Sharon Arthur

I am a strengths-based, trauma- informed licensed mental health therapist with over 17 years of experience, with a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Seattle University. Along with a strong background in clinical trauma, my subspecialties include depression, anxiety, grief and loss, attachment disorders, and mental health issues impacting marginalized groups, including but not limited to women, minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community, and countless intersectionalities of all of these. We’ll examine how your unique life experiences have affected the lens through which you see the world and your place in it. My approach encourages people to view themselves as capable of healing and living their best lives by capitalizing on their strengths rather than being hyper-focused on "negative self-talk". I believe that human beings possess assets and competencies that have enabled them to survive harsh and toxic experiences using skills they often minimize and even take for granted. It is vital to cultivate a healthy sense of self by embracing existing positive qualities, including resilience, meaning-making, personal interests, and aspirations. In talk psychotherapy, clients are motivated to see themselves as survivors, recognizing the innate skills and strengths that have enabled them to persist during challenging times in their lives.

I take a warm and affirming approach, sometimes direct and sometimes with humor or both, where I’m holding a safe space for you to process your emotions. I view the therapeutic relationship as a collaborative partnership, where we work to improve mental health and emotional healing. Human beings are not a monolith, and one size does not fit all when it comes to therapy, so I take an eclectic approach to customize the therapeutic process.

You can expect an integrative, holistic approach which may include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, and Person-Centered Therapy, to examine psychological, family of origin, socio-cultural, environmental, and spiritual factors, in understanding your experiences and challenges, to support you in moving more fully to healing and empowerment.