| Location: |
Changing Stories Counseling
Smith Tower
502 Second Ave Suite 1409
Seattle, WA 98104
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| Phone: |
View phone number
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| Email: |
Send email
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| Website: |
www.changingstoriescounseling.com
www.elihastings.com
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| Profession: |
Marriage and Family Therapist
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| Services: |
Psychotherapy/Counseling
Telehealth (Video/Phone) Therapy
Career Evaluations and Counseling
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
Employee Assistance Counseling
Psychoeducational Evaluations
Creative writing therapy and instruction
UPDATE: I am full and have a long waitlist, so am NOT accepting new clients. However, I am diversifying my career and I AM taking clients as a trauma writing mentor/editor and more. Writing through healing is at least of equal value to psychotherapy. If you are interested in these services, visit me at www.elihastings.com. I would be so delighted to work in tandem with other therapists, so please do consider if your clients might benefit!
I am most passionate about working with T/trauma, as I believe it unlocks the possibility of freedom/healing and growth. I am heavily focused on IFS, but also use EMDR, narrative writing therapy, and other modalities.
I am an anti-racist, queer, sex and kink-positive therapist and human. Please visit me for more at www.changingstoriescounseling.com (though that spot needs a serious update!) |
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| Session Formats: |
Individuals
Couples
Family
In home (inside Seattle)
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| Practice Description: |
UPDATE: I am full and have a long waitlist, so am NOT accepting new clients. However, I am diversifying my career and I AM taking clients as a trauma writing mentor/editor and more. Writing through healing is at least of equal value to psychotherapy. If you are interested in these services, visit me at www.elihastings.com. I would be so delighted to work in tandem with other therapists, so please do consider if your clients might benefit!
I am most passionate about working with T/trauma, as I believe it unlocks the possibility of freedom/healing and growth. I am heavily focused on IFS, but also use EMDR, narrative writing therapy, and other modalities.
I am an anti-racist, queer, sex and kink-positive therapist and human. Please visit me for more at www.changingstoriescounseling.com (though that spot needs a serious update!)
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Practice Specialties or Interests:
(Strengths are
in bold text) |
Crisis/Trauma
Grief/Loss
PTSD
Addictions
Adjustment Disorder
Adoption Issues
Adult Children of Alcoholics
Alcoholism
Anger Management
Anxiety
Bipolar Disorder
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Codependency
Cognitive Disorders
Communication Disorders
Conduct Disorder
Depression
Divorce
Domestic Violence
Ethnic/Cultural Issues
Gender Identity
Impulse Control Disorders
Infidelity
LGBTQ Issues
Men's Issues
OCD
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Parenting Issues
Personal Growth
Personality Disorders
Relationship Issues
Self-Esteem
Sexual Abuse
Sexual Dysfunction
Spirituality
Stress Management
Substance Abuse
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| Age Specialties: |
Adolescents
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| Additional Demographic Expertise: |
Asian
Black and African American
Hispanic and Latino
LGBTQ+
Teens
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| Additional Languages: |
Spanish
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| Treatment Approaches: |
Art Therapy
Behavioral
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Control Mastery
Developmental
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Eclectic
EMDR
Existential/Humanistic
Experiential Therapy
Family Systems Therapy
Feminist Therapy
Integrative
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
Multicultural Therapy
Narrative Therapy
Object Relations Therapy
Person-Centered Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychoeducation
Psychosocial Therapy
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
Social Constructionist
scripto/writing therapy
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| Education: |
BA, International Studies
Pitzer College, 2000
MFA, Creative Nonfiction
UNC at Wilmington, 2004
MA, Applied Psychology
Antioch University, Seattle, 2013
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| License #: |
LF60616528 |
| Licensed In: |
Washington |
| Additional Licenses/ Certifications: |
Certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Level 1 IFS
Gestalt Institute Seattle Graduate
Trained in EMDR
CCTP 1 |
| Professional Affiliations: |
 | AAMFT, WAMFT | | Author's Guild |
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| Fee Schedule: |
Services and Fees
INDIVIDUALS
I work with individuals happily; there is no replacement for the trust, rapport and sanctity of space that a therapist and client can build together. Some studies on therapy outcomes suggest that the relationship between client and therapist accounts for 90% of a successful outcome! Many times clients need the privacy of that relationship to find the safety to delve as deep as necessary. Other times, clients feel overwhelmed by the web of relationships in their lives and need objectivity in a professional who’s insulated from the rest of their world.
FAMILIES
I work with families in whatever configuration: mother and son; step-mother, father and daughter; grandparent and grandson; adoptive fathers of twins. Families are complex systems, but they are all systems, governed by rules whether explicitly or implicitly. Some of the most dynamic and transformative moments of my work have been with a family group when individual needs merge into imminent change. Also, while I have worked a great deal one-on-one with youth, more often than not when a young client presents for counseling, there is an issue or two that would best be addressed in the family system!
COUPLES
As a child of divorce and several early life relationships that were painful, tumultuous and great adventures, I have a great interest in assisting struggling couples that wish to stay together. Because of my research and my life experience, however, I also have the ability to assist couples deciding whether or not staying together is the right choice. Neutrality is essential in couples’ therapy, of course, and while many therapists will pay lip service to this, some have not done the necessary personal work to remain fair in all moments and all ways. I believe that I have.
YOUTH
The predominance of my clinical experience and overall professional experience (as a mentor, advocate and teacher as well as a counselor) has been with teens. When young people look at the chasm they have to leap between childhood and adulthood, any number of issues may arise. Add to this the countless dangers to mental health that our youth face today, and you arrive at my conviction that all youth are “at-risk.” In part because so many events of that era continue to affect who I am and the work that I do, I find myself most fulfilled when I can serve to help heal and advocate for young people struggling in the various systems they must navigate: family, school, the city, society at large, etc. I really enjoy teenagers and have a great deal of fun serving them!
HOME VISITS
I will consider coming to your home for sessions in certain circumstances, if you live within the city limits of Seattle.
NOTICE
I will not discriminate against any human being regardless of where they fall on the gender spectrum, the sexual orientation spectrum, or of their race, nationality or (dis)ability. I believe that there is often value in pairing with seemingly “opposing” identities in the context of therapy. That is, as a straight white thirty something male, I have had surprising success joining with young women of color and varying gender identities. Perhaps there are corrective emotional experiences available by exchanging deep trust with people we wouldn’t ordinarily be expected to identify with. That said, I will refer any client whom I feel—or who feels herself—that I cannot appropriately serve her.
FEES
I charge a flat $100 fee for 50 minutes, regardless of how many clients are in the room, and $120 for 80 minutes.
I charge a flat $60 fee for 50 minutes for students and $80 for 80 minutes.
I can happily attempt to bill your insurance as an “out of network provider.” I can also contact your insurance company beforehand to gauge if they will cover some of your costs. I can supply you with the paperwork to bill your insurance company yourself, which is in some cases advisable. However, because your insurance will reimburse you, I do collect the full fee at time of service.
There are a lot of good reasons for keeping your insurance company out of your mental health.
If you are very interested in services but cannot afford my rates, I am willing to discuss sliding scale fees in some situations.
I offer a free half hour consultation by phone or in person to determine if I am the right therapist for you.
CONSULTATIONS, LECTURES, APPEARANCES
Because of my time as a professor, author and assistant director of Pongo Teen Writing, I have a great deal of experience speaking and reading in public, as well as conducting discussions with professional and casual groups. From book launches at Elliott Bay Books to interviews on NPR to presentations to Psychiatric Residents at the UW to lectures at book fairs and community centers, I have honed my ability to speak about the intersections of writing and healing and how diverse populations can sow this in their own lives.
My fees for appearances are negotiable. |
| Accepted Insurance: |
I will attempt to bill as an out of network provider, but am not paneled
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| Insurance and Billing Details: |
I can attempt to bill insurance plans as an "out of network" provider and do so happily; however, I collect full fee at the time of service as your insurance company would reimburse you as the client. There are many good reasons for keeping your insurance company out of your mental health if this is an option for you. |
| Office Hours: |
flexible |
| Driving Directions: |
See website
View map
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| Additional Comments: |
UPDATE: I am full and have a long waitlist, so am NOT accepting new clients. However, I am diversifying my career and I AM taking clients as a trauma writing mentor/editor and more. Writing through healing is at least of equal value to psychotherapy. If you are interested in these services, visit me at www.elihastings.com. I would be so delighted to work in tandem with other therapists, so please do consider if your clients might benefit!
I am most passionate about working with T/trauma, as I believe it unlocks the possibility of freedom/healing and growth. I am heavily focused on IFS, but also use EMDR, narrative writing therapy, and other modalities.
I am an anti-racist, queer, sex and kink-positive therapist and human. Please visit me for more at www.changingstoriescounseling.com (though that spot needs a serious update!) |
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In-person and Telehealth |
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| Accepting New Clients: Yes | | Years in Practice: 11-15 | | Sliding Fee Scale: Yes | | Prescribe Medication: No | | Wheelchair Accessible: Yes | | Near Public Transport: Yes |
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