Chelse Song (they/she)

I'm a neurodivergent therapist who is strongly anti-ABA, which means I don't pathologize my clients who are autistic, ADHD, LD, or otherwise "atypical." I practice from a neurodiverse framework, so rather than teach you to "pass" as neurotypical, I'll work with your strengths and challenges to creatively problem-solve with you. I don't believe eye contact is necessary for therapy, and I use non-verbal or limited verbal alternatives to talk therapy.

I'm a genderqueer therapist trained in WPATH (the World Professional Association for Transgender Healthcare) Standards of Care, so I can provide mental health support to clients of all genders and stages of transition. Whether you're deep, deep in the closet or living "out and proud" in your gender journey, or somewhere in between, I'm here for it.

Therapy with survivors of DV/abuse is close to my heart: As a survivor myself, I spent four years leading two research studies on Queer Intimate Partner Violence (ask me and I'll send you the articles if you're a research nerd like me) and I'm passionate about survivor-led trauma services. If you've experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, or complex-PTSD, you are not alone, and therapy might be a real help to your unique recovery process.

If you've ever come to therapy in the midst of overwhelming emotions, and had to sit through a full intake with no problem-solving at all, you might understand why solution-focused therapy (SFT) is a vital treatment orientation. I use evidence-based, scientifically supported therapy interventions from a "treatment first" design, which means you don't leave my office feeling frustrated; instead, we start tackling problems right away.

If you think mindfulness-based therapy is all hippies sitting on yoga mats singing kumbaya, you're in for a surprise: I use Mindfulness-Based Cognitive (MBCT) interventions for mental health concerns like PTSD, OCD, bipolar, major depression, anxiety, and chronic pain/illness. I also adapt mindfulness exercises to a neurodiverse population (hey, looking at all you ADHD folks who think mindfulness is impossible).

Feminist therapy is at the heart of my trauma-informed counseling. To me, feminist therapy is all about choices: as a client, you have the right to say "No, stop, this isn't working" and your therapist should roll with that, rather than try to stuff you into a cookie-cutter way of doing therapy. I realize that psychologists have historically harmed clients of all backgrounds, and I actively work to uplift my clients and empower them not only in therapy, but in "real life."