My Education and Training

My love of working with teens and families began long ago and has taken many forms through careers in education, college admissions, publishing, museum exhibit development, and most recently working in mental health. I would describe myself as a lifelong learner with a deep interest in and empathy for the human experience - how we make meaning and relate - and also how we cope with pain and uncertainty. I am continually inspired by people’s resilience and creativity and our capacity for healing and growth.

I hold a Master of Arts in Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology from the University of Washington and earned my BA and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University. I completed clinical training at Seattle Children’s Hospital in the Intensive Outpatient Program for OCD (OCD-IOP) where I provided individual and group therapy to youth and families struggling with severe OCD and anxiety disorders, and co-occurring issues such as ADHD, ASD, depression, and gender dysphoria. Prior to working at Sequoia, I completed intensive training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and provided individual therapy and group skills training to adults. I have also pursued additional training and consultation in working with family systems and neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ populations. Most of my formal training is in evidence-based therapy — meaning, treatments that are backed by research and shown to be effective for the issues they treat. I also acknowledge broader cultural and systemic inequities that contribute to trauma, anxiety, and depression, and I believe that the most positive outcomes occur in the context of supporting relationships where people can feel safe, seen, valued, and heard.

My Approach

I do this work because I believe that mental health is the foundation that makes everything else more possible in our lives, and I’ve experienced how helpful therapy can be. People often come to therapy with multiple concerns and feel stuck, alone, or not understood. It’s most important to me that you feel seen for who you are and accepted. I believe that every person is an expert in their own experience and life goals; my job is to listen and learn, center my clients’ experience, utilize effective treatments, and be a trusted partner in the process of healing and growth.

My approach to therapy is a balance of acceptance and change, bringing warmth, compassion, and humor to the process. My clinical work is informed by professional experiences in creative and high- stress work environments and life experience as a single parent of a teenager. Clients and colleagues have said that I “keep it real” and describe me as warm, collaborative, adaptable, grounded, and validating. I seek to understand the context of specific stressors in your life. I tend to work well with folks who are motivated to attend therapy and are open to learning new skills and strategies. You can expect sessions with me to include ways to live life more mindfully, how to face fears and approach things you’ve been avoiding, and learn skills for dealing with difficult emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. I strive to create a warm, inviting space and an individual treatment plan based on your goals.

For teens and adults seeking individual therapy services:

I support clients navigating a wide range of challenges, with a special focus on anxiety issues, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), emotion regulation, identity, life/school/family transitions, transitioning to adulthood, ADHD/executive functioning, stress management, and parenting.

For caregivers:

In addition to offering individual therapy services to teens and adults, I also offer caregiver coaching services for families seeking additional support around parenting teens.  These sessions often include psychoeducation about teen development, goal setting, self-regulation skills, and communication strategies to address dynamics that commonly occur between parents and teens. You can expect compassion, validation, and understanding from me, balanced with a practical no-nonsense approach grounded in research about where changes may need to happen to foster more positive family dynamics and improved mental health outcomes for children.  I deeply value and respect the diverse values and priorities of each family and work closely with you to create a personalized plan to achieve your family goals. Click here to learn more about Caregiver Coaching services

More About Me

When I am not at work, I enjoy getting outside, making meals with family and friends, immersing myself in a great story (books, podcasts, films, theater, or shows – all of the above!) supporting causes I care about, making and seeing art, seeing live music, going on road trips, playing anything with a racket or paddle, dancing, yoga, and discovering new haunts. Laughing with my kid and daily walks in the green with my dog (a pug named Peach) keeps me grounded and happy.

What to Expect in an Initial Consultation With Aleen

Finding the right fit with a therapist is important! Before proceeding with intake, I offer a 15-minute consultation call with clients and/or their caregivers to better understand your goals and the type of support you are seeking. I’ll ask a few questions to get to know a bit about you and what brings you to therapy, and I’ll share my background and answer any questions you might have. Then, we can both decide if I might be the right fit for you and schedule our first appointment. I look forward to meeting you and welcome your feedback!