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 feminist, narrative and humanistic-existential theories, which I view in three main ways.  First, this means that all of our expressions (e.g., our coping, connecting, meaning making, suffering), or how we approach the world, is as situated beings within layered and intersectional systems simultaneously shaped familially, biologically, and culturally and by contextual forces (e.g., history, politics, economics).  Second, this orientation supports a central idea: We are hurt and healed in and through relationships — with ourselves, first and foremost — and with all beings.  And lastly: We humans are “selves” in bodies. Interpersonal neurobiology, polyvagal and attachment theories, which combine cognitive, mindfulness and somatic (body-based) therapies also inform my practice and are rooted in this theoretical grounding. 

I draw on my repertoire of skills, experience and training, 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 earned a Master of Arts in Psychology from Seattle University and a doctorate in education from the University of Washington.   I received mentorship and training in community mental health, where I honed skills in modalities such as dialectical and cognitive-based therapies, motivational interviewing, mindful self-compassion, and collaborative, respectful harm-reduction approaches to substance use disorders such as CRAFT (Community Reinforcement Approach to Family Training). 

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, family systems, and whole-body healing.  

I bring passion, honed by decades of working with youth (10 +), adults, couples, parents, and families. 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.

Other shaping forces in my life that bring me immense joy and fulfillment—

— Being a parent, partner, daughter, sister, teacher, swimmer, tender of chickens, a small-scale food forest and berry farmer, and a wider community collaborating for just and democratic communities of care.

—  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 cozied on my porch with my book, my pup, and two cats. 

In-person openings in Pioneer Square: Mondays/Thursdays.

Telehealth: Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday

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.