Individual counseling is the primary service of our program. Counselors are available to provide up to one year of one-on-one support. We offer weekly therapy sessions (remote during COVID-19) during regular business hours.

Our approach is to engage at a human level, grounding our work in the relationship developed between a person and their therapist. We focus on helping a person develop insight and awareness around their patterns of thinking and behavior, as well as the world and relationships around them. This foundation offers people opportunities to build deeper understanding, develop emotional regulation and stress reduction skills, and move toward meaningful goals of improved mental health and emotional well-being.

Therapists work together to build partnerships with those they are supporting, helping to identify these goals and move towards overall improvement.

While our program can help to address a variety of concerns, we maintain four central (often overlapping) specializations:

Trauma Therapy

• Trauma therapy and healing are at the center of our program. As a clinical team, we hold to a ‘trauma-informed’ lens, working with people to understand the impact of their traumatic experiences, reduce trauma-related challenges with mental and emotional well-being, and ultimately build resilience and healing from trauma.
• Therapists hold specific expertise in supporting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and adult survivors of child abuse. The team is collectively trained in evidence-based, trauma-focused modalities, such as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

 
Jewish Community / Antisemitism / Historical Trauma

• As a JFS program, we aim to provide culturally competent and sensitive support to individuals who identify as Jewish and / or are meaningfully connected to the Jewish community. Specifically, we recognize and respond to antisemitism, internalized antisemitism, and historical trauma connected to marginalization and systemic oppression. As therapists we acknowledge these challenges, intergenerational effects, influence on family systems, and specific impact to mental and emotional well-being.
• We also work with individuals who are seeking to grow into and understand their own identity related to Jewish culture and community – who they are as individuals; their values; who they are in relationship to family, relationships, etc.

 
Addiction Counseling

• Our addiction specialist focuses primarily on the intersection of trauma and addiction. She works with individuals to explore their addiction from a holistic perspective, both addressing the issues underlying addictive behaviors (including as coping and survival methods), while also understanding the impact of these behaviors (on self and others) and developing strategies to reduce them.
• Because we operate in a once-a-week, outpatient structure, we only work with individuals who do not need more intensive care. Examples include, but are not limited to, those hoping to limit their use through harm reduction strategies and those working to maintain sobriety or limited use, and processing past trauma.
   
  Short term consulting and referrals (1-3 sessions):
  • For individuals requiring a higher level of care – e.g., residential treatment, intensive outpatient program – our specialist is available for short term consulting and referrals (1 to 3 sessions). This can help individuals determine the kind of service most helpful to address their needs, as well as receive referrals to specific programs that offer this level of in-depth care.
  • Short term consulting and referrals are also available to family members and loved ones who are seeking guidance on how to best support a person in their lives struggling with addiction.

 
Teen & Young Adult
Our program aims to provide support to teens and young adults, as well as the parents and caregivers in their lives.

• Individual Therapy
  Through our teen and young adult work, we serve individuals beginning in their teenage years (13+) through early 30s, addressing a variety of challenges that can arise in this period of life. Our therapists have expertise in navigating questions and exploration of identity (including sexuality and gender), challenges with transitions, struggles with launching into adulthood, relationships (with peers, family), as well as other issues impacting mental and emotional health.
• Parent Coaching
  We recognize that parents themselves are often seeking assistance on how to best support a child navigating adolescence and young adulthood. In response to this need, we offer 1- 3 coaching and referrals sessions specifically for parents. These sessions are available with a therapist trained specifically in mental health issues related to teens and young adults. If you are interested in parent coaching, please begin the intake process by emailing cas@jfsseattle.org that you are interested in parent coaching.
• Hillel
  One of our JFS therapists is based out of Hillel at the University of Washington campus in Seattle This partnership between the two organizations (JFS and Hillel UW) is in recognition of the value of having a therapist directly on-site available to college, graduate students, and young people connected (directly or indirectly) to the Hillel community. Teens and young people, 16 to early 30s (whether they are affiliated with UW or not) identifying as Jewish and / or connected to the Jewish community, can inquire about support with our Hillel therapist either through reaching out to the JFS team, or inquiring directly through Hillel at UW.

In addition to individual counseling, we recognize the value of peer support. Connecting with peers navigating similar struggles can be extremely helpful and brings a different kind of meaningful support than one-on-one work with a therapist.

At this time our program hosts an ongoing weekly support group (co-facilitated by a JFS therapist and a DV advocate) for survivors of domestic violence.

We also periodically provide short-term support groups (6 to 8 weeks) that often take on a different theme. Past groups have included art therapy, movement therapy, and parenting support.

To inquire for individual therapy, please reach out through our Get Help form, or contact us at (206) 861-3152.

To inquire about group availability or get on a wait list for group, please reach out through our Get Help form, or contact us at (206) 861-3152. If we have space available in a current or upcoming group (either our continuous DV Survivor support group, or one of our limited-time, thematic groups), the group facilitators will contact you for a brief screening to ensure fit.

If you are interested in parent coaching, please begin the intake process by emailing cas@jfsseattle.org that you are interested in parent coaching.

We do not provide therapy to those who perpetuate domestic violence or sexual assault. This treatment is a different skillset and a different type of care than what we offer. If, at intake or over the course of our work together, we assess that controlling or harmful behaviors are an issue we will provide an appropriate referral to programs or providers who focus on accountability.

The beginning step in the process of assessing one-on-one therapy at JFS is connecting with our intake clinician. In this initial conversation, we will inquire about your motivation for reaching out, goals for therapy, and overall concerns related to mental and emotional health. The intake clinician will then connect with the full clinical team to explore if our program is a match to your needs. This match relates to the competency / expertise / skillset of available clinicians, provider capacity, as well as acknowledging the structure of our program (weekly, outpatient support up to 1 year). Once the team has made a determination, the intake clinician will follow up with you – either connecting you directly to a JFS therapist or providing appropriate referral options.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, at this time, our services have moved entirely to telehealth. We provide both individual and support groups over HIPAA-compliant Zoom. Clients can access this service either through a computer or smartphone.

With updated guidance from the local and national public health agencies, we are continuing to assess the situation – and will make a future determination on reintroducing in-person support as an option for people engaging in our services.