Dr. Annie Derthick

I’m a licensed clinical psychologist who earned my PhD in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of Alaska and have been practicing since 2015. My professional background includes integrated primary care, psychological assessment, and education and training, with experience working across a variety of healthcare and clinical settings. I work with adults experiencing a range of concerns, including anxiety, perfectionism, major life transitions, chronic health conditions, and questions related to diagnosis and mental health. I have particular experience working with LGBTQ+ individuals, people living with chronic health conditions, and those seeking greater clarity and understanding of their mental health.

My approach to therapy is collaborative, practical, and individualized. I believe therapy should give you useful tools and skills that you can begin applying right away, and that good therapy doesn’t need to last forever to make a real difference in your life. I bring my clinical expertise and knowledge of evidence-based treatments, while you bring an equally important expertise—a lifetime of experience being you—and together we determine what is most likely to help. My goal is to help you build the awareness, skills, and confidence to make decisions about what is best for you and move forward living life on your own terms. Along the way, I rely on curiosity, openness to new perspectives, and a little humor when it fits.

Our first session is a chance for me to get to know you, understand what brings you to therapy, and learn what you’re hoping will be different as a result of our work together. I’ll ask questions to help me understand your concerns in the context of your life and experiences, but the goal isn’t simply to gather information—it’s to begin developing a clear plan for how I can be most helpful to you. By the end of our first meeting, I want you to have a sense of how I understand what you’re experiencing, what I recommend we focus on, and what our work together might look like, including an initial idea of how long therapy may take. We’ll decide together how we want to use our time, and you’ll have plenty of opportunity to ask questions, share what feels important, and let me know what you need from therapy. Most importantly, I hope you leave our first session feeling heard, comfortable with me, and confident that we have a clear direction for moving forward.