I’m Chessie Snider
I am what my adoptive mom calls a foster failure, because I was fostered and then adopted by her and my adoptive dad.
I have been working with families since I was 14 years old and grew up in a somewhat large family with five siblings and lots of foster siblings.
I grew up in a multiracial transcontinental adoptive household and have had a systemic lens since before I knew the terminology. I have been working with children for nearly two decades. I have worked in pediatric research at Seattle Children's for eight years, early childhood education for two decades, the local crisis line for five years, in partial hospitalization programs and residential for two years, and volunteer in community with various social justice oriented organizations in the area.
My anti-racism and anti-oppression journey started in 2012 when I started working with refugees and was told that an antiracist White caucusing group would be a good place for me. I went and have been in community with BIPOC antiracists & antiracist Whites for some time now.
My business carries my name, not merely for simplicity, but as a tribute to the interwoven history and strength passed down through generations. I am Chessie Rebecca Snider, named by my grandmother after her own grandmother, who nurtured and guided her just as my grandmother did for me. My name embodies both the legacy of resilience and the commitment to honoring culture while shedding patterns that no longer serve us.
I identify as a White, pansexual, able-bodied, neurodivergent, cisgender nonbinary femme, queer and childless. I know age can be important for folx seeking care, so for reference - I am in my late 30s. I operate from a parents-as-a-first-teacher, sex-positive; 2SLGBTQIAAP+, CNM affirming; trauma-informed.
I want to work with people (children, kids, tweens, teens, mid-career adults, retirees, and parents) with shared values and help build a liberated world where mental health is the default not the exception. If I sound like the kind of therapist you would like to work with, please let me know. I have immediate openings in the zip codes 98108 and 98118.
I offer in person in Beacon Hill for ages 3-12 years old, and in person or telehealth to teens, adults and parents and/or caregivers.