James Marten Lmhc

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OPEN NOW - Closes at 6:00pm

I provide confidential and personalized counseling services to both adults and children. My services are individualized to meet the needs of my clients and are collaborative in nature. Though a large portion of my practice is dedicated to working with adolescents, I also work with a wide range of adult clients representative of the great diversity of professions and populations that exist here in Bellingham, WA. I have an extensive background working with male survivors of physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse. Many clients develop unhealthy coping mechanisms in response to those types of abuses and a significant role of therapy is to identify and break unhealthy behavior patterns and to develop healthy alternatives. Unhealthy behavior may include irrational feelings of guilt, shame, or responsibility for the action of others. We will work collaboratively to identify and disprove the unhealthy cognitions behind such feelings. I practice based on a premise that a positive therapeutic relationship between client and therapist is essential to the healing process. My clients are welcomed with acceptance and unconditional positive regard. Early sessions in therapy are often spent developing the trust and therapeutic connection necessary to move forward in a positive and meaningful way. Because every client is unique, with his/her own strengths and weaknesses, I take a collaborative and eclectic approach to facilitate a client’s identification of goals and strategies within the context of their personal lifestyles. My approach and treatment of various clients is as diverse as the clients themselves. In general terms I’d like to describe for you some of the issues I commonly deal with in various populations.