I work with adults, couples, parents with children,and adolescents, and families. I am not a specialized child therapist. I am trained both in Family Therapy, and in the form of psychodynamic therapy developed by Alexander Lowen, called Bio-energetics. This 'Lowenian' type of therapy seeks to include the wisdom of the body with the life of the mind. Common issues addressed include depression, relationship conflict, stress, and under-achievement. Therapy is a process of simultaneously 1) increasing self awareness, 2) increasing direct self-expression, and 3) increasing the capacity to have and hold strong feelings. Therapy should make sense. The type of actions that restore satisfying living are not unusual. Rather they are everyday actions done with feeling, contact, and conviction. I believe that joyful living is a birthright, but that our experiences have often led to a style of life that ensures survival in some sense, but largely at the cost of joy. I agree with most therapists that early relationships are often the source of later joyless living, but I also concentrate on how this legacy of self-limiting and self-punishing behaviors is present and solvable in here-and-now relationships. Many people dismiss therapy because they believe it is either empty reassurance, or an expensive format to hear self-help advice, or "renting a friend", or a "crutch" to make suffering tolerable, etc... Good therapy, however, is made by the participants.

I have three niches: 1) working with survivors of toxic or abusive behavior to get the "compass pointing north again" after enduring long periods of crazy-making behavior. 2) body-oriented therapy intended to regain freedom of feeling, freedom of expression, and freedom of action. My approach is based on the work of Alexander Lowen. This is usually done in longer term therapy of a year or more. 3) Work with men who want to modify 'nice-guy' (codependent) habits

Call or email Michael Samsel for your free, initial face-to-face or phone consultation now - (206) 931-8355.

Niche Specialty:

• Mens Issues

Education Supporting Specialty:

I believe true anger is a healing and tricky emotion, which can be made healthy. See my website

Also Addressed in My Practice:

• Aspergers Syndrome
• Codependency
• Couples Counseling
• Depression
• Domestic Abuse
• Grief & Loss

• Mens Issues
• Relationship Issues
• Self-Esteem
• Trauma & PTSD

My Qualifications:

Years in Practice: 14 Years
Highest Degree: M.A.
School: Antioch University Seattle
Year Graduated: 2004
License No. and State: LH60104336 WA

• Registered Nurse

Finances:

Sliding Scale: Yes
Initial Free Face to Face Consulation: Yes
Free Telephone Consulation: Yes
Accepted Payment Methods: Cash, Check, Paypal, Zelle
Insurance Plans Accepted:
Aetna, First Choice Health, LifeWise, Premera BlueCross, Regence BlueShield, Kaiser Permanente, Out of Network Insurance, United Behavioral Health