Kara Haney, MA LMFTA
Welcome!
I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, working towards full licensure under the supervision of Toni Evans, MA, LMFT. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Manchester College in Indiana and my Master’s degree in Couples and Family Therapy from Antioch University in Seattle.
My counseling style is curiosity-driven, warm, and compassionate. I am a client-centered therapist who believes people are the experts of their life stories. I want us to collaboratively draw and build upon the strengths in your life by integrating your beliefs, values, and resources into counseling to help us achieve your therapy goals. Therapy works best when the therapeutic bond is strong and clients feel fully seen; which is why I encourage you to bring your whole self and experiences into the therapy space- your particular humor, silliness, messiness, joy, sadness, grief, creativity, anger, and all other aspects of you should be celebrated in our therapeutic process. Therapy does not need to look a particular way; our work together is about and for you. I will regularly seek feedback to determine what counseling approaches feel helpful and which don’t, so we can ensure you get what you need from this experience. I firmly believe shame is not a motivating factor for change and has no place in the counseling process. To this end, it is a priority for me to create judgment-free environments that emphasize safety and trust. Whether working one-on-one or in a relational group, we will also focus on communication, intimacy in relationships, boundaries, decision-making, and differentiating your feelings, thoughts, and actions to foster interconnectedness instead of interdependence with others.
I take an integrative approach to therapy that draws on Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Attachment, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapies. My relational work is grounded in Emotionally Focused Therapy, Attachment-Based Family Therapy, and I am a Gottman-informed therapist who has completed level two certification in Gottman Therapy. I am certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). I have nearly two decades of experience as a massage and craniosacral therapist. Connecting our thoughts and emotions to our body sensations can create new avenues for growth and healing, and I regularly incorporate my somatic knowledge into my counseling practice.
I am a systems-trained thinker and believe the intersections of identity, family dynamics/patterns, societal roles, and the systematic oppressions in our society impact people. As a queer, cis, neurodiverse white woman, I can attest to how the different levels of societal power associated with our various identities affect how we think about ourselves, how we function in relationships, and how we move through the world. I work from an anti-oppression, anti-racist lens to support my clients in exploring and confronting these societal hierarchies to minimize the impact they have on their emotional well-being and their relationships.
I work with individual adults, adolescents, family groups, couples, and other relationship configurations. For adolescents, I primarily work with individuals 13 years and older. I welcome and affirm clients who are LGBTQIA+, trans and nonbinary, who are exploring or engaged in non-monogamous or polyamorous relational identities, and/or who are neurodiverse/neurospicy. I am a sex and body-positive therapist.
I believe everyone deserves access to a life that functions with more ease and enjoyment, and I am genuinely honored to accompany you on your counseling journey.
Call 425-390-4677 to make an appointment.
Contact Kara at Kara@TransformativeCFS.com