Profile

R. Melissa Ibarra, LMFT, EMMHS, CMHS

Description of Counselor/Practice

I chose to become a marriage and family therapist because I wanted family members to find ways to connect with each other more positively and to gain skills to weather the difficult times. My goal is for my clients to feel heard and validated, as I view therapy as a collaborative effort, where I share my expertise to help clients gain more control of their own lives. I enjoy working with the entire life developmental stages from: child, adolescence, and adults. What I especially enjoy about my role as a provider is that I learn equally as much from my clients. I view therapy as a collaborative effort, where I share my expertise to help clients gain more insight and agency in their lives. I aim to do this by being open minded both to a wide variety of experiences and to a client's end goal of therapy. Additionally, since the lived experiences of others will differ from my own, I use consultation with clinicians with more expertise, to be emotionally safe and ethical in my interventions. I enjoy working with clients (all ages) that are trying to: manage anger, disappointment, depression, anxiety, creating & maintaining healthy relationships, and create affirming parenting practices. As a clinician, I would describe myself as a generalist. I use various modalities and interventions such Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Internal Family Systems and Family systems therapy. I try to tailor modalities to help an individual gain the psychological fortitude to live and be safe in family and community systems. In my practice I hope to provide a place of exploration and skill building, rather than providing an "answer." Challenges are hard by their nature and learning so many times, includes challenges and my goal is to help clients meet these challenges.

Ethnicities Counselor Identifies As
(or has Ethnic Minority Mental Health Specialist designation in)

Languages Counseling Provided In
(in addition to English)

Religions
(trained in / integrates into counseling)

N/A

Client Types

Client Ages

Insurance Accepted

N/A

Locations

None listed

Organization:

Offers sliding scale

Offers online counseling

WA approved supervisor

Available for consult

Cost: $160 per session