Family therapy and counseling in Lacey, WA

Smart Duru is psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with over 10 years of combined healthcare experience. He attended University of Derby, England for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing and a master’s in psychiatric mental health nursing with Distinction. Smart Duru obtained a Master of Science Degree with specialization in Psychiatry mental health Nurse Practitioner. He has extensive experience in Mental health, Primary care, Sub/Post-Acute Care, Long Term Care, Correctional Medicine, and Family Medicine.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with more than four years of clinical experience. I have training in EMDR, Gottman, Emotionally Focused and Relational Life Therapy. My client focus is adults and couples.

I live in the beautiful Southwest and I embrace my Hispanic Heritage. I am a bilingual therapist- Spanish. I specialize in helping adults overcome childhood trauma due to family inter-generational abuse. The focus of treatment is to overcome the anxiety, depression, guilt, and a host of other issues that result from unresolved pain. I will provide a strength based approach to healing and growth..

I am a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) licensed in WA, NY, NM, and AZ. With 18 years of dedicated experience in psychiatry, I bring a unique, deeply grounded perspective to your care. I’ve spent nearly two decades sitting with clients, listening to their stories, and watching what treatments truly work in real life.

I work with individuals, couples, and families of all ages. I have a Masters in Clinical Health Psychology and a Masters in Nutrition/Dietetics, which helps lend to a holistic approach to my work with clients. I commonly work with health behavioral change, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, ADHD, OCD, and relationship change. My treatment approach utilizes a biopsychosocial lense in long-term therapy based in psychodynamic, strengths-based, and integrative work in overall health. I utilize coping skills from CBT, DBT, ACT, and Mindfulness. I incorporated life-skills such a assertiveness, boundaries, and career.

I love the work that I do and the healing relationships I have been able to foster with my clients. I believe that therapy is a form of self-care and I want to be an advocate of that for my clients. I welcome anyone who thinks they may want some support, whether long-term or short-term to reach out to me and set up a brief phone consultation.

Seeking therapy can feel overwhelming, and finding the right therapist is an important first step. My goal is to create a space where you feel safe, heard, and supported as we work through life's challenges together.

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Washington State with a bachelor's degree in Social Work from Methodist University and a master's degree in Mental Health Counseling from Seattle University. I specialize in working with adults navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, self-esteem, life transitions, relationship concerns, racial stress, and the emotional impact of cancer and chronic illness.

I believe healing happens when people feel genuinely seen and accepted. Whether you're processing difficult experiences, feeling stuck, or simply wanting to better understand yourself, therapy can help you reconnect with your strengths and move toward the life you want to live.

Psychotherapy provides a safe place to discuss fears, thoughts, and difficult decisions we as humans must make during our journey in life. I believe we are capable of making life changes with the right tools. I am here to listen without judgement. I believe we all have a story to share. Being heard is one of the most important aspects of communication.

My passion is working with clients who have experienced some form of trauma in their lives. By sharing your story, we can begin to process the trauma from experience to a new understanding, while remaining in the present.

I enjoy learning about ways we can change and understand our human existence. We are thinking, feeling and doing beings. Cognitive behavioral therapy provides a framework to identify ways to do it differently and better. Trauma treatment modalities like EMDR may support processing neurological and physiological reactions and being able to feel secure and safe while staying connected to others more fully. Our story is just that; we write it and edit it. We get to choose the chapters and path of our lives, through the unknowns, mysteries and celebrations.

Author: WHY YOU DO THAT (amazon.com). I am a PhD level therapist with 2 masters degrees and 36 years of experience (I'm 74 years old). I wrote the book that helps people understand themselves, their relationships, and their past and present family functioning. I am licensed in both Colorado and Washington State. Areas: Individual/Couples/Family Therapy specializing in personality and behavior, difficult relationships and/or family functioning, stress, substance, depression, anxiety, etc. I was a licensed supervisor training other therapists for years in Texas. Therapy with me is very different from other therapists. You can put yourself into my schedule for Thursdays or call/email me for Mondays or Tuesdays: Cell: 214-448-5432; Email: [email protected].