Gretchen Phillips- Mental Health Therapist

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Gretchen is not currently accepting new clients, but does have a waitlist. Contact her today at gretchen@optimismcounseling.com. To view therapists with openings, please visit our therapist page.

Are you struggling to show up in the present? Do you ever feel 'haunted' by past experiences that foreclose your way toward the future you want? I have met such roadblocks myself and believe that building a healthy interpersonal relationship in therapy paves the road to unlocking your goals & desires. I have specialties working with queer women & femmes in addressing anxiety, t/Trauma processing & recovery, sexual assault, and identity exploration.

I am a cis-ish, gender non-conforming (she/they pronouns), queer, white, neurodivergent, non-disabled woman who moved to Seattle in 2014 from Bloomington, Indiana. I believe these identities & from where I come have impact in how I work. Outside of my work as a therapist, I spend much of my leisure time cooking & baking, roller skating, playing video games, taking long walks with my partner, and consuming all types of media and pop culture. I am an enthusiastic member of the Beyhive and will stan until the end of time.

I believe every individual has the right to a joyous, fulfilling life. For many of us, life is also met with experiences of loss, mistreatment, neglect, t/Trauma, and systemic oppression that make us believe otherwise. I want to help change that.  I am committed to anti-racism and dismantling white supremacy, especially examining the intersections of how misogyny, misogynoir, ableism, fatphobia/body shame, cis/het norms, and capitalism continue to tread over the marginalized global majority; and exacerbate our disconnections from ourselves and one another to increase our profitability. You are infinitely more than that.  

My training in interpersonal psychodynamic therapy informs the way I'm observing the therapeutic relationship we build together. Not only will I listen to the content you share with me, but I'm also listening for the 'music' behind it--the 'why' of choices, the 'how' of events, and the 'why now' of what comes up in our co-created space. I offer the associations and images that come up for me so we can examine the in-between of our dynamic and be curious together.

Therapy is a dialogue. I describe my approach as 'experiential' because I integrate many perspectives into my practice, and I believe that myself as a human with thoughts and emotions can provide us much more insight than the traditional “blank slate therapist.” Together we can build the skills & practices you need to take authority over your life, including increased confidence & self-esteem, maintaining healthy interpersonal boundaries, and building new neural pathways that concretize the change you want to see & be.

I tend to work with LGBTQAI+ adults on addressing anxiety, t/Trauma processing & recovery, sexual assault recovery, and identity exploration & formation. 

 I studied East Asian Languages & Cultures with a focus in Mandarin at Indiana University. I received my Masters in Counseling Psychology from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology in 2018. I continue enriching my education and practice through various workshops, seminars/webinars, and focused trainings.

 I began my work as a therapist at Seattle Counseling Service, the nation’s first and oldest LGBTQ+ counseling center. My work at SCS included gender & sexual orientation exploration, healthcare support & advocacy, case management, and crisis response. 

$145 per session payable via credit, debit, FSA, or HSA account. 

Insurance: I am an in-network provider with Aetna, Regence, First Choice Health, Premera, and Lifewise, and considered out-of-network for most other major insurance plans. If I am out-of-network with your insurer, I can provide a superbill which you can submit for reimbursement.

*Please note that under the federal No Surprises Act, all clients have a right to a written and verbal Good Faith Estimate. For more information about Good Faith Estimates, please click the link below.