Laura Chester

Laura Chester

LMHC

1200 6th Ave.
Suite 2001
Seattle, WA 98101

Phone: 206-478-9272

Email: Email Laura Chester

Primary Focus: Abuse / Incest / PTSD Counseling, Addiction / Drug /Alcohol Counseling, Adult Adjustment / Life Transitioning Counseling, Consulting / Coaching, Couples / Marriage Counseling, Grief Counseling, Specialty Issues, Stress / Depression Counseling

Scope of Practice

My scope of practice includes guiding individuals and/or couples who are seeking support in addressing life challenges. I work to accomplish this by facilitating discussion, developing insight and skills as well as assisting in identifying actions that may be taken. My goal is to both witness and support transformation of your personal vision of what you want to create in your life and relationships into reality.

Range of Focus

  • Aftercare Counseling
  • Codependency / ACoA Issues
  • Communication Skills
  • Critical Incident Debriefing
  • Emotional Abuse
  • Family of Origin Issues
  • Intimacy Issues
  • Personal Motivation
  • Physical Abuse
  • Recovery Issues
  • Sense of Self
  • Trauma
  • Bereavement
  • Communication Issues
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Divorce/Separation
  • Estrangement
  • Goal Setting
  • PTSD
  • Personal Relationships
  • Rape Counseling
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Verbal Abuse

Values and Philosophy

It is my belief that we all possess the innate ability to understand and embrace our individual life’s journey. Using what we know about all that we have experienced sometimes gets lost and it is useful to ask for support. Through skill, training and experience I bring to the counseling relationship respect, trust, awareness, insight and technique as well as the basic belief that knowledge is power. Understanding our life’s experiences empowers us to make conscious choices by providing the self awareness to embrace the challenges and richness of each moment.

Therapeutic Technique and Methodology

My educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington in Sociology and a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from Antioch University Seattle with a focus in Marriage and Family Counseling. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Licensed Chemical Dependency Professional in Washington state. My experience includes family and individual counseling as well as drug and alcohol counseling in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

The therapeutic technique that I use in my work with individuals focuses on building a connection through information exchange moving from broad to specific. During this process I ask questions. Some of the questions I might ask are: What are your goals and expectations for the counseling experience? What values and beliefs do you have about your life’s experiences and what are your concerns? How do you turn what you value into action and desired outcome? Drawing from the information I receive from you, I provide the structure that is most appropriate for your unique needs as an individual. Do you find it useful to have a deeper understanding of the origin of repeated themes and patterns in your life or are you more interested in finding a different way of approaching the issues from this point forward?

The methods that influence the techniques that I use in my work are humanist, psychodynamic, developmental, cognitive and systems theory.

Education, Certification and Professional Associations

Degrees and Certifications

MA, Psychology
Antioch University
Seattle, WA

BA, Sociology
University of Washington
Seattle, WA

Memberships
  • American Counseling Association

Licenses to Practice and Registrations

Licenses

Mental Health Counselor License
License number: LH 00010359

Chemical Dependency Professional Certification
License number: CP 00005031

Payment Information and Hours

Please contact Laura regarding hours and rates.

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