Thoughtful, relational therapy in Bellingham, Washington

You may understand yourself well and still feel stuck.
Perhaps anxiety keeps your mind and body on alert. You may feel overwhelmed by strong emotions, caught in familiar relationship patterns, or unsure of who you are after trauma, loss, or a difficult transition. You may be carrying questions about faith, identity, or meaning that do not have simple answers.
Therapy can provide a place to slow down, tell the truth about what you are experiencing, and begin to understand what is happening beneath the surface. You do not have to arrive with the right words or a clear plan. We can start with what feels most present and work from there.
I provide individual counseling for adults in Bellingham and online therapy for clients throughout Washington. I work especially well with thoughtful, emotionally aware people who want to understand themselves more deeply and create meaningful, lasting change.

What therapy with me is like

My style is warm, grounded, curious, and interactive. I will listen carefully, but I will not simply sit back and leave you to carry the conversation alone. I ask questions, reflect patterns, and offer honest observations when they may be helpful. We will pay attention both to what is hurting and to the strengths, hopes, and possibilities that can be harder to see when life feels overwhelming.
Many of my clients have already spent considerable time thinking, reading, praying, or trying to work through things on their own. Some have been in therapy before. They may understand why they feel the way they do but still struggle to experience change in their relationships, emotions, bodies, or daily lives.
Our work may include exploring early experiences, family dynamics, unspoken beliefs, or protective patterns that once helped you survive but now keep you from living as freely as you would like. We may make room for grief, reconnect with parts of you that have been pushed aside, or help you develop a steadier and more compassionate relationship with yourself.
Therapy with me is not about treating you as a problem to be fixed. It is about understanding the whole of your experience and helping you move toward greater clarity, connection, self-trust, and freedom.

Areas I help with

I work with adults experiencing a range of emotional and relational concerns, with particular attention to:

• Anxiety, emotional overwhelm, and difficulty settling your nervous system
• Trauma and the lasting effects of painful or destabilizing experiences
• Life transitions, identity questions, and feeling stuck
• Relationship patterns, codependency, boundaries, and emotional disconnection
• Grief, loss, depression, and diminished hope
• Self-criticism, shame, and struggles with self-worth
• Men’s issues and the difficulty of expressing vulnerability or asking for help
• Spiritual questions, church-related wounds, and tension between faith and suffering

You do not need to fit neatly into one category. People are more complex than a list of symptoms, and the concerns that bring someone to counseling are often interconnected.

My approach to counseling

I have been a therapist for more than 15 years, and my approach is shaped by professional training, years of sitting with people in difficult seasons, and my own experience of being human.
My work blends relational and insight-oriented therapy with practical tools. I do not require clients to fit into one particular method. Instead, I draw from approaches that fit the person, the relationship, and the work we are doing together.
Techniques can be useful, but the therapeutic relationship matters deeply. What I offer is steady presence: the kind that listens, notices, asks meaningful questions, and does not rush your process. I will not shrink from the painful parts of your story, but I will also help you notice the strength, resilience, humor, and capacity for joy that remain part of you.

Faith and spiritual concerns

If faith or spirituality is part of your story, it is welcome in therapy. It may be a source of comfort and direction, a place of pain or uncertainty, or all of these at once.
I understand both the importance of faith and what it is like to wrestle with belief in the midst of suffering. I do not impose religious answers or assume that every client wants faith incorporated into counseling. You are free to bring questions, doubt, anger, hope, church hurt, or spiritual longing into the room. We will approach these parts of your life with honesty, respect, and curiosity.
Clients who do not identify as Christian or religious are equally welcome. Therapy will be guided by your values and what matters to you.

Professional background

I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Western Washington University and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Trinity Western University. Before entering private practice, I spent five years working with a team of counselors at Bridging Counseling near Fairhaven. I have also worked in partnership with churches throughout Whatcom, Skagit, and Island counties.
I provide counseling to adults age 18 and older from my office in the historic Fairhaven neighborhood of Bellingham, Washington, as well as through secure online therapy throughout the state.

A little about me

I have lived in Bellingham since 1996 and continue to believe that this is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Outside the counseling office, I enjoy hiking on Chuckanut Mountain and in the North Cascades, walking through Whatcom Falls Park, listening to a wide range of music, traveling, reading biographies and memoirs in local coffee shops, and spending time with my wife and children.
I am not a therapist who believes he has everything figured out. My own life has included anxiety, relational pain, spiritual struggle, and seasons that required me to reconsider what healing and hope really mean. Those experiences have deepened my respect for how hard change can be and how much courage it can take to let another person into the more complicated parts of your story.

Beginning therapy

You do not have to be certain that therapy will help before reaching out. You only need enough willingness to begin a conversation.
I currently offer in-person counseling in Bellingham and online therapy throughout Washington. I accept Premera, LifeWise, and UnitedHealthcare insurance, as well as private-pay clients.
If you would like to explore whether we may be a good fit, send me a brief message about what you are looking for. I will respond with information about availability, insurance, and scheduling an initial appointment.