Attuned, Solution-Focused, Evidence-Based Therapy in WA State
Hello, I'm Vanesa
I'm a counselor based in Washington State. At Novel Healing, my goal is to create a grounded, empathetic space where individuals, couples, and teenagers feel genuinely understood.
Therapy isn't about giving you a rigid set of rules—it's about helping you understand your emotional patterns, rebuild trust in your relationships, and gain practical tools for life's transitions.
My Clinical Focus
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Identifying unhelpful thought loops and replacing them with balanced, realistic perspectives to relieve anxiety and stress.
Couples Therapy (EFT)
Using Emotionally Focused Therapy to help couples identify destructive conflict cycles and restore deep emotional safety and bonding.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Getting to know the different “parts” of yourself, like the inner critic or the protector, with curiosity and compassion so they can work together rather than against you.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills
Practical tools for managing intense emotions, tolerating distress, and communicating needs. Especially helpful for teens.
Person-Centered Therapy
A warm, nonjudgmental relationship where you lead and your own experience is the expert. The foundation of everything I do.
Acceptance & Commitment (ACT)
Learning to make room for painful feelings while taking active steps toward your core personal values.
Adolescent-Centered Care
Developmentally attuned guidance for teens (11–17) balancing identity, school pressure, and family relationships.
Human Therapy: Clients and AI
AI is increasingly something people lean on, including in moments of crisis: late at night, when no one else is awake, or when something feels too hard to say out loud. If that's been part of your experience, you don't need to explain or apologize for it. Turning to AI for support still carries a lot of stigma, and you won't find judgment about it here.
It's also worth knowing where AI can fall flat. It can sound confident while missing the bigger picture, agree too easily, or offer advice that's generic rather than shaped to your life. It can miss warning signs a trained clinician would catch, and it can't know your history, your relationships, or what's at stake for you the way someone walking alongside you over time can.
What I hope to offer is the kind of healing that happens in relationship. Even over video, sitting face to face with another person means someone notices what isn't said: a pause, a shift in your voice, the look on your face. Being seen, heard, and responded to by another person can rebuild trust and connection in ways that carry into the rest of your life.
If you're in crisis right now, call or text 988to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
A Trusted Clinical Colleague
I don't practice in isolation. I consult regularly with my colleague Dr. Michael Drane, PhD, LMHC, of Mindful Remedy. We trade referrals, and he provides clinical oversight of my work.
That means your care benefits from a second experienced perspective, and if I'm not the right fit or don't have an opening, he's someone I trust to refer you to.