Mental Health Counseling
Mental Health Counseling in Tacoma & Lakewood
Therapy for anxiety, depression, trauma, and the places mental health and substance use overlap — in person in Lakewood or by secure telehealth anywhere in Washington.
Most people find us because of a court case or a substance use problem. But mental health care here isn't an add-on to that work — it stands on its own. If you're dealing with anxiety, depression, or something that happened to you that you've never really put down, that is reason enough to call.
Therapy for anxiety, depression, and trauma
Individual therapy is a regular, confidential hour with a clinician who is paying attention. The work is practical — understanding what sets off the anxiety, what keeps the depression in place, what the trauma is still protecting you from — and building skills that hold up outside the room.
There is no version of this where you are too far gone or not bad enough to deserve help. People come in at every point on that range.
When mental health and substance use are tangled together
This is the part we know unusually well. Anxiety, depression, and trauma frequently sit underneath a substance use problem, and treating one and ignoring the other rarely holds. We treat co-occurring conditions in the same place, with the same team, so you are not sent across town to start over and repeat your history to a stranger.
Our clinicians bring professional training and their own lived recovery. It is a difficult thing to shock us.
Counseling or an evaluation?
Counseling is ongoing treatment. A mental health evaluation is a one-time structured assessment that produces a diagnosis and a written report — usually because a court, attorney, or agency asked for one. Plenty of people need both, and if you are not sure which you are looking for, describe your situation on the phone and we will tell you.
Serving Tacoma, Lakewood, and Pierce County
Our office is on Steilacoom Blvd SW in Lakewood with free parking, about fifteen minutes from downtown Tacoma and convenient to Puyallup, University Place, Steilacoom, DuPont, and JBLM. If getting here is the barrier, secure telehealth is available to anyone in Washington — many clients do their entire course of therapy from home.
If you're in crisis
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For urgent support at any hour, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Our crisis resources page lists Pierce County options. When you are ready for ongoing care, reach us at (253) 279-7992.
What we offer
- Individual therapy for anxiety, depression, and trauma
- Co-occurring treatment when mental health and substance use overlap
- Mental health diagnostic evaluations
- Psychiatric referrals for medication management
- Psychoeducation and coping-skills development
- Support for people in recovery or reentry
- Secure telehealth and in-person appointments
Common questions
- What kinds of mental health concerns do you treat?
- We provide individual therapy for anxiety, depression, trauma, and related concerns, along with treatment for co-occurring conditions where mental health and substance use overlap. Where medication may help, we make psychiatric referrals rather than leaving you to find one yourself.
- Do I need to have a substance use problem to be seen here?
- No. A lot of people know us for addiction and court-related work, but mental health counseling stands on its own. You can come to us for anxiety, depression, or trauma without any substance use history and without any court involvement.
- Do you offer therapy in Tacoma?
- Our office is in Lakewood, about fifteen minutes from downtown Tacoma, with free parking. We see clients from across Pierce County in person, and we offer secure telehealth to anyone located in Washington if the drive is the obstacle.
- How soon can I get an appointment?
- We can usually schedule within the same week. Call (253) 279-7992 and tell us what you're dealing with; if we're not the right fit for your situation we'll say so and point you somewhere that is.
- What happens in the first session?
- The first appointment is a conversation, not a test. A clinician asks about what brought you in, your history, and what you want to be different, then works with you on a plan. If a formal diagnosis or written report is needed, that is a mental health evaluation, which we also provide.
- Is counseling confidential?
- Yes. What you say in session stays between you and your clinician, subject to the narrow legal exceptions that apply to every licensed provider in Washington — your clinician will go through those with you at intake. Nothing is shared with anyone, including family or an employer, without your written consent. Court-ordered work is the one context where a report goes to the court, and you would know that up front.
- Do you take insurance?
- We're in network with most major Washington health plans, including Aetna, Wellpoint, Community Health Plan of Washington, Cigna / Evernorth, Coordinated Care / Ambetter, Kaiser Permanente, Washington Apple Health (Medicaid), Medicare, Regence / HMA, TriWest / VA, TRICARE for Life, and Wellcare. Self-pay rates are available. Call (253) 279-7992 with your plan details and we'll confirm your coverage and current rates before your first appointment.
- What if I'm in crisis right now?
- If you're in immediate danger, call 911. For urgent mental health support any time, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Our crisis resources page lists Pierce County options, and we can schedule ongoing care once you're safe.
This page is general information, not medical advice, and reading it does not create a clinical relationship. Treatment recommendations are made individually. If you are in crisis, call 911, or call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Related services & guides
You don't have to have the words for it yet.
Call and describe what's going on however it comes out. We'll tell you what support would look like and get you scheduled.
Prefer we contact you? Skip voicemail. Submit an appointment request online and our team will contact you as soon as possible—often the same business day.