Many people struggle with anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, life stressors, etc. For the brave souls who have reached out for support, guidance, and healing I have so much respect for you. I know it can be intimidating to open up and be vulnerable in what may be a really tough time in your life.
I want you to know a little about me and hope this helps you to feel more comfortable. Your comfort and sense of security is the most important thing to me. You’ll find that my sessions are genuine, open, exploratory, and meaningful. I value collaboration which means we will work together to process what’s happening for you and work together to make things better. I will provide an empathetic ear, ask questions, and provide reflection so that I can really understand your goals, your life experiences, your beliefs and your values. I often find that issues we have as adults stem from beliefs we made up about ourselves, the world or others from our earlier relationships. It is common to have experienced emotional wounds growing up and sometimes those wounds don’t fully heal. We call these attachment wounds and like physical wounds they can hinder your ability to fully function or function optimally. My goal is to support you in creating a healthy relationship with yourself and healthy, secure dynamic relationships with others. My hope is that the work we do will aid you in translating your newly developed strategies in a positively adaptive way in your life.
My philosophy is one that is based on the notion of “acceptance leads to change”. We first have to accept where we are in our life and from there, we can begin the process of change. Life is filled with dialectical dilemmas (what does this mean to the average person?) making it difficult to see multiple perspectives or creative solutions. Instead, we perceive things as mutually exclusive. We often say either/or instead of both/and. Either/or language lends itself to seeing the world as black and white much of life falls into the grey area where things are uncertain. Life can often be uncomfortable, and we often need to find ways to manage multiple stressors that fall into the gray areas of life. Therefore, we will explore language that is inclusive like both/and. For example, life is both black and white and grey.
My approach is client-centered and strength-based, warm, and open. My clients sit in the driver's seat and I help navigate the twists and turns of life. I am here to help reveal any “blind spots” I may see in your path of self-discovery, growth, and healing. I look forward to embarking on this journey with you and heading into new horizons together.
Education and Licensure
Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy, Northwestern University, 2016
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of Rochester, 2014
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Washington State, 2019 - Present
Specialties
- Behavioral Issues
- Bipolar Disorder
- Borderline Personality
- Career Counseling
- Codependency
- Coping Skills
- Cross cultural relationships
- Depression/Anxiety
- Divorce
- Family Conflict
- Infidelity
- Life Coaching
- Life Transitions
- LGBTQ+
- Marital and Premarital
- Parenting
- Peer Relationships
- Racial Identity
- Relationship Issues
- Shame and guilt
- Self-Harming
- Self Esteem
- Suicidal Ideation
- Trauma and PTSD
Treatment
- Acceptance and Commitment (ACT)
- AEDP
- Attachment-based
- Biofeedback
- Clinical Supervision and Licensed Supervisors
- Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
- Compassion Focused
- Culturally Sensitive
- Dialectical (DBT)
- Emotionally Focused
- Experiential Therapy
- Exposure Response Prevention
- Family Systems
- Integrative
- Internal Family Systems (IFS)
- Multicultural
- Narrative
- Person-Centered
- Strength-Based
- Structural Family Therapy
To get an appointment scheduled with Timothy Tam, please call us at (425) 242-6267.