Lacey Couple & Family Therapy Services, PLLC

Betsy L. Hicks, MA, LMFT

Betsy Hicks, LMFT

Betsy Hicks LMFT

My Practice & Treatment Philosophy

I am a fully Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of Washington and hold a Masters of Arts Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pacific Lutheran University.* I earned my Bachelor’s Degree from University of Washington with a concentration in psychology.  I have had my private practice since 2013. 

My previous experience includes working as a co-facilitator for a DBT adolescent group, which is a group working on skills training,  working at JBLM as a counselor to those who were transitioning out of the military,  and providing therapy to couples, families, and individuals at the Puyallup Tribe during a one year long internship. In addition, I provided therapy services at the Pacific Lutheran University for one year as part of  my Masters program.

As a family systems trained therapist I aim to help clients look at all aspects of their life to include their relationships and environment to identify influences that may be contributing to current issues.  Working with individuals I draw largely from narrative and solution focused techniques to help clients tap into their inner strengths and create the life they want to live. Working collaboratively with clients, these techniques provide time and space for clients to gain personal insight which  can lead to confident decision making and lasting solutions. Additionally, I utilize techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, which I believe are instrumental in creating and cementing change.  With couples, my work is rooted in emotional focused therapy while using Gottman method as a supplement. I recognize each client, couple or family is unique and I am always prepared and qualified to utilize a variety of techniques if it’s beneficial to the therapeutic process. My goal is to provide couples, families, and individuals, with compassionate, insightful, and practical therapy that opens the door to hope, healing, positive growth and change.

**The Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Pacific Lutheran University is one of three Graduate programs in Washington State that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). For more information please visit:
https://www.aamft.org/imis15/content/coamfte/about_coamfte.aspx

Washington State Credential

 Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist License # LF60649745

Professional Affiliations

Clinical Fellow of American Association of Marriage and Family Therapist (AAMFT)  http://www.aamft.org/iMIS15/AAMFT/

Clinical Fellow of Washington Association of Marriage and Family Therapist (WAMFT)

Key Workshops and Training’s

 “Solving the Key Challenges of Couple Therapy with EFT” Instructed by Sue Johnson

“Divorce Busting” Instructed by Michele Weiner-Davis

“Discernment Counseling” Instructed by Bill Dohertry

“Attachment, Trauma, and Psychotherapy: Neural Integration as a Pathway to Resilience and well Being” Instructed by Dan Siegel, M.D.

“The Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work” Based on John Gottman’s work

“After the Affair: From Trauma to….Forgiveness”

“Better Serving Those Who Have Served”

Find me:

Psychology Today   http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_results.php

 

Phone 360.588.2181

Favorite Quotes

  • "A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes."
    Mahtma Gandhi
  • "Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
    Watch your words, for they become actions.
    Watch your actions, for they become habits.
    Watch your habits, for they become character.
    Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."
    Unknown
  • "Celebrate what you want to see more of."
    Tom Peters
  • "Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege.
    Use it. Dwell in the possibility."
    Oprah Winfrey
  • "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve."
    Napoleon Hill
  • The most astonishing thing about miracles is that they happen.
    Gilbert Chesterton
  • "Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass…
    It's about learning to dance in the rain."
    Vivian Greene
  • "You are very powerful, provided you know how powerful you are."
    Yogi Bhanjan
  • "Becoming acquainted with yourself is a price well worth paying for the love that will really address your needs."
    Daphne Rose Kingma
  • "My willingness to be intimate with my own deep feelings creates the space for intimacy with another.
    Shakti Gawain
  • "The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself."
    Steve Maraboli
  • "To accept ourselves as we are means to value our imperfections as much as our perfections."
    Sandra Bierig
  • "You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."
    Buddah
  • "It is never too late to be what you might have been."
    George Eliot
  • "Growth begins when we start to accept our own weakness."
    Jean Vanier
  • "In order for tomorrow to change, you must do something today. "
    Phillip Gee
  • "Someone to tell it to is one of the fundamental needs of human beings."
    Miles Franklin
  • "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new."
    Socrates
  • "If you persistently seek validation from others, you will inadvertently invalidate your own self-worth."
    Dondinsky
  • "If you don't build your dream someone else will hire you to build theirs."
    Unknown
  • "It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not."
    Unknown
  • "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."
    Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • "If you are not willing to learn, no once can help you. If you are determined to learn, no once can stop you."
    wisdomlifequotes.com
  • "Maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything. Maybe it's about un-becoming everything that isn't really you so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place."
    The Center for Mindful Living
  • "The day I stopped trying to be perfect was the day I found peace. I am enough. You are enough. We all are."
    Anna Grace Taylor
  • “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
    Brené Brown
  • “Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.”
    Brené Brown
  • “If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can't survive.”
    Brené Brown
  • “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren't always comfortable, but they're never weakness.”
    Brené Brown
  • “And suddenly you know… it’s time to start something new, and trust the magic of new beginnings.”
    Meister Eckhart
  • "It always seems impossible until it's done."
    Nelson Mandela
  • "Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough."
    Og Mandino
  • "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it."
    Charles R. Swindoll
  • "Don't place your mistakes on your head, their weight may crush you. Instead, place them under your feet and use them as a platform to view your horizons."
    Unknown

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