Lilli Barnum

To make an appointment call 206-409-3824

Email: lilli@lillibarnumcounseling.com

Located in West Seattle:

5426 California Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98136

Therapeutic approach

The therapeutic relationship offers a space for you to reflect upon and explore the ways that you have been formed by your past and present experiences and relationships. This reflection process undoubtedly gives way to new insights and new learning that can lead to growth and change. As you endeavor to learn more about yourself and the experiences that have shaped you, you will be free to take hold of new ways of thinking and being in the world. This freedom can allow you the space to explore what you want for your life and to cultivate your own agency and creativity to bring those desires into being.

I view the counseling process as forming an alliance with you to explore the nature of your struggles. Although we will spend much time dealing with the specific issues that brought you into counseling, we will also look at the nature of your relationships with the significant people in your life and the relationship that we form together in therapy. I believe you are made to relate in a satisfying and selfgiving manner, and these needs are likely both the source of your greatest joy but also of your deepest problems. According to my theoretical orientation, many of the forces and dynamics that have influenced the complexity and intensity of your struggles are rooted in relational issues. Thus, we will explore how certain aspects of your relational style interfere with the enjoyment for which you are made. As we deal with the relational root of the problems, we will also be addressing the constellation of symptomologies you are experiencing. I believe that some issues can have a physical component; in such cases, medical consultation will be advised.

In our sessions, I will be paying attention to your past and present experiences, including family dynamics, as well as your patterns of thought, your sense of identity and your interpersonal style of relating. Additionally, these dynamics can often show up in the therapeutic relationship that we build together. So, in addition to your personal stories that you bring to therapy, we may also explore the dynamics of our therapeutic relationship, at times discussing how we are impacted by one another so as to come to a deeper understanding of who you are and who you desire to become.

I draw from psychodynamic, object relations, and narrative techniques, as well as interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral approaches to psychotherapy. I work with individuals on a weekly basis and I will at times recommend multiple sessions a week depending on what you desire from therapy. My goal will be to work collaboratively with you to discern what your goals are and to assist you in working toward those goals in our therapeutic relationship and process.

Education and Licensing:

I received my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. After spending a year overseas doing volunteer work in various parts of the world, I relocated to Seattle and completed my Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. I did my clinical internship at Meier Clinic where I worked in the Catalyst Day Program, which provides mental health services to adults coping with mental illness. I am registered as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate in the state of Washington.

Areas of Focus:

Domestic Violence
Relationship with Food/Eating
Body Image/Self-Concept
Eating Disorders
Anxiety
Depression
Bipolar Disorder
Codependency
Boundaries
Grief/Loss
Sexuality
Gender Identity
PTSD
Sexual Abuse/Childhood Trauma
Life Transitions
Attachment Issues
Spiritual Struggles