In therapy, the work is similar to that of a physician/patient relationship because there is a recognition of the patient’s need for collaborative care and healing in their own growth process. Meaningful therapy is about engaging deeper needs. It brings the whole person into the process, not just the mind.

Some therapies focus on remedying undesirable behaviors. Patients look to a therapist to tell them what to do about a particular problem, or how to change unwanted behaviors. These therapists may give patients homework such as books to read or new behaviors or mindsets to try.

Unfortunately, this work is often surface-level, and the results, while sometimes helpful in the shorter term, are not usually meaningful or lasting. Those who choose cognitive behavioral therapy, often end up returning to similar, or even the same unhelpful behaviors. They often also experience significant feelings of shame because they believe they have failed or didn’t try hard enough.

Some therapeutic models focus on this work of recognizing and understanding how our emotions impact our relationships and behaviors. This is a step deeper than behavioral therapy. Therapists help patients work through their feelings through validation and listening.

Over the past 20+ years in practice, I have found a still deeper approach to therapy is most effective and successful for my patients.

Much of my work is based in British Object Relations, a psychoanalytic theory grounded in a developmental perspective on healing and change. This theory provides a structure for therapist and patient to explore those early experiences that have shaped who they are. This framework provides connections between the ways we attached or connected to early experiences and people in our lives, and how those early relationships impact how we relate to ourselves and our current relationships.

My patients experience meaningful healing, deeper connection to themselves and others, dynamic growth, and lasting change in their lives.

I am not an in-network provider for any insurance providers. However, at our initial intake call we can discuss insurance billing options, reimbursement, and other payment options.