I am Wendy E. Smith, MA, Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA) and I can help:

I have discovered that I work somewhat differently with different people; this is probably because each client is different and has different problems, strengths, needs and goals, and because, in each case, a unique relationship develops between me and the client. In all cases, I place the utmost importance on deeply understanding your experience and on meeting you with empathy and respect. I believe that people contain the seeds of their own authenticity and development, and that it is my job to help you remove what blocks your natural growth. I use “existential” techniques (working in the here-and-now), as well as body-centered, mindfulness-based, and cognitive-behavioral techniques.  I also pay a lot of attention to people's histories in order to understand how their past development and experiences might be affecting their current capacity to live well in the present and imagine a future.  Recently, I have started using Lifespan Integration (c) to help clients integrate bodily/emotional memory from infancy, childhood and adolescence with their adult capacities for understanding.  I find this technique especially helpful for healing trauma gently without re-traumatizing.

When working with couples, I use “Emotionally Focused Therapy” to help partners deeply reconnect on the level of needs and feelings (as opposed to having that same unproductive argument over and over again). I also use very practical research-derived techniques to help partners develop strategies for successful communication and for joint living and dreaming, while, at the same time, maintaining their identities as whole and separate human beings.

Education & Credentials

I am a “Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate,” which means that I have my Masters degree in psychology/mental health counseling and am working towards Washington State licensure under the supervision of a seasoned clinician with 38 years of experience. I received my MA in psychology from Antioch University Seattle, and I also have an MA in literature from Yale University which I earned 20 years earlier. I have nine years of experience working in human services. I am a member of the American Counseling Association and the Seattle Counselors Association.  I am also a Washington State Crime Victims Compensation Program provider.

On a Personal Note

Since an important ingredient of our work together will be creating a comfortable working relationship, I'd like to tell you a little bit about me as a person. I'm 43, and am originally from New York. This last may account for the direct and genuine interpersonal style that caused a past supervisor of mine to remark, "You're so deeply caring with your clients, without being...well...nice." I like to smile and laugh, and I use and appreciate humor when working with clients. On the other hand, I have personally experienced anxiety and depression and know how difficult (and possible) it can be to live through, and transform, those experiences.

I have been visually impaired since I was a baby, but did not begin fully to appreciate the myriad meanings of that experience until my late 20's. Within the last decade, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, so I also know what it can be like to acquire, live with, and successfully manage, a chronic illness. I have been greatly empowered by both of these experiences.

Prior to retraining as a counselor, I worked as an English and literature instructor, as a writer, and in human services. I am committed to a variety of social justice and human rights causes, and volunteering in their service is an ongoing part of my life.

For People with Disabilities

If you grew up with a disability, you may have spent a lot of your life "cheerfully" trying to prove that you have "overcome" your disability and are just like everyone else (exactly what society expects of you), or you may have been convinced by others that you will "never amount to much". In either case, now may be the time to reclaim yourself--to work with a counselor to integrate your disability into your sense of yourself as a person you feel proud of.

If you have recently acquired a disability, you may be in shock, or determined to "overcome" your disability as soon as possible, or in despair at your losses and how radically your life has, or appears to have, changed. You may feel angry or guilty, or anxious about being a "burden" to your family and friends.

Coming to terms with a disability can bring up a lot of powerful emotions, not to mention confusion, overwhelm, or numbness. Indeed, the quest to make sense of your disability can prompt a reevaluation of your identity and priorities, and, sometimes, even of the meaning of your life. Finding a counselor who understands and is comfortable travelling this terrain