Counseling Washington History and Objectives
Our history
In 1999, counselor, Floyd Else, started www.CounselingSeattle.com as the first online counselor directory in Washington State. Although the web site was owned and directed by Floyd, a portion of the site was dedicated – without charge – to Seattle Counselors Association and its membership. The counselor directory listed the counseling private practices of SCA members (mental health counselors, therapists, clinical social workers and psychologists) throughout King and south Snohomish counties by city, neighborhood, and Niche Specialty. Counseling Seattle is inclusive of all license and degree types (nondenominational - from its inception).
Over time questions from the public, students thinking about a career in counseling, and counselors themselves - have indicated content areas that needed to be added to the site to better serve the public and the profession. By 2004, maintaining the directory had become an extremely time consuming project and more expensive to administer. For the first time, a small fee was charged to counselors in the directory. By 2010, the site was over 250 pages in volume with 720,000 visits from viewers from all over the US and 240 foreign countries, and had over a million page views annually.
As our counselors moved to other areas of Washington State they wrote asking if they could be listed in their new locations, and the areas served grew to encompass the counseling community throughout the State. In 2011, Counseling Seattle LLC added the registered trade name, Counseling Washington.
Our objectives
Counseling Washington strives to be an advocate for the interests of the public and for the counseling industry as a whole. This is inclusive of Mental Health Agencies and students preparing for private practice counseling in Washington State. We advocate for high standards of professional care and the improvement of career opportunities through educational resources. Counseling Washington encourages professionalism and recommends that all mental health professionals join and participate in their state and national professional organizations.
Counseling Washington advocates for a more hospitable legal framework governing the counseling industry in Washington State. Our goal is to eliminate confusion within Washington State regarding counseling credentials and requirements for licensure.
Who we represent
The counselors in the Counseling Washington network are masters level or higher in academic qualifications and are licensed or certified mental health care providers. These include: Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT), Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LICSW), Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associates (LMHCA), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associates (LMFTA), and masters-level Certified Counselors (CC).
Counseling Washington prides itself in being a counseling resource to those looking for counseling or therapy. Equally important is the dual focus in providing the best advertising service to counselors and therapists in Washington State. Because of its criteria, the company is considered a premier counseling web site implementing some of the highest standards in the industry. The site is respected for its information accessibility as well as for its Therapist Directory.
In renewing their listing each year, the members of our counseling directory tell Counseling Washington:
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The professional name and contact information they provide in their listing ad is their own;
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They are licensed or registered in the State of Washington.
Before Counseling Washington publishes a counselor profile, we confirm through a verification process that counselor’s licensure is active and that they are not subject to any license restrictions preventing practice.
