Jen Lindsay (she/her)

"As we learn to have compassion for ourselves, the circle of compassion for others — what and whom we can work with,  and how — becomes wider."

~ Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart

Therapy can be a space to pause. I do not view therapy as a place to fix or even “cure”.  Rather, my commitment is to creating a container of welcome.  When one is given room to explore with compassionate curiosity, therapy can be a safe refuge from which to face difficulty as well as to access dreams and longings.  I bring warmth and a non-judgmental presence, which I believe is essential for personal acceptance and change, as well as the starting place for collective liberation.

My approach to therapy is trauma-informed, and rooted in a framework that integrates systems, narrative, relational-cultural and existential theories.   This orientation, deepened through experience and training, is undergirded first by the notion that we are hurt and we heal in and through relationships — with ourselves and with all beings. And, second, that we humans are always situated within layered and overlapping contexts.  As such, our coping, our suffering, and our ways of relating to ourselves and others  — in fact, all of our expressions are shaped by many facets including personal, familial, biological, cultural, social, economic, political, and historical ones. 

Also shaping my therapy practice is the view that we humans are “selves” in bodies. Interpersonal neurobiology, polyvagal and attachment theories, which combine cognitive, mindfulness, and somatic (body-based) research and therapies  inform the view that we learn and grow from an integration of mind and body understanding.  I draw on my repertoire of skills in collaboration with you, always tailored to your knowledge of your strengths and what works for you.  Together we endeavor to understand and lovingly engage with your world with respectful curiosity and care for who you are and what you bring to therapy.  Above all, I will listen to you and walk alongside you.

I come to my work as a psychotherapist with decades of teaching and learning with young children, youth, families, and educators, working in culturally and socioeconomically diverse schools and various community-based settings.  I’ve coached and mentored new teachers and was a program director and professor, teaching courses in multicultural education policy and history.  Currently, I teach undergraduate psychology courses in writing and research, relationships, intimacy, and family systems, and whole-body healing.  

I have experience exploring various themes with my clients, including the following:

  • Communication and empathetic listening skills to increase connection, collaboration, understanding, and respect in relational challenges (e.g., life decision-making and values discernment, parenting support, substance use).

  • Attachment

  • Depression and anxiety

  • Trauma 

  • Grief and loss

  • Internalized oppression

  • Identity formation, discernment, and existential concerns

  • Life transitions (school, work, end of work-related issues). 

I offer a 20-minute complimentary phone or video call for both of us to gauge goodness of fit, which means you can ask me questions and get a sense of my therapeutic style and personality.  For me, this allows an opportunity to assess how I can best support you.

I take a gender-affirming and outside-of-binary approach to our human relatedness.  I believe that working across identity-shaping social groups (e.g., race, class, gender, religion, family structure) has the potential to be transformational.  I also know that ways we relate across human differences can reaffirm ongoing experiences of racism and other forms of oppression.  As a U.S.-born, cis-gendered, white and able-bodied, woman-identified person, I understand that privilege and power flow through the body I live in, and as such, is deep-seated.  I bring humility and accountability to these dynamics through ongoing inner work, training and professional consultation.

On a personal note — a few aspects of my life that bring me immense joy and fulfillment include:

— Being a parent, partner, daughter, sister, teacher, swimmer, tender of chickens, a small-scale food forest and berry farmer, and a participant in many collaborations, working together for just, inclusive, and democratic life on our shared planet. 

— Being a practitioner of Zen Buddhism and an engaged participant in my sangha.

— Gathering with others around a fire or table, frolicking in the mountains, on the water, under the stars, or cozying on my porch engrossed in a board game or solo with just my book, my pup and two cats.

In-person openings in Pioneer Square: Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Telehealth: Monday-Thursday

To schedule a free 15-minute info session or a first appointment, please email me at JLindsayTherapy@gmail.com.  

Or call and leave a confidential voicemail at 206.888.0592.  

I am “In Network” with Premera and Lifewise. 

I provide superbills for reimbursement through “Out of Network” insurance providers.