Rebecca Waterston, LMHC

I am a nurturing, experienced therapist licensed in Washington state. I enjoy working with adults & adolescents who deal with anxiety/trauma and mood disorders. My specialties include trauma...which led me to a fascination with neuroscience and how our thoughts, emotions and behaviors interact at the brain functioning level.
Couples come in who wish to improve their relationship while others are going through separation or divorce. A couple of recently added specialties include 'Women's Mental Health' thru all stages of a woman's life, and another recent specialty is coaching HSPs (highly sensitive persons) navigate the world and want to learn how to emotionally regulate themselves in a 'Loud, Fast, Too-Much World. '

Those I Work With:
I enjoy getting to know my client and learning their needs, so we (meaning myself & my client) can work toward building success upon other successes. I work with individuals, including adolescents, and I work with couples and families. Many have experienced heavy disappointments, others have been emotionally abused or neglected at the hands of an early life dysfunctional family or a life partner.

Trauma and Other Reasons for Therapy:
Trauma, whether 'Simple' (short duration) or 'Complex Trauma' (happening consistently over a longer period of time) can result from numerous experiences. I have seen it in classes of women I have taught about physical and emotional abuse, and about the abuse cycle and how to break out of that cycle. I have counseled with individuals who are not sure if they are being emotionally abused or if they just too sensitive....that is often what they are told. Feeling confused and so unsure of ones own perceptions and judgement creates doubt about their own thoughts, and creates a personal trauma of feelings vs. fact. Other clients have suffered the unique crazy-making abuse at the hands of a narcissistic parent, spouse, or friend. It is rewarding as these people find the ways to believe in themselves and stop questioning whether what the Narcissist is saying is true or not true. We see trauma, whether it results from a life-changing accident, losing a loved one, or experiencing high anxiety, panic attacks, and triggered memories over an extended period of time. I use a number of treatment modalities, but I tailor them to fit the needs of my client.

An addiction that was seldom heard of before computers were in widespread use by everyone from children through to adults, is that of sex addiction. This addiction has all of the same hallmarks of true addiction - it is progressive, it carries shame, it often comes along with other addictions, it takes part in the same portion of the brain as any other addictions, and it can cause a tremendously uncomfortable withdrawal. The wife, or partner of a sex addict (while it the partner is most often a woman, that is not always the case). The partner of a sex addict suffers shock so severe that it causes a kind of brain fog, an inability to concentrate, lack of motivation and the loss of joy and hope. Trust has been broken where they previously believed their relationship was solid. They feel betrayed and they wonder why this happened. They also experience shame that is that they feel like they cannot talk to even their best friends, for fear of being ostracized. Gentle care and understanding, plus talking with other women who are going through the same crisis helps to restore their brain but it is a long recovery. I use materials specific to this addiction when working with what is now called a 'Betrayed Partner' (of a Sex Addict).

A Better Life Is The Long-Term Goal:
While it is important to heal from trauma, past emotional hurts, difficulties caused by a sick parent or a dysfunctional family-of-origin, I want MORE for you. My goal is to always help my clients move through the pain of those experiences to find hope and peace but I want you to have and live your best life and more easily are able to navigate the ups and downs of life. It simply is "Time to Thrive."

Counseling Modalities & Healing Tools:
I use many proven counseling methods (tools) such as REBT (rational emotion-behavior therapy), CBT (cognitive behavioral therapeutic methods). I am a certified Lifespan Integration Therapist (L.I.), which is a non-traumatizing trauma therapy in which we pay attention to lifetime memories. L.I. focuses on changing the brain's neuropathways so formerly painful memories become 'just history' without the charge they once had. Because our muscle stores memories (particularly those that unpleasant), during our L.I. sessions, we focus on areas of the body that feel the tension or stress from that memory. Then we work on bringing that down in its effect. This changes the neuropathways, so it also changes the effects of trauma on self and on the body. At times I may combine L.I. with Hypnotherapy to bring up memories that are being triggered by someone else's actions or words.

Teaching clients about patterns within unhealthy family systems can help the client see where damage occurred, and they are then ready to move through to healing. Issues that often arise from family-of-origin abuse or neglect, can be difficulty setting and maintaining boundaries, being overly-responsible for others, people-pleasing, neglect of self care, low self-esteem and self-value, addiction, and much more! Recognition is the first step, then learning to use the tools offered, is what brings clients relief and joy.

With couples, I use much of the Gottman Institute's work. They have studied and counseled hundreds, or thousands, of couples over the past 20-30 years. They have studied what keeps these couples married and what pulls them apart. I explain many of these tools and then have the couple try to apply them in their own relationship. Much affects a couple's life - from the childhood experiences to differing communication styles and the misunderstandings that come with that. After that phase, we want to continue into helping couples create intimacy. That starts with a focus on communication styles that are respectful, supportive, healing. Then we want to help them create the deep friendship and wholehearted support of one another that actually creates that intimacy. More couples than ever are facing sex addiction and that has put additional stresses on couples. It is possible to come to forgiveness, understanding, and good communication with your partner. With help for your relationship you can grow closer and healthier creating a strong yet flexible bond. You may be surprised that you actually experience a more emotionally intimate marriage than either of you have ever been able to experience before.

Neuroscience on The Forefront of Mental Health Treatment:
Brain science continues to teach us much about healing our brain's neuro networks so that as we change old, ineffective patterns of thinking, we replace them with new thoughts and new actions. I often educate a bit about this neuroscience framework because I think it is SO very important. Emotions only change when we change old ways of thinking and change old patterns. Thought is the key to changing old patterns and creating new ways of thinking creates gentler emotions. This all begins with the brain's neuropathways.

Help and Hope:
There IS help for the depression, fog, confusion, and fear that a traumatized brain experiences. There is hope and you can recover from a confused, anxious, frightened state of being into healthy and optimistic functioning again by getting the right treatment with a Counselor who understands what is happening to you emotionally & physically, and who also understands how your brain works with these changes.

One of my greatest pleasures is seeing the 'lights' turn on in client's eyes and watching them blossom into their true self and trusting themselves and their own judgement. When you begin counseling, it is YOUR counseling. YOU are the person who knows the most about yourself. So I believe it is important that you lead the way by making goals for therapy and tracking them, doing the exercises or homework assigned, and advocating for what you need. I may have an idea of something I was thinking we could explore. But, I will always ask you first if there is something important you wanted to discuss before we would explore the area I had been thinking about.

Working with Specific Interest Groups:
Lastly, I find it a joy to work with those of faith and I will, upon your Request, provide Christian-based therapy. Studies have shown that incorporating faith and prayer actually promotes better healing - whether physical or emotional. Working within my faith-based world-view and being a Mental Health Professional who never wants to stop learning and who is always willing to learn new treatment modalities, I believe that I can bring the best for every client of mine. And I would like to work with you.

It is also vitally important to me to say that I respect all persons, those who hold a particular faith, and those who do not. My door is open and I work with those who are heterosexual or who identify as something other. I uphold the ethics of equal treatment for all who seek counseling and help. I embrace the "Do No Harm" belief as an ethical, non-judgmental, mental health professional. I look forward to talking with you!

To Contact Me or toSet Up an Appointment:
Feel free to call if you have questions I have not addressed here, or if you would like to take advantage of the free 30-minute consultation with me via phone or on Zoom Pro. If I am not in when you call, please leave me a message - I prefer texts as I get to them faster. But whichever you use, please provide me with your name, phone number, email and best times to reach out to you. I will return your call, whenever possible, within 24 hours. You can also emails and they may take a bit longer, but I will always try to answer within 48 hours.

Very Best,
Rebecca L. Waterston, MA, LMHC
(Licensed Mental Health Counselor)
Washington State License # LH61251153
Practitioner of Lifespan Integration Therapy
Certified Hypnotherapy Clinician
Trained in working with Substance Use Disorders

MEMBERS OF:
APA (American Psychological Association) Member
Member of APSATS ( Association of Partners of Sex Addicts Trauma Specialist)
PESI Member (Professional Education Systems Institute)