Jessica Chen, PhD

I love to work with individuals with ambitious dreams, people with the passion and purpose to remake our society. I work with clients who seek therapy because they understand that justice in the world begins with healing ourselves from the inside out. My approach to therapy is client-centered, strengths-based, and affirming. I work with you to understand your history (how you came to be who you are), clarify your present-day concerns, and teach you tools that support your growth and wellbeing. I specialize in the intersection between trauma, mental health, and physical health. I provide therapy for insomnia, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. I provide evidence-based therapy, which means that I use techniques and approaches that research shows are most likely to be effective for your type of concern. I primarily use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is a present-focused, skills-based therapy. Clients who benefit from CBT are ready to make changes in their thoughts and actions/behaviors. For those who are interested, I also teach mindfulness meditation, which is a powerful and effective practice that improves attention, anxiety, mood, and health. When I work with clients, we identify concrete goals with measurable outcomes. If CBT is working, we expect clients to see improvement after 2 to 4 months of weekly therapy. After this initial period, some clients wish to continue with longer-term therapy to address broader issues (e.g., juggling career and family, self-esteem) or because they find it helpful to have a regular space to unpack their thoughts and emotions. Read more about my background and training here: https://www.jessicachenphd.com/about-me Note: I only see patients who live in Washington State. Land Acknowledgement: This land where I live, work, teach, and learn is the unceded, ancestral home of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish, Muckleshoot, and Stillaguamish Tribes, people who are still here. As an acknowledgement of my visitor status on their lands, 10% of proceeds from this business are paid as rent to Real Rent Duwamish. https://www.realrentduwamish.org/ https://native-land.ca