Counselors/Therapists

In search of adoption counseling, family counseling or individual counseling? Read the "profiles" on these experts and after you speak to two or three, choose one that you feel best fits your needs!

Professionals are listed alphabetically by last name.

Adoption Counseling & Educational Services (ACES)

info@adoptioncounselingservices.com

503-522-0839

www.adoptioncounselingservices.com

In addition to our counselors' academic credentials and training, each therapist affiliated with ACES, has earned a one year Post-Graduate Certificate in Adoption Therapy.

Areas served in Oregon include Portland, Beaverton, Dundee and Gresham. Vancouver, Washington, and surrounding areas can be served as well. This group of clinicians has the ability to provide in home services.

Services provided include counseling and workshops. Therapists work with children adopted internationally as well as children who spent time in state care. Services provided for birth parents, adults who were adopted and adoptive parents.

Philosophy: "Adoption can be a wonderful way to build a family. It can also be challenging. Adoption Counseling & Educational Services is an affiliation of mental health practitioners united in the goal of providing quality services for adoptive families."

"ACES' adoption therapists respect and acknowledge that each family is unique. We encourage parents to draw on their strengths and abilities, at the same time we help children explore grief, loss, attachment and identity issues. Our philosophy is one of helping families to move from coping with life, to living life joyously as a fully integrated family"

Free parent support groups provided.

Amy Arensberg, LICSW

LW00005106

425-454-2835

1300 114th Ave., SE, Suite 102
Bellevue, WA 98004

Email: amyarensberg@comcast.net

I specialize in treating children and teens with Asperger's Disorder, mood disorders, ADHD, adjustment disorders and family issues. I also treat adults with mood disorders, fertility issues and adjustment issues. I strive to create a warm and comfortable atmosphere where my clients can work on learning ways toward optimum mental health.

My role as a therapist is to work with each client (and their parents) to define their goals in therapy. I focus on the client’s strengths and resources to bring about change in patterns of behavior and ways of thinking. Each client is an individual and I may use a combination of approaches that are best suited to their needs.

Bethany Christian Services

206-367-4604
1800-733-4604

www.bethany.org

bcsseattle@bethany.org

19936 Ballinger Way NE, Suite D, Seattle, WA 98155

4204 Meridian St., Suite 105, Bellingham, WA 98226

5913 SW Westgate Drive, Suite 117, Portland, OR, 97221

Child & Family Counseling Support
Bethany offers both general counseling for adoptive families and specialized trauma informed therapy. Our specially trained and licensed staff of masters level counselors offer a variety of specialized therapies specifically designed to meet the needs of adoptive children.

ADOPTS Program
With our ADOPTS program (Addressing Distress Of Post Traumatic Stress), staff will address the trauma triggers that specifically get in the way of a child connecting to their adoptive parent. Using a wrap around model, staff use group therapy, individual experiential play therapy, family therapy, and parent-child relationship centered therapy to help families in need of support.

At Bethany, our desire is to harness the inherent strengths already naturally built into the relationship adoptive parents have with their adoptive child. With these strengths identified, Bethany provides parent education as to how their adoptive child’s trauma is specifically connected to the behavior they might be seeing in the home. Then, they will be invited into the process of helping their adoptive child find healing.

Parent Groups
One of the most valuable things adoptive parents take away from our parent groups is the simple, yet comforting knowledge that “they are not alone.” After coming out of our parent groups, adoptive parents have said things like, “It was encouraging to be with other families going through the same thing.”

As an adoptive parent, our parent group offers you:
• A holistic understanding of trauma and its effects on your child
• Practical ways to develop in your child healthy expressions of emotions and thoughts
• Effective ways to increase your child’s capacity to develop healthy attachments Strategies for building on the strengths of your child

Because your adoptive child is in his/her group during the same time, he or she is learning the same material, just from a more developmentally appropriate level.

Child/Adolescent Groups
Our child & adolescent groups offer a place of safety and understanding, where your adoptive child “can come out of his/her shell.” Our staff helps your child:
• To understand why he or she might be having such a difficult time
• To imagine with your child what tools they might like to have in their “toolbox,” that will more readily help them regulate their emotions
• To grow in confidence and personal strengths

Recognizing that a child’s language is often play, our staff utilizes play therapy, art therapy, music therapy, and narrative therapy.
For info contact Greg, gmalone@bethany.org or Cindy, cridgway@bethany.org, 206-367-4604

Mary-Carter Creech, MA, LMHC

206-409-9355

1523 E. Madison, Seattle

and

9757 NE Juanita Dr., Suite #129, Kirkland

Mary-Carter works in association with Deborah Gray, MSW, MPA of Nurturing Attachments.

Mary-Carter has extensive expertise with adoption and foster care issues. She is skilled with working with older placed children, internationally and domestically placed. Mary-Carter will provide valuable in-home counseling during early stages of a child's transition into the home.

Mary Carters’ philosophy includes; “I work with children and families in the step by step process of life and family transition. I work towards building the foundation of attachment that allows children who have been adopted from backgrounds of abuse and neglect to feel security and trust with their adoptive parents. I join with the parents in developing therapeutic parenting skills that will help them to be primary healers for their children”

Suzanne Engelberg, PhD

License-WA1948

206-542-7516 x105

DrEngelberg@verizon.net

18532 Firlands Way N, Suite A
Shoreline, WA 98133

Dr. Engelberg is a Licensed Clinical Child Psychologist with nearly 20 years experience working with adopted children and their families. Her specialty is addressing childhood and family difficulties impacted by adoption. She has additional expertise with multi-cultural families and families with lesbian or gay parents.

Dr. Engelberg is a past Senior Clinician for the Adoption Resource Center of Children’s Home Society of Washington, and past Coordinator of the Jewish Adoption Consultation, Information and Referral Service of Jewish Family Service. She is a former school counselor and school psychologist, as well as a popular workshop leader on topics of child development, parenting and school difficulties. Dr. Engelberg’s advice has been quoted in national teen magazines.

Dr. Engelberg provides therapy to parents, families and children. She also offers short-term consultations to parents with questions about adoption-related issues such as relationships with birth family, identity, adoption issues at school, etc. In addition, Dr. Engelberg consults with parents not sure if their child’s difficulties could be helped by professional assistance or are part of “normal” child development.

Dr. Engelberg says, “Sometimes is obvious when a difficulty is related to adoption. Other times it is harder to tell. In either situation it is helpful to work with a professional with expertise in both adoption and child development.”

“My therapy style is very collaborative. You are an equal partner in our work together. I will listen non-judgmentally to your concerns and ideas. Together we will develop a plan to reach your goals.”

Dr. Engelberg also provides Parent Educator/Family Coaching Services, Training/Workshop Facilitator Services and Pre-Adoption Consultation Services

Amanda Franklin, M.Ed.

LH00004551

Epiphany Counseling Services

1805 38th Ave.
Seattle, WA 98122

206-324-0721

www.amandafranklin.net

Amanda provides therapy to adults and children with a background in abuse, child sexual abuse, trauma and religious issues. Her practice includes family therapy in divorce situations, foster families and adoptive families.

Amanda says “I am a white, middle aged, woman with a stepson, a birth daughter and an adopted daughter. What I know about foster care and adoption comes from 22 years of professional experience, my own life, and family, as well as a volunteer CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) with the Juvenile Court.”

Amanda does not bill insurances, but is able to set fees that clients can afford over time.

Amanda is an approved supervisor for AAMFT and provides consultation services for other therapists.

Erica Goos, MA

RC00039912

444 NE Ravenna Blvd, Suite309
Seattle, WA 98115

206-778-7048

e_goos@hotmail.com

www.ericagoos.com

Erica works with individuals, couples and groups. She has expertise and experience working with third culture kids, bi-cultural persons, internationally adopted children and adults, couples in bi-racial marriages and professionals repatriating to the US.

Erica also works with those experiencing life transitions, grief and loss, depression, abuse and personal growth issues

As part of an emigrant family, Erica has the unique life experiences of a bi-cultural person (Korean and American cultures). She is also the mother of a bi-racial birth child and an internationally adopted child. With this distinctive combination of life experiences Erica possesses first hand understanding of complex issues. She intimately understands the process and struggles of integrating different cultures into a complete identity.

Erica says: “We all desire to be loved unconditionally, to be able to develop and maintain intimate relationships and live a dynamic life. These desires can bring great joy, but also great pain and problems. I am here to provide the support and insight needed to find practical solutions for lasting changes so that you can fully live with hope and freedom”

Erica provides a complimentary 20 minute consultation.

Claire Greenhill, MS, LMHC

#LH00010457
www.NorthSeattleTherapy.com
Claire@NorthSeattleTherapy.com

206-658-5374
600 N. 36th Street, Suite 316
Seattle, WA, 98103    

Claire provides psychotherapy services to adults, families, adolescents and children who are touched by adoption.  Issues commonly addressed in therapy include (but are not limited to): grief and loss in adoption, attachment dysfunction/disorder, post-adoption depression, family adjustment, identity formation (for teens), bonding with an adopted child, processing the loss of a child (for birth mothers), adoption decision-making, and other issues.  In her general practice, Claire works with clients on stress, anxiety and depression management, recovery from trauma and abuse, and pregnancy/postpartum concerns. 

Claire also provides in-home services to families who need/prefer to have sessions in their home.  She offers a free 30-minute consultation to anyone wishing to meet in person before deciding to begin therapy.

Claire's office is located in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, just north of the Fremont Bridge.

Christopher M. Hibbeln, LMHC

LH00009719

www.cmhcounseling.com

 chibbeln@gmail.com

 206-724-5297

9 Lake Bellevue Drive, Suite 214
Bellevue, WA 98004

Christopher works with children, adolescents, young adults and families.  He provides counseling on issues such as anxiety, depression, difficulties in school and families in conflict.  He specializes in working with children with oppositional, aggressive or self-harming disorders. Additionally, Christopher has extensive experience working with families in severe crisis.  His philosophy in care is cognitive behavioral, with a strong emphasis on growth and learning.  He will often provide additional skills for parents of children with special needs. 

Christopher says “counseling is something done cooperatively—it is not something that I do to people, but something in which I take part.  I use a humanistic approach to develop a therapeutic relationship and work with my clients to set reachable goals.   I typically make use of cognitive behavioral techniques to promote growth.  This means we may spend some of our time discussing thoughts or behaviors—and then creating plans for change.  It is my experience that an individual or family’s active participation I therapy is the primary ingredient in creating a positive therapy experience.”

Evenings available.

Sliding scale available.

Linnea C. Lauer, LMHC

LH000053105

libbay@sincom.com

360-697-5343

Liberty Way Counseling Services
20307 Viking Ave., #203
Poulsbo, WA. 98370

I specialize in providing mental health counseling services to children, adolescents and their families. I’ve been in private practice for 11 years, and I have additional experience working with the foster care, community mental health and educational systems. I have been a designated child mental health specialist, a school counselor, and a school teacher.

I’ve acquired expertise in the areas of attention deficit disorder, grief and trauma, Aspergers Syndrome and Pediatric Bipolar Disorder. I am seeking advanced certification in the treatment of adoption and attachment issues.

I spent 7 years living in Asia and have a working knowledge of Mandarin.

Linnea says “I am a strength based counselor. That means that my clients and I identify their strengths very early in the counseling process and use those strengths to address issues with which the client may be struggling. Strengths can be found in many areas: family, faith, personality traits, and abilities. I have tremendous admiration for the courage and tenacity exhibited by those who endure and overcome adversity.”

Lyn Marx, M.S., L.P.C.

Oregon-C1426

Adoption Support Online
http://www.adoptionsupportonline.com

541-514-5572

Lyn Marx, MS, is a licensed professional counselor in Oregon. She has earned a post-graduate certificate in “Therapy with Adoptive Families” and Level 1 and 2 certificates in “Cybercounseling”. Lyn provides online counseling, education and coaching for families touched by adoption. She specializes in providing services to children and families in the early stages of adoption and coaching adoptive parents throughout their life as parents.

Lyn has developed a program for families in their first year of an adoption placement, Getting Attached: An On-Line Jumpstart for Building Forever Families. After completing the first 4 weeks of this program, she writes an Initial Attachment Assessment, which includes recommendations for the next step. If in person therapy is recommended, this Assessment can be useful to pass on to the therapist.

Lyn says: “Counseling on-line is a new approach to meet the needs of busy families. As a Child and Family Therapist who has worked in person with clients for over 20 years, I have been pleasantly surprised to find that I get to know clients as well through ‘cyberspace’ as I did in person!”

Online counseling is… *Support at your fingertips*!

Kate O'Brien, MS, LICSW

206-235-1768

1523 East Madison Ave.
Seattle, WA 98122

Kambiri@comcast.net

Kate is a specialist in attachment and relationships between babies, toddlers, preschoolers and their care givers. Because of this expertise, her work is focused on birth to six years old with their parent/primary care-provider. She is also skillful working with trans-racial/trans-cultural families and those who have adopted internationally.

Kate achieved the Infant Mental Health Certificate from the University of Washington and her work is influenced by a number of well known methods and theories which include The Circle of Security's attachment work, Mary Dozier's work with toddlers in foster care, Alicia Lieberman and other infant mental health specialists' writings and research in infant mental health, brain research as it relates to trauma and neglect and attachment, Theraplay techniques and Greenspan's Floor Play and videotaped FEAS assessment. She is able to use a number of normed assessment and screening protocols with parents to inform her assessments.

Kate uses the unique tool of videotaping children and parents so parents can observe the strengths and weaknesses in the relationship. This is a beautifully valuable way to enable parents to strengthen their relationship with their child.

Kate says “all babies need consistent and secure relationships with their caregivers. Sometimes things happen that disrupt or stresses security—perhaps adoption, foster care, a difficult pregnancy, premature birth, parent depression, hospitalization, trauma, neglect or abuse. This may cause babies and toddlers to become anxious. There is a risk that they will develop problems regulating their behavior and emotions, possibly resulting in difficulties with sleep, feeding, transitions or language. My passion and commitment is to support babies, young children and their parents to build a strong emotional connection and positive communication”

Kate can bring her valuable expertise to your home or see you and your child in her office. She has a contract with DSHS, so she is able to provide services for children in the foster care and foster to adopt systems.

Madeleine “Mayda” F. Taney, MA, LMHC, ATR-BC

LH00010 651

  Inner Well Counseling & Art Therapy

info@innerwellcounseling.com

206-304-1954

 

824 S. 309^th Pl.

Federal Way, WA98003

 

Mayda offers support and education by teaching parents to provide more structure and routine and have consistent and realistic expectations while gaining a solid understanding of their child’s developmental needs and diagnosis.

 

Mayda possesses a unique combination of expertise with 14 years as a special education teacher and her clinical degree and experience.  Because of this expertise, she is extraordinarily equipped to consult with and coach parents in navigating and negotiating the educational system on behalf of their children.  She can educate and assist parents with Individualized Educational Plans (IEP’s); 504 plans; educational testing and the results and advocacy in behalf of children.

 

In her work as an educator, Mayda has worked with children and families brought together by domestic and international adoption as well as kinship adoption.  She has had the opportunity to work with families of many cultures and configurations.    

Mayda also provides Educational Consulting services and Parent Education/Coaching services.