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Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we still struggle with problems. Even the best advice of family and friends is not enough to sooth the inner aches and pains of our life or conflicts we might have with others. If you are ready to explore new ways to solve old problems or find healing in your life, contact me today.

About

San Juan Counseling offers online mental health counseling and consultation for children, adolescents, and adults. We provide individual, couples, and family therapy. Although we work with clients with a diverse array of needs, we offer specialization in two groups. Firstly, we are a group that serves all those affected by adoption – adoptees, adoptive parents, foster children, foster parents and all those who serve them. San Juan Counseling strives to be a safe place to be able to talk about the issues and needs that are unique to adoption without judgement. We strive to hire therapists who themselves have experience working with or being a part of the adoption world in their own lives. The owner, Maria De Bruyn, was inspired to develop this service based on the lack of trained professionals who understood the unique needs of adoptees and foster children and their families. Maria is one of the top experts in adoption in Washington state due to her lived experience as a foster care alumni, adoptee, adoptive mom, and former foster parent. She also provides consultation on adoption and foster care throughout the state. Maria is currently working on research involving grit and resilience among foster children and foster care alumni.

The second group that we take pride in serving is all current and former military members, first responders, and police. Whether you are new to therapy, have been going for a while, or simply need to process a traumatic event or two, we are here for you as a safe, confidential space. Many of our therapists have backgrounds as either family members or lived experience within this group. Our goal is to serve those who have selflessly given all to our country and our communities within Washington state in a supportive, understanding, and nonjudgemental way. We strive to strengthen individuals and families of military members and first responders so that you can continue doing the important work that you do. 

We are currently in the process of hiring new therapists.  If you are looking for a chance to serve either of these groups, please contact us. We offer options of either a full benefits package or flexible hours based on what your needs are. We also hire interns and associates. Contact us to learn more.

My name is Maria and I look forward to meeting you. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor of Washington State. My approach is gentle, honest, simple, direct, and affirming. You won’t be getting a lot of rigid structure during the session, but you will have an open, safe place to explore your life, your problems, your values, and your goals with some thoughtful guidance and suggestions to try. My philosophy on diagnoses are that they can be a helpful way to understand your self, but they don’t define you and what you are capable of. 

At heart, I focus on attachment, attunement, and emotional safety within each session. I believe that there is a power in telling your story and we are all made for greatness. I enjoy using Narrative Therapy to explore influences of your own story, your family story, and culture to help to understand yourself a little better and find the values that help you move forward in life. In my work with couples, I use a variety of different modalities including Imago Relationship Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy to help you make sense of your story as a couple and find ways to strengthen your path forward. With children, I enjoy entering into their world through play and helping them make sense of it all in a joyful and respectful manner. 

Here are the services I currently offer:

-Couples Therapy

-Individual therapy for adults

-Individual therapy for children through adolescents

-Play therapy for younger children

These are a few of my areas of my specialties:

-Anxiety

-Depression

-Trauma

-Recovering from narcissistic, emotional, or psychological abuse

-Recovering from spiritual trauma

-Resiliency

-Cultural/immigration issues

-Family of origin issues

-Adoption/foster care

-Attachment issues

-Spiritual issues/self-development

Feel free to contact me today to schedule an appointment. I accept a variety of private insurances and can bill the insurance companies directly. I also accept private pay at a rate of $150/session and can provide a superbill for insurance reimbursement.

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