Kara Edson

I first began thinking about becoming a therapist when I was a teenager who had the experience of individual therapy and realized the value that can come from a strong connection to a helping professional that wants to take the time to really see, hear, and understand their clients. I endeavor to be this sort of therapist with each of my clients, seeing them for their unique experience, personality, struggles, and strengths. Through building a strong therapeutic alliance with my clients, I help people connect more to themselves and those around them. I believe this begins with being able to voice feelings and thoughts in a contained and supportive therapeutic relationship. Much of the work I do is insight-oriented and psychodynamic in nature. This often includes being able to see connections between different parts of one’s life over the duration of their life. I view people as whole individuals, that each part of their lives is interconnected to each other part of one’s life and to the other people, communities, and tasks they engage in on a daily basis. I provide cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) when appropriate for learning new skills to apply to present-day life and I also tend to work within a solution-focused framework. I believe it is important to be able to clearly see and articulate the “problem” but I also believe in the importance of identifying ways to move forward, to push through the feeling of being “stuck” and to create a pathway into the life you want to live. Professional Background and Training: I completed my master’s in counseling psychology at University of Oregon in Eugene, gaining invaluable experience there in three internships with wise mentors and clinical supervisors. I returned to the Seattle area in 2000 and worked in community mental health agencies for 3 years as an intake specialist and a child and family therapist before starting a private practice that focuses on working with adolescent and adult individuals in 2003. Since that time, I have enjoyed a thriving practice of a wide range of diverse clients. I find that I really appreciate the balance in my caseload of adolescents and adults, as different developmental stages allow for different types of work and insight. I have a specialty in working with teens who self-injure as a way to cope with feelings, thoughts, and situations that are overwhelming to them. This work requires a delicate balance between present-day focus to develop healthier coping mechanisms through strategies that come from CBT or DBT, as well looking more deeply into the meaning of the triggers for self-injury and how to make broader changes in one’s life. I also work with clients who struggle with depression, relationship issues, anxiety, childhood or more recent trauma, parenting, life changes, family conflict, and identity development. I strongly believe in the value of each individual and their right to identify and label their own experience, and am inclusive with regard to race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender.