I'm a Licensed Mental
Health Counselor Washington License #LH00005056
I believe that
the work of therapy is about developing a healthy relationship with
oneself and with other people in the community in order to live a good
and meaningful life. It is about finding ways to live in balance and
with integrity in what can be a complicated and difficult world.
I believe that it is my role to create a safe
space for my clients to do their work, to support and challenge the
individual, couple, family or group toward growth and their goals. Each
session is a special time – a precious gift clients give themselves to work
toward health and balance, and it is my job to facilitate, honor and protect
that. I believe I can sometimes see things as an outsider that the client
misses or may have lost sight of.
My
approach is eclectic/humanistic talk and expressive
process-based counseling from an Existential Psychology framework. In a graduate
school class on individual counseling I was asked to write a paper about my
"theory of choice/philosophy of human nature." I wrote "My Theory
of Choice." It still makes a
lot of sense to me and it tells you something about how I see things.
I work with clients on a variety of issues including post-trauma
(hate crimes and other situation-related trauma) stress and depression,
grief and loss, activist or caretaker stress,
burnout and compassion fatigue, relationship/communication issues, sexual orientation and gender
identity issues, life transitions, family of origin
issues, and personal growth.
I work with adults
and teenage individuals, couples,
families and small groups. I am forming
Cradled Heart, a therapist facilitated
support group for activists, social service folks, educators, etc. regarding
burnout, compassion fatigue and wellness.
I am a founding member of
Gender Spectrum Think Tank, a
therapist consultation group that supports, educates, refers and advocates
to improve services in our transgender, gender variant and gender queer
communities.
As a licensed professional
mental health counselor I am committed to promoting and increasing your
mental health through our collaborative efforts.
courage
~ integrity
~ tenacity
~ inspiration
~ awareness These are some of the qualities of good mental health.
My office hours are by
appointment. My
office is in my home on the east side of Olympia. I
have cats which can be a problem for people with allergies.
I don't bill insurance companies. I may be able
to slide my fee. Contact me
if you have any questions.
The
initial paperwork for when I see a new client(pdf
format)includes For Your Information,
Counseling Agreement, Client and Counselor Responsibilities and Rights,
and my Intake Form. Duration
and frequency of therapy? It takes different amounts of time depending
on the person(s) and the issues. It also depends on what else is going
on your life - healing doesn't happen in a vacuum!
I often recommend that clients come to see me every week or two in
the beginning, and
less often as it progresses - ending the
work when it is the right time which is determined by the
client.
I hope to have a closing session when that happens.
If you are a
client, please use my therapy
review form (pdf
format) to give me feedback about
our work together. Thank you!
This beautiful song "Simple
Truth" by Eve Decker speaks to much of my approach to counseling and to health in general:
Please be aware that as a
mental health counselor,there are some things such
as abuse that I might be required to report. If you have a question
about this see my inital paperwork or ask me
about it.
M.A., Counseling Psychology;
Saint Martin's College, Lacey, WA - May 1993 (now re-named
Saint Martin's University)
Coursework:
Marriage and Family Therapy, Child and Adolescent Counseling, Abusive
Relationships, Treatment of Gender and Ethnicity Issues, Individual
Counseling, Group Counseling, Crisis Intervention, Assessment and
Treatment Planning, Psychopathology, Mental Health Consultation,
Community Psychology.
Internship/Practicum:
A 600 hour internship at the Center for Individual and Family
Counseling. Provided individual and family therapy with a variety of
clients for sexual abuse, parenting, family of origin, anger
management, children's divorce issues. Co-facilitated group
therapy for sexually abused children and adolescents, adult survivors
of sexual abuse, and parents of sexually abused children. Did
administrative work and special projects, including the planning and
promotion of a series of professional workshops held in several
regional communities.
B.A.,
Liberal Arts; The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA - June 1989 -
with an emphasis in Art and Film/Video Production and Animation Galileo
Vocational Nursing Program; San Francisco, CA - 1970-1971 Mission
High School, San Francisco, CA - graduated 1970
Healing Historical Trauma: Acknowledging Wounds
and Following Paths to Healing
Couples in Recovery after Infidelity:
Creating a New Monogamy
Overview of Law and Ethics for Therapists
HIPAA and the Future of Mental Health
Practice
Adult Suicide Risk Assessment
Understanding Polyamory and Non-Monogamy in
a Context of Sexual and Relational Diversities
Grief Walking
Why Group Therapy: Going From Fixing Problems
to Creating Possibilities
How The Body Remembers and Heals Trauma
Meeting the Treatment Needs of Iraq and
Afghanistan War Veterans: Promoting Treatment-Engagement, Delivering
Evidenced-Based Care, and Addressing High Risk Behaviors in Returning
Veterans
Creating a Trans-Welcoming Environment
The Intersections of Sex Work and Violence
- specific to transgender and gender non-conforming individuals
Triumphing Over Trauma: Perspectives from Jung,
Culture, Heart Work, and International Trauma Treatment
Rewiring The Evolutionary Glitch In Your Brain:
Bridging Neuroscience, Mindfulness, and Emotional Connection For Maximum
Healing and Personal Freedom
Gender Odyssey Professional Seminar: Accessing
Gender Identity In Adolescents for Possible Medical Intervention - Part
1; Family Law: Parents in Conflict; Medical Needs of Transgender Youth:
Cross Hormones Teens Speak: Trans Youth Share Their Own Stories; The
Future of Trans Youth Care: Current Research
Informed Consent for Access to Trans Health –
ICATH
Trauma Stewardship
The
Treatment of Trauma and The Internal Family Systems Model
The
Wound that Does Not Heal: Recognizing and Treating Complicated Grief
Working
with Transgender Clients: A Person-Centered and Narrative Therapy Model
Ethical Standards & Multiple Diversities: Strategies
for Deepening Cultural Sensitivity in Clinical Practice
Mindfulness
and Self-Care: Restorative Tools for Clinicians
Self-Compassion
and Psychological Well-Being
When
Thoughts Attack and Feelings Overwhelm
Internet
Addiction: Diagnosis and Treatment
Working
with LGBTQ Couples and Families
Understanding
and Treating Distorted Body Image
Engaging
the Traumatized Client who Avoids Closeness and Vulnerability
Digital
Ethics and Social Networking in Psychotherapy and Counseling
Prostitution,
Exploitation & Sex Work: Navigating Multiple Frameworks with
Queer & Trans Youth
Developing
Cultural Competence in Psychotherapy Practice
21st
Century Ethics: Emerging Digital, Boundaries, and Standard of Care
Issues
Help
With Negative Self-Talk
Compassion
Fatigue
Growing
Through Grief
Welcoming
Schools
Ethics
With Soul and Boundaries in Psychotherapy
Understanding
LGBT Mental Health Concerns
Working
With Trauma: Multi-Modal Integrative Psychotherapy
LGBTQ
Youth and Eating Disorders
Narrative
Ideas and Therapeutic Practice: What Makes Narrative Therapy Novel?
Compassionate
Nonviolent Communication
Mindful
Self-Compassion in Clinical Practice
Conflict
Resolution: Skills for Couples & Counselors
Good
Boundaries: Centerpiece of Successful Relationships
Youth
Suicide Prevention
War
and the Soul: Healing Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Burnout,
Stress & Fatigue
Compassionate
Listening: Healing Our World from the Inside Out
Living
with Grief: Before and After the Death ~ The Dying Process:
Understanding Anticipatory Grief and Anticipatory Mourning ~ Grief: New
Insights and Developments ~ Implications for Practice ~ The Importance
of Self-Care
Working
with Depression: Holistic and Spiritual Approaches
Psychotherapy
with People in the Arts
Conflict
Management
Disaster
Mental Health Intervention:(Practical Front-line Assistance and Support
for Healing
Saying
It Out Loud ~ Rights and Recovery: Promoting GLBTQ Wellness in a
Changing Environment ~ Chemical Dependency/Mental Health Counseling
Needs of GLBTQ Community ~ Working with Transgendered Clients
Schopenhauer's
Porcupines: Intimacy and Its Dilemmas
Healing
Plots: The Narrative Basis of Psychotherapy
Forgiveness
is a Choice
Northwest
Institute for Community Health Educators (NICHE) - for professionals
who work as sexuality, family life, HIV/AIDS, and family planning
educators - sessions on life-long sexuality, effective sexuality
education and teaching methods, learning theory, learner diversity,
sexuality education ethics, and more - Advanced Track.
Trauma
and the Media
Clinical
Dilemmas in Feminist Therapy Practice
The
Many Faces of Grief - How to Help Others Through Loss
Understanding
and Working with Sexual Minority Youth
Intensive
Journal Workshop: Life Context/Depth Contact
Interactive
Guided Imagery
Understanding
Depression: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention
Effective
Strategies for Helping Couples and Families
Art
Therapy and Sexual Abuse
Brief Solution-Focused Therapy
RELATED
EXPERIENCE
In
private practice since 1996.
Behavioral
Health Resources, Olympia 6/00 to 10/02, then 3/04 to 8/05
Three
years working as a therapist at a mental health group practice in
Olympia.
Three
years working as a residential youth counselor at Haven House, a
shelter for adolescents in crisis.
Eight
years providing crisis intervention counseling and emergency services
to victims of domestic violence and other people in crisis in New York
City and then in Mississippi.
See
organizations I'm involved withhereon my personal
website.