My approach to working with individuals and couples is collaborative. I believe the client brings wisdom and insight about their own needs and patterns. I appreciate the emergent and organic processes that occur in therapy. I want clients to explore what they feel compelled to share and process. I balance that need with clear and defined treatment goals that build self-efficacy, authenticity, a greater ability to work through distress, stronger relational patterns, and greater dexterity in knowing both the self and important others. I am versed in a lot of therapeutic modalities, including psychoanalysis, existential therapy, ACT, DBT, MBSR, CPT, exposure therapies, and couples and relational therapy. I tailor my approach and conceptualization to the needs and effectiveness of each client or couple.

You’re capable, thoughtful, and accustomed to managing what needs to be managed. But lately, you may feel anxious, overwhelmed, stretched thin, or simply not quite like yourself. Maybe you’re navigating pregnancy or postpartum, the demands of parenting and caregiving, changes in your relationships or career, or the physical and emotional shifts of perimenopause and menopause. (Deep breath.) Hi, I’m Laurel. I offer a warm, down-to-earth space where you don’t have to have it all figured out. I’m an active and engaged therapist. I’ll listen deeply, but I won’t simply sit back and nod. We’ll make room for honest exploration and difficult emotions, alongside humor, practical tools, and kind challenge when it’s helpful. My approach is integrative and tailored to you. Sometimes that means understanding patterns, relationships, and experiences that have shaped you. Sometimes it means learning concrete ways to manage anxiety or regulate an overwhelmed nervous system. Often, it’s both. I draw from years of clinical experience and a broad foundation in psychology to help you better understand yourself in context and make changes that feel meaningful and sustainable. It is a genuine privilege to be invited into the meaningful, complicated, and vulnerable parts of my clients’ lives. Therapy can be a place to feel deeply known and accepted, while also being invited to grow. You set the pace, and your goals guide our work. I know that reaching out to a new therapist can feel like one more thing to do when you’re already overwhelmed. So, start in whatever way feels easiest. You’re welcome to send me an email, or you can schedule a free 15-minute phone or video consultation through my website. I genuinely enjoy meeting prospective clients, and there’s no pressure. We can simply talk about what’s bringing you to therapy and see whether working together feels like a good fit.

There are a number of reasons people choose to seek out therapy: grief and loss, an unexpected crisis, or a difficult life transition just to name a few. Whatever your reason for seeking out therapy, my goal is to create a safe, supportive space for you to gain a fresh perspective, explore paths out of "stuckness," and build hope that change is possible. My approach involves providing support and challenging individuals and families to explore their thoughts, feelings, and behavior to make lasting, meaningful changes. I have additional training in Medical Family Therapy and am passionate about helping individuals and families navigate the complex road of chronic and acute physical health conditions.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) specializing in telehealth eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for women healing from trauma and posttraumatic stress (PTSD). I provide a safe, supportive space where you can process difficult experiences within a caring and trusting therapeutic relationship. I welcome a diverse range of clients, including LGBTQ+ individuals and cultural and religious minorities. I am committed to creating an inclusive, affirming environment for all. What I Help With I regularly work with clients navigating the effects of: Childhood trauma and attachment wounds Sexual assault and abuse Motor vehicle accidents and medical trauma Prenatal and postpartum trauma Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias Depression and low self-esteem Disturbing memories that feel “stuck” I also enjoy working with helping professionals, including counselors, nurses, and teachers, who are processing their own trauma histories.

My aim is to help you examine the past patterns that have shaped your life, so you can reduce anxiety and depression, or better manage life transitions and relationships. I strive to meet you with authenticity, safety, and acceptance as you do the work of therapy. My work is client-centered, trauma-informed, and relational, and it has evolved from the psychodynamic tradition.

I am the director of MacPherson Pacific Counseling Services, a dynamic new option in the treatment of chemical dependency, problem gambling, and sex addiction in the Seattle area. Your experience will be individualized and goal-focused. You will develop the tools to reclaim your life from addiction and compulsive behavior and begin to develop a path towards healing and wholeness for both yourself and your support network of family and loved ones. In both individual sessions and groups with others also walking the healing path you will challenge yourself, access reservoirs of strength within yourself, learn to connect, and you will grow.

Compassion comes with knowledge and self-understanding. It is my belief that when we are not living a life that is true to who we are, we aren't able to make our lives fulfilling or enjoyable. Our culture presents us with many pressures and conflicting messages that we struggle to manage. I help people identify and build on their unique values and strengths. I believe that when you live authentically, you are more resistant to feelings of unhappiness, anxiety, and relationship struggles because you will have learned to respect and support your unique self. I believe in helping people in a thorough and holistic manner. In addition to exploring short-term solutions, I will help you understand the source of your feelings or frustrations and develop a sense of self-mastery and self-compassion. Equipped with a core understanding of self, we will create and work towards your life goals. I believe in a "bottom, up" approach because I feel that it is essential to creating stable, long-lasting change. My work with couples and families is also holistic in manner. I strive to champion the individual and joint strengths in order to address relationship challenges. Through various mechanisms, I aim to help couples recover the aspects of their relationship that brought them together, heal wounds from past hurts, and learn new ways of relating that will move them forward with strength. Life changes such as cohabitation and children can be wonderful and also necessitate changes that can lead to stress, frustration, and relationship dissatisfaction. I help my clients regain balance in their lives so they can more fully enjoy each chapter. My approach to counseling and therapy draws on a number of different techniques and I recognize that everyone has a unique story to tell. Unfortunately, social attitudes towards things like gender, sexual orientation, substance abuse, or family situations can make someone afraid to speak out. I will support and nurture you regardless of culture, gender, sexual orientation, or background. I strive to provide a safe and welcoming environment, free of judgment. Transparency and directness are two important things that I practice. I will give you feedback and communicate with you in a supportive way. I believe that the best therapy happens when there is collaboration and communication. To learn more about the specific techniques I use, please visit my website.

In order to find out if I would be that fit for you, I would like to tell you what I think therapy is about, what I provide as a therapist ,and what I expect from you. I view therapy as being one of many healing modality in which a person can shift the emotional, mental, and spiritual hurts that exist with being human. I see therapy as an active process with healthy collaboration on both the part of the therapist and the client. In order to provide the healing you seek, therapy requires the capacity to be vulnerable and honest with your therapist. I believe therapy is building trust with yourself and your therapist while shifting your thinking and behavior to more healthy actions and thoughts. I provide therapy that is part thinking outside the box and part traditional cognitive- behavioral therapy. Therapy is about turning over those moss covered stones in your mind and examining those “creepy crawlies” so they stop have power over you. Therapy is about facing your past with integrity in order to take the power out of those stories you tell yourself that keep you stuck and unhappy. Although therapy is not purely about “just getting happy.” Therapy is about finding more peace within yourself to actually be true to yourself and kind to yourself. Our sessions are set up to help you weed out the behaviors that no longer serve you and help you develop healthier and more supportive actions in your life. Therapy with me is additionally about exploring your inner world, how you talk to yourself, and your take care of your inner landscape your inner child. It is about finding the internal spark drive of what gets you up in the morning. What I provide is assistance with developing healthy boundaries, assertive communication skills, positive actions, relaxation techniques, and compassionate self talk. What I ask from you is that you are ready to take the actions on a mental, emotional, behavioral and or spiritual level to make changes for a better life. I am a no nonsense kind of therapist, that is deeply compassionate and works only with those ready to dive fully into the healing process. If you identify as the type of person who is in “survival mode” and wants and is ready to be in a state of living, the we can work together. Please know that I work with a team of different providers in order to help you make the changes that need to happen. These providers include naturopathic doctors, life coaches, Qi Gong teachers, 12 step members, acupuncturists, medical astrologers, etc. If you are ready to do this kind of work then please contact me. You can also visit Mindful Therapy Group, Mountlake Terrace and find out a bit more about me. "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Anais Nin

Are you unhappy with the path you are on? Are you uncertain how you even ended up here? Often in life we know we are dissatisfied, but are perhaps not sure why, and are even less certain about what to do to change it. This impacts our functioning, self-esteem, and ability to deal with life's challenges. I place a strong emphasis on making conscious choices, and I particularly enjoy working with people on establishing appropriate boundaries and gaining effective communication skills. My therapeutic approach is relaxed, conversational, and collaborative, and I believe there is a place for humor in our work together. My stance is one of openness and acceptance, with respect for you and your experiences, and a belief in your ability and desire to grow and change.

I welcome you to come as you are. I consider our collaborative therapeutic relationship an authentic meeting of equals. I understand you as essentially good, worthy, unique, and capable. In this relationship, your voice matters. And if you're not feeling confident just yet, I'll help you cultivate your authentic voice. I'll help you see your existing strengths and skills, and we'll build on them for further growth. I approach healing and growth holistically and appreciate you as multi-faceted: feeling, thinking, physical, social, and spiritual. Together, we'll consider how to bring these various aspects of you into balance to create your experience of enhanced well-being. My approach to our work is both insight-oriented: we'll seek to understand what's driving your current challenges, and solution-focused: with these new understandings in mind, we'll explore new choices to effect the change you seek. We'll explore the interplay between what's conscious to you now and underlying dynamics that may not yet be fully conscious. We'll aim to bring subconscious dynamics into your fuller awareness to empower your informed agency and choices that are more attuned to your authentic needs and goals. We'll pay closer attention to your habitual thought patterns and consider how unexamined thoughts can sometimes trigger feelings and reactions that haven't been helpful for you. We'll consider expanded perspectives for more integrated, effective views of yourself and others. With mindfulness practice, you'll shift gears from a hurried running on autopilot to a more steady, intentional curiosity and presence to what's unfolding in the here and now. Our therapeutic relationship will serve as a tool for learning about your relationship style and patterns. I draw therapeutic perspective largely from a trauma-informed attachment lens, exploring how your earliest attachments, especially with family of origin, shaped your internal emotional blueprint and expectations about relationships, and how that underlying script has played out, often repeatedly, in your adult relationships. Understanding these early influences allows us to rewrite relationship narratives with informed choice, hanging on to the parts that work, letting go of those that don't. I also draw influence from existential, sociological, systemic, and feminist lenses, exploring the reciprocal interplay between internal landscapes and external social landscapes and influences. My work with couples is influenced by a trauma-informed attachment lens and draws from training in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT), Gottman, and Non-Violent Communication (NVC). I bring humility, respect, and genuine interest to our collaboration. My style is down-to-earth, non-pathologizing, and interactive, with healthy doses of humor (when appropriate). I welcome diversity of all kinds and embrace a social justice perspective. I've been in practice as a psychotherapist since 2000.

I help people in Seattle and across Washington with anxiety, burnout, trauma, perfectionism and eating disorder recovery. I view therapy as a collaborative, client-driven process guided by your goals and pace. My role is to offer insight, gentle challenge, and support as you navigate life’s complexities and reconnect with your inner wisdom. My approach is warm, calm, and integrative, helping you cultivate self-compassion, release old patterns, and build a life that feels authentic and aligned with your values. I draw from holistic and evidence-based practices, including polyvagal theory, parts work (internal family systems, IFS), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), somatic approaches, attachment theory, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), to support healing through the mind-body connection.