In Person Therapists in Washington

I am a nationally registered art therapist. Using creative processes helps us develop new ways of thinking and new insights into our actions, reactions, and behaviors...and know that if you don't want to make art, you don't have to. It's always an option and never required.

Everyone needs hope. We despair and turn to alcohol, food, shopping, sex and the infinite screen to fill our void. We think we know what we want: intimacy, confidence, inner peace and a sense of achievement. We want to matter. We are tortured at times by self doubt implanted by past traumas. I offer a secure place to be yourself to unravel your secrets, fears, shame and guilt. I have 26 years post-doctoral clinical experience counseling individuals, couples and families. I view human problems from a social systemic perspective addressing the individual and their social context.

Mark’s first love has always been in practice with family and individual counseling. After managing, he decided to enter into private practice, currently with the Mindful Therapy Group. Mark provides individual, couples, family and group psychotherapy services to people with a variety of mental and emotional difficulties including depression, anxiety, attention deficit, multiple personality, anti-social and other personality issues. Mark has experience working with children, adolescents, and adults from different backgrounds, cultures, and unique circumstances.

With all of the challenges of the past few years, mental health problems, especially anxiety, are increasing. Symptoms of might include persistent worries, self-doubt, avoidance, and self-soothing behaviors such as over eating, attempting to become lost in an an activity that brings temporary relief such as video games, and efforts to over-control oneself. I am here to help teens, older children, and their families find more satisfaction in life. I teach new ways of thinking about problems, help people develop confidence, and teach strategies to reduce the physical symptoms associated with emotional and behavioral problems.

I work collaboratively with each client, offering a compassionate and supportive approach. I value the power of music, visual art, poetry and movement to reveal and cultivate the strengths and innate potential of each person.

I specialize in helping people of all ages and backgrounds experiencing imbalance in their personal, family or professional life. I work with thousands of clients through various issues with life change, parenting, crisis, death, and relationships. I pace myself to the client's needs and work quickly using core values which are universal to all walks of life. Currently, since 2013 I have a weekly international radio/internet show on Voiceamerica.com. The Empowerment channel called "Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology."

No matter how straight & smooth we try to make it, life is, by nature a crooked line & a bumpy road! Depression, anxiety, grief, trauma...all by-products of living life. Fortunately, we are hard-wired for health; drawn to people & situations that foster our transformance. However, we develop coping/protective mechanisms that hinder that innate tendency to thrive. We create stories about ourselves & the world that keep us scared & isolated. Therapy is the sacred and confidential space in which these, up until now, forbidden feelings, self-thoughts, memories can be carefully, sensitively and intentionally brought forth into the light.

I hold a deep regard and compassion for each individual and the ways they have learned to survive. I view therapy as a collaborative journey towards integration of self and expansion of the potentials already inherent in you. In line with this, I aim for our work together to be as liberatory as possible. I see you as the expert of your own story and as holding the potential for your own healing. In our time together we can work to uncover what gets in the way of your inherent ability to flourish, be it internal, relational or rooted in the social environment in which we exist.

As we all know, this life is a challenging, exciting, but sometimes difficult journey. My goal is to assist you in navigating through those difficulties in a healthy, meaningful way. My work is now focused on adult individuals and I look forward to helping you adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world. Along with being a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I am also a Grief Counselor. I have worked with people of all ages for many years and strive to do what I can to make their world a better one.

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, with a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. I specialize in individual, couples and family therapy with mental health diagnoses as well as relational conflicts. I strongly believe that family is the fundamental yet the most important and influential factor for each individual's physical and emotional well being. I have witnessed many individuals broken and wounded because of their dysfunctional family systems and lack of courage to seek out the help they need when they needed.

Everyone encounters times when they feel confused or overwhelmed by life. There may be particular circumstances that arise, repeated patterns of reaction that become unhelpful, or deeper levels of trauma that seek resolution and understanding. I work to help you with an in-depth examination of your life, your patterns of mind, your relationships with others, and your place in the larger world. This work is not always easy, and can in fact, be quite a challenge. I draw on neuroscience, traditional talk therapy, yoga, body movement, mindfulness and meditation to support you as you gain awareness and make choices about your life.

Is it sometimes a struggle for you to feel comfortable being yourself around others? Maybe you tend to keep your opinions and feelings to yourself unless you’re sure you won’t be judged by family and friends? Loyalty and being there for loved ones is important to you and you’ll often drop what you’re doing when it feels you’re needed by a friend or family member. Unfortunately, it may not seem that they do the same for you when you’re the one feeling upset or overwhelmed. You may be afraid to bring this up, worried that they'll think you're overreacting. Deep down, you want to share your feelings without it becoming an argument.

I offer psychoanalysis/psychoanalytic therapy for overcoming anxiety, depression and emotional difficulties at all phases of life. For many, a starting place in therapy may be describing concrete symptoms of pain and illness in your body, and/or life stressors such as finances, relationships, responsibilities, social/political stress, disease/chronic conditions. These topical, real-world struggles are important entry points to your emotional world and your inner life.

I specialize in eating disorders, dissociative disorders & complex trauma, anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Our bodies hold deep wisdom but for many, as a result of trauma, emotional and physical distress, and systemic oppression, to name a few, the connection to this wisdom has been disrupted and damaged. I will meet you where ever you are at in the process as we learn to listen to what your body and story hold.

Why can’t I just be happy? Why is everything so difficult? Is life just endless suffering? Most of us are trying to rid ourselves of our anxiety by avoiding frightening situations and shielding ourselves from uncomfortable experiences. In doing so, our existence often becomes narrow and tedious. But what if we could learn to make room for the inevitable pains that life confronts us with and accept the experiences we cannot control. If we can become more psychologically flexible, we can then be present and do what matters most to us.

It can be difficult to admit that life is hard, but all too often the pressures of the modern world cause anxiety spiral to a place where it feels overwhelming and unmanageable. We worry about performance at work only to come home to the same feelings of uncertainty with friends and family. We want to feel close to others but end up spending so much time second-guessing our choices and pushing for perfection that we struggle to really connect. We may want to slow down, but how can we, when the world is moving so fast? Mindfulness-based counseling offers tools that can help us be more aware, focused and effectively compassionate.

Healing occurs in our bodies, in the present moment. As a licensed mental health counselor, nationally certified Sex Therapist, and Hakomi Practitioner, I have a unique, multidisciplinary approach to psychotherapy and the healing practice of mental health. I use a mindfulness based, body-centered psychotherapy to guide you through the process of self discovery and healing. I work with adults struggling with depression & anxiety, as well as sexual health and recovery issues. My practice of psychotherapy supports compassion toward oneself and empathy for others by shifting from stuck patterns & beliefs to an expanded sense of our true essence as human beings of joy and pleasure.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist working with adults in individual therapy through a relational and psychodynamic approach. These modalities hold that the past informs the present, often setting the template for unconscious patterns of thought, behavior, and relating to others that impact our current relationships, as well as our ability to be productive and fulfilled. Developing deeper understanding about the nature of our problems within the context of an empathic, collaborative therapeutic relationship can lead to increased intellectual and emotional flexibility, healthier relationships, and richer, more satisfying lives.

Fact: Life can be devastating and hard. Also fact: Life can be breathtakingly beautiful. How can we hold both of these things to be true? Therapy can be a place to learn and practice how to cope with and make something meaningful out of life's biggest setbacks and challenges. If you are asking yourself "Why do I do this?" "Why do I feel this way?" "Why can't I stop thinking about this?" "Who am I?" "How do I figure out the next step in my life?" I welcome you to therapy where we can create the time and space to sit deeply with these questions.