therapy for joy
Mental health counseling for teens and young adults in Seattle
welcome!
I love working with young people who want to understand themselves on a deeper level, who are feeling anxious, scared, or stuck, or who have felt different from others around them.
About me
Hi! I'm Alex. I'm a mental health therapist for young people aged 11-35. I love working with teens, people with anxiety, and the LGBTQ+ community.
SUPERVISION
I provide supervision for new and continuing therapists and other mental health professionals.
FAQ
For information about location, fees, insurance, telehealth and more...
Contact
I would love to hear from you!
Therapy
Individual therapy for young people aged 11-35I specialize in therapy for anxiety, which may look like...
- stress
- big life changes
- people pleasing
- perfectionism
- anxiety in relationships
- social anxiety
- OCD
- phobias
- healing from traumaI work with people in all parts of their early life, with a special focus on teenagers and the LGBTQ+ community. Some of my favorite clients to partner with are those who are looking to be their most real and full selves. I celebrate all identities and backgrounds and aim to help you feel comfortable being completely yourself. I love working on setting compassionate boundaries, using clear communication, and self-advocacy.For teenagers, I provide a neutral, confidential place to talk about stress from school, family, dating, social pressure, college, and more. We build skills to manage stress and get more comfortable creating a plan for the future.
Testimonials from former clientsAlex is a very creative, present, and gifted therapist. She helped our family navigate through critical challenges and a major transition. After these challenges were resolved, she quickly adapted to support us in entirely different ways through difficult conversations that were keeping us in a cycle of frustration and miscommunicating with each other. Alex brilliantly supported all members of our family. As a result of our time in therapy, we can enjoy each other more as a family because we can truly communicate with each other and understand where each of us coming from without getting defensive. Our investment with Alex was worth the reward of a more joyful family life into our daughter's teenage years.
Johnny and Sophia, Seattle, WAI liked being with Alex because she always made me feel comfortable to share what was on my mind, and helped me feel more comfortable to speak up for what I wanted with my parents. I liked being with her because we got to do art most of the time. It helped to be able to talk about my feelings with someone who cared, outside of school and my parents. We have more fun as a family now.
Teenage client, Seattle, WA
about me
My approach is direct, gentle, and compassionate. I am myself in session with you, not a blank slate kind of therapist, and I hope that helps you feel like you can be yourself with me, too. I see the best in people and want to help you see yourself that way too, while also acknowledging what can change to make life better.I am a do-er by nature, so if you want to learn skills and make some changes in your life, I will help you come up with a plan to get to your end goal. I also like to dig deeper into what makes you you, so if you want to understand yourself better, get analytical, and identify your own patterns (maybe some that aren't working for you), we can do that, too.I use an eclectic approach (drawing from different therapeutic modalities listed below), so I tailor my method to the unique abilities, interests, and needs of each person.Licenses & Certifications
- LMHC or Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LH61065566)
- LICSW or Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LW61245498)
- CMHS or Child Mental Health Specialist
- ESA School Social Worker
- Certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).Education & Training- Masters in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley
- Academic concentration in trauma-focused mental health care for refugees
- BA in Psychology from Cornell University
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Module 1
- Narrative Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Brief TherapyI've provided therapy for the last 8 years to children and adults in office and school settings. Previously, I've worked with adults with severe mental illness, with children on the spectrum in a music therapy clinic, and in academics (teaching English as a Foreign Language, tutoring the SAT, and in an international kindergarten). I’ve studied and worked in Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, France, and Germany.Outside of work I love time with my little family, all things outdoors in the PNW, board games, salsa dancing, interior decorating, bakeries, and coffee.
Contact
With any and all questions, to request a free 15-minute consult, or just to say hi, please send me a message below or email [email protected].
FAQ
Where are you located?I currently provide telehealth-only services to people located in Washington State.
What time do you have sessions?Tuesday through Thursday, 10AM-5PM. Please contact me for details!
Do you accept insurance?I accept Premera, Lifewise, and Cigna insurance. And, many insurance plans will reimburse you for a large portion of out-of-network services. I am able to provide you a Superbill so that you can collect any out-of-network benefits you may have.What is the fee if I don't use insurance?$160 per session. I also offer a limited number of pay-as-you-can plans. Please reach out if you'd like to discuss a reduced fee.What is therapy like?Before we begin, you are invited to have a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if we are the right fit. If we both agree to move forward, I will send you some paperwork online to enroll you. Then we have our first session! The first session we will talk together casually to get to know each other, and I will have more questions for you than usual so I can get to know your goals and struggles, and evaluate how best I can support you. The second session and beyond, we begin working together to accomplish your goals! That usually looks like talking over a Zoom call. Some people like to integrate art, music, or walks outside into their sessions, and that is up to you. If we are skill-building we may use worksheets or the whiteboard.
Supervision
