mental health counseling in Washington State
Relationships, Life Transitions, Perinatal, Trauma, and Grief
Meet Wendy Prowell, M.Ed, LMHCA
I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA) in Washington state who adores accompanying clients as they grow in self awareness, greater capacity to love and be loved, and to initiate and respond to change in their lives.
I specialize in treating symptoms of relational distress, depression, anxiety, grief, and systemic oppression. I use evidence-based approaches that are proven to be effective at reducing symptoms and increasing quality of life. I bring a warm, perceptive, and optimistic presence to hold space for connection and healing.
Specialties
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Relationships
I love working with clients to create more secure, joyful, and rewarding relationships. I believe that loving – and receiving love – are something that we can all learn to do with greater ease and confidence.
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Life Transitions
Whether we seek or are forced to respond to change in our lives, challenges can accompany the process. I view transitions as invitations to knowing ourselves more deeply and to building confidence in our emotional abilities to care for ourselves, regardless of shifting external circumstances.
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Trauma
Often after moving through the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event, episode, or period in our lives with relatively few complications, we still struggle with the subtle (or not-so-subtle) ways that the experience filters almost everything we do. I will work with you to identify and manage the ongoing ways that trauma can continue to show up.
Seeking support is courageous and a form of caring for yourself.
Tough times come in so many forms. Maybe you’re sad, confused, or anxious. Frustrated, afraid, or lonely. Or something just feels “off.” Perhaps you know what’s wrong but not why – or how to fix it.
Therapy is a safe place to admit that you’re not ok right now. The focus of my practice is to help clients identify how they’re feeling and understand why.
Read More about My Services
I will work with you to explore what’s going on so you can start to
feel better.
What is “better?” It can mean many things to each of us, but the main way I think about it is that you start feeling:
Calmer, stronger, and more hopeful
Confident about your ability to face the transitions that life inevitably brings
Comfortable expressing your authentic self (because you genuinely like that person)
Capable of connecting with others in deeper, honest, and more joyful ways
Compassionate toward yourself and others, regardless of things in the past that haven’t gone the way you hoped
So how does “better” happen, actually?
Processing experiences with a mental health professional can make a tremendous difference in how you feel and function. Working with a therapist who makes you feel seen and holds hope that you will experience greater things ahead is the route to “better.” The most important contributing factor to “better,” in my view, is a relationship between a counselor and client that is based on warmth, empathy, and genuineness. We are literally created through relationship, we grow because of them, and, I believe, it is through them that we heal. The connection that you form with your therapist is central to your healing.
Therapy is a creative, collaborative process, and highly individualized.
Your story is unique, and our relationship will be equally so.
The ultimate purpose of therapy is to help you bring what you discover about yourself in session back into your life outside of session. People who actively participate in the process of therapy are those who are ready to take risks in their life in order to create positive change. They are, in general, open to new perspectives and are curious about what they can do to become the best versions of themselves.
