FOR APPOINTMENTS: Please call Beth at (509) 665-8059 or send email.

    PREFERRED PROVIDER FOR: Premera Blue Cross, Asuris and Uniform Medical Plans.
    For all other insurances, please contact your customer service department to obtain a list of providers.

    Intake Packet: Welcome Information , Billing Information , History Form
    Other Forms: Authorization for Protected Health Information , Crisis Plan , Patient Satisfaction Survey

Question: What kind of counseling do you practice?

Answer: In my practice I use Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, a form of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. It may be thought of as creating an atmosphere of validating rather than blaming, and within that atmosphere reducing unhealthy behaviors, dragging out healthy behaviors, and figuring out a way to make the healthy behaviors so reinforcing that they continue and the unhealthy ones stop. DBT assumes the following:

1. People are doing the best they can.
2. People want to improve.
3. People need to do better, try harder, and be more motivated to change.
4. People may not have caused all of their own problems, but they have to solve them anyway. And
5. People must learn new behaviors in all relevant contexts.

As an added bonus, Jada the fluffy therapy dog, helps to assist in building trust, empathy, acceptance and occasionally provides great entertainment. We will work together to develop a plan that is uniquely suited to you.

Top Ten Goals for Animal-Assisted Therapy:

1. Empathy. Studies report that children who live in homes in which a pet is considered a member of the family are more empathetic than children in homes without pets.
2. Outward Focus. People who suffer from low self-esteem or mental illness often focus on themselves; animals can help them focus on their environment.
3. Nurturing. By being taught to take care of an animal, people can learn to promote the growth and development of another living thing.
4. Rapport. In therapy settings, animals can open a channel of emotionally safe, non-threatening communication between client and therapist.
5. Acceptance. Animals have a way of accepting without qualification. They don't care how a person looks or what they say. An animal's acceptance is nonjudgmental, forgiving and uncomplicated by the psychological games people often play.
6. Entertainment. Even people who don't like animals often enjoy watching their antics and reactions.
7. Socialization. Studies show that when dogs and cats come to visit a care facility, there is more laughter and interaction among residents that during any other "therapy" or entertainment time.
8. Mental Stimulation. May include increased communication with other people, recalled memories and entertainment.
9. Phy sical Contact, Touch. For some people, touch from others is not acceptable, but the warm, fuzzy touch of a dog or cat is.
10. Physiological Benefits. Many people are able to relax when animals are present. Tests have shown that the decrease in heart rate and blood pressure can be dramatic. Even watching fish swim in an aquarium can be very calming.