Personal Experience
I came to therapy the long way around — and I think that actually matters.
For years, I worked in fundraising at nonprofits and universities, sitting across from donors and asking them what mattered most, what they hoped to leave behind, what kind of world they were trying to build. It was relational work at its core. I got good at listening, at holding space for someone’s story, at helping people connect their values to something larger. What I didn’t fully realize at the time was that I was building the foundation for the career I actually wanted.
Then life handed me something I didn’t plan for: separation and divorce. Like most people who go through it, I didn’t just lose a relationship — I had to figure out who I was on the other side of it. That process of navigating a painful transition, doing the inner work, rebuilding my sense of self — became personal, and it became professional. I went back to school, changed careers, and earned my Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from Seattle Pacific University.
I tell you this not because I think my story is special, but because I believe it shapes how I show up. I know what it feels like to be in the middle of something hard and unable to see the way through. I also know it’s possible to find it.
Working with Couples
Couples work is where I feel most at home. My approach integrates two of the most well-established frameworks in couples therapy:
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is built on attachment science. It helps partners get underneath the reactive cycle — the same fight, the same shutdown, the same distance — to the deeper emotions and unmet needs driving it. EFT is the modality Bellevue Family Counseling is most known for, and the framework Marlon Familton has used with couples for nearly two decades.
The Couples Institute Developmental Model gives partners a shared map. It identifies where you are in the developmental arc of your relationship and what work needs to happen for you to move forward as individuals and as a couple.
Used together, EFT softens the cycle while the Developmental Model gives you the structural framework to grow. That combination is where I see real breakthroughs happen.
For premarital couples, I offer focused work on communication, conflict patterns, and the relational skills that set the stage for a strong marriage.
Working with Adults
When adults come to see me, they’re usually carrying anxiety that won’t quiet down, depression that’s made everything feel flat, a life transition that’s knocked them sideways, or a sense that their relationships just aren’t working. I tend to work with some depth — helping you understand not just what’s happening, but why, and what you want instead. I draw on solution-focused approaches, DBT skills and mindfulness, Lifespan Integration for past experiences that still live in the body, and an attachment-based lens throughout.
Working with teens
Teenagers are figuring out who they are while managing anxiety, academic pressure, social dynamics, and the expectations of the people around them. It’s genuinely hard. Teens don’t need someone to fix them or tell them what to do — they need a space where they’re taken seriously and can start to make sense of what’s going on beneath the surface. I bring in expressive arts, reflective listening, and DBT skills, and I work with parents when it’s helpful for the teen.
Ready to Begin
If you’re a couple feeling stuck, an individual navigating a hard transition, or a teen just trying to figure things out — I’d love to talk. In-office and telehealth sessions available. Reach out today.
I offer in-office and telehealth sessions. Reach out today to get started.
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Bio
Training & Certification
- Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, ICEEFT Externship, 2026
- Lifespan Integration – Level 1, Peggy Pace, 2023
- Couples Institute Developmental Model Training Intensive – Dr. Fiona O’Farrell, Seattle, 2025
- First Aid Arts Responder Training – Level 1, Seattle
Internship & Employment
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associate, Insight Mental Health Group
- Clinical Marriage and Family Therapy Intern, Larch Counseling — individual, couples, and family clients; in-office and Tolt Middle
Education & Degrees
- Master’s of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy, Seattle Pacific University (June 2025)
- Bachelor’s of Science in Family, Youth, and Community Sciences — Minors: Organizational Leadership for Non-Profits, International Humanitarian Assistance, University of Florida (May 2008)
License
WA DOH Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Associate #MG70003804