About the Practice

A humanistic approach

My approach with my clients is humanistic. I believe individuals have unique and complex perspectives and I believe my role is to help you identify your own strengths and challenges. I view my role as a guide, rather than a teacher. I aim to help and encourage you to talk out loud, your thoughts, feelings, memories and perspectives. This requires trust and vulnerability, which is why I emphasize the importance of the client-therapist relationship. There needs to be a meaningful connection between the client and the therapist in order for talk therapy to work.

Through this process I help unravel complicated core beliefs and associations.  I believe it is important to understand the experiences we have as children and the effects they have on our lives as adults. In many cases, some of our core beliefs and defense mechanisms that helped us through our childhood are now hindering our growth as adults. 

Introducing my clients to new, more effective ways of coping is an essential step in this process. I believe most of life falls into a grey area, despite our tendency to want to categorize things into black and white, right and wrong or good and bad.  Understanding the dialectical nature of life can help us let go of perfectionism and accept ourselves and our circumstances for what they are. Acceptance helps us to move past hurt and make choices to create a life we want and deserve.

About Karlie

After graduating with my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Seattle University, I started my career working with adolescents struggling with alcohol and drug abuse as a certified Chemical Dependency Professional. The experience I gained in this role inspired me to learn more about family systems and pursue my licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist.

I earned my Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from National University. In addition to independent practice, I have worked with adolescents and adults in inpatient psychiatric and partial hospitalization programs, as well as substance abuse intensive outpatient programs

I’ve been a practicing licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 2006. Today, I enjoy helping clients of all ages, individually and within a couple or family.