Rebecca Waterston, LMHC

Experienced Licensed Mental Health Counselor with broad experience in helping women cope with anxiety, depression, healing as the partner of an alcoholic or a sex addict, the challenges of going through divorce, overcoming the insecurities of being an HSP (highly sensitive person), dealing with family issues, and other issues women often face. I also provide Christian Counseling upon Request.

Warm, nurturing and growth-oriented counseling for women, adolescent girls (ages 13 - 18), individuals, or couples --- who wish to overcome traumatic childhoods, dysfunctional family environments, or individual traumatic experiences (complex or simple trauma.) Perhaps you want some help in dealing with past or present family or partner emotional abuse or narcissistic abuse, a loved one's mental illness, alcoholism/ addiction, or you may have experienced a life-changing accident or other experience that has set you back causing high anxiety or panic attacks, triggers, and difficulty dealing with life on a day-to-day basis. One of my specialties is helping my clients come through the pain of their own illness and recovery, or a loved one's addiction, narcissistic abuse, or other mental illness that has raised havoc within the family.
Perhaps you are dealing with anxiety or depression, or trying to heal and become an overcomer from your own substance abuse, or you may be the Partner of a Recovering Sex Addict or other type of Addiction within your family or close circle of loved ones.
While it is important to heal from trauma, past issues, or family-of-origin difficulties, we want to do more. It is now time to learn how to live your best life, to navigate the ups and downs of life through anxiety or depression, or in the aftermath of a family member or loved one's substance abuse issues. It simply is "Time to Thrive."
I use a number of tools such as CBT (cognitive behavioral therapeutic methods), various trauma protocols and tools for those suffering from Family-of-Origin or Family System Dysfunction. I am certified in Hypnotherapy and also certified in Lifespan Integration Therapy....a non-retraumatizing therapy specifically designed to treat trauma. I work often with partners of sex addicts as a trained CCPS-C (Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Candidate) with APSATS (Association of Partners of Sex Addicts Trauma Specialist) and as an ERCEM Therapist (Early Recovery Couples Empathy Model) for couples coming out of the dark cloud of sex addiction and the damage it has done to the partner and family of the recovery sex addict.

How do you come together, learn and grow as a couple, heal from the damage of this trauma and eventually come to forgiveness, understanding, and good communication with your addict in recovery. Your relationship can actually become closer and healthier than you can imagine using tools to help heal your brain trauma, to improve your individual life while creating a marriage that is perhaps better and more emotionally intimate than it ever has been before.
Brain science continues to teach us much about healing and rerouting negative neuro-patterns in the brain ....patterns of thinking that are no longer working well for us. I educate and work within that framework of improving the brain itself, allowing you to create new, healthy patterns for living and thinking. When you find yourself constantly feeling confused, living as if you are in a fog, living in fear that doesn't let up, or wondering why the ordinary functions in life have become so difficult for you --- you are dealing with the effects that trauma is having on your brain. There IS hope - you can recover from this confused, anxious, frightening state and find healthy, optimistic functioning again by getting the right treatment with a Counselor who understands what is happening to you emotionally, physically and brain function-wise. I can also help your addicted partner find the right help for his (or her) sex addiction and provide referrals to highly qualified CSAT Counselors (Certified Sex Addiction Therapists) so you can both heal from this life and family-destroying addiction.
Lastly, I find it a joy to work with those of faith and I will, upon your request, provide Christian-based therapy for those who want to incorporate their faith with their psychological healing. There has been much growth in many churches today in helping couples recovery through sex addiction treatment and recovery. Combining faith with professional, ethical mental health treatment can be helpful for those who find their faith important in their healing. Working within that world view and yet a professional who is trained in the intricasies of your trauma, who has studied the underlying neuro-biology of this trauma, and who is highly qualified in the psychological aspects of mental health recovery, wellness, working with the latest innovations in the therapy world that can give this client the best of both worlds.
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, as well as those who are lgbtqia. I uphold the ethics of equal treatment for all who seek that treatment. I embrace the "Do No Harm" belief as an ethical, non-judgmental, Mental Health Therapist. We can do great work together, regardless of your beliefs, sexual preferences, race or cultural background or viewpoint. Everyone is important and I do not ascribe to discrimination.
I look forward to talking with you. Feel free to call if you have questions I have not addressed here.
If I am not in, please leave me a message, providing 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. Emails 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)
Licensed in Washington State - Lic # LH61251153
SUDPT (Substance Use Disorder Professional - Trainee)
Lifespan Integration (L.I.) Therapist
Certified Hypnotherapy Therapist
CCPS-C (Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Candidate)
ERCEM (Early Recovery Couples Empathy Model) Therapist

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