What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)? A Complete Guide
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is one of the approaches I use with adults across Washington who feel overwhelmed by intense emotions, relationship patterns, or the lasting effects of trauma. At Awakenings Counseling, I help people move beyond coping on the surface and understand the deeper emotional, behavioral, and trauma-related patterns that keep showing up in […]
What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)? How to Use It Effectively
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, trauma, or difficult emotions, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help you respond differently instead of feeling controlled by them. In my practice, I work with adults throughout Brooklyn, NY, using evidence-based approaches like ACT to help them build resilience, develop psychological flexibility, and create meaningful change. Rather […]
How Effective Is Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?
Many of the people who reach out to me for therapy in Washington have already spent years trying to understand why the same patterns keep showing up in their relationships, work, or emotional health. They’ve done therapy before, gained insight, and still feel stuck. I’m Cuyler Simmons, founder of Awakenings Counseling PNW, and I specialize […]
What to Expect in Your First EMDR Session?
Starting EMDR can bring up a lot of questions, especially if past therapy only scratched the surface of what still feels stuck. I offer online EMDR therapy for adults across Washington, including Seattle, Tacoma, and surrounding communities, helping people work through the lasting effects of childhood trauma, relationship pain, addiction, and complex PTSD. My approach […]
Ketamine Therapy: What It Is, How It Works and Side Effects
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy can offer a different path when depression, trauma, anxiety, or stuck patterns have not shifted through traditional approaches. In my online Washington therapy practice at Awakenings Counseling, I work with adults exploring deeper healing, including trauma recovery and psychedelic integration. This guide shares how ketamine therapy works what to expect medically emotionally and […]
What Are Parts in IFS Therapy?
In my IFS therapy practice at Awakenings Counseling, serving adults across Washington, I see parts as inner protective systems shaped by trauma, relationships, and survival. A part of me as a therapist and self-healer is drawn to helping people make sense of old patterns that keep showing up. Internal Family Systems offers a compassionate way […]
Is IFS Therapy Good for Trauma?
IFS therapy can be a meaningful approach for trauma, especially when old wounds from childhood still shape relationships, work, and daily life. In my online practice at Awakenings Counseling, serving adults across Washington, I use Internal Family Systems to help clients understand the parts of themselves that carry pain, protection, and survival strategies. As a […]
How to Find an IFS Therapist in Seattle?
I’m Cuyler Simmons, LICSW, a therapist at Awakenings Counseling. I work with adults across Seattle, King County, Pierce County, and throughout Washington through online sessions. Many people who reach out to me have already tried therapy and still feel old trauma patterns showing up in relationships, work, and everyday life. Internal Family Systems, or IFS, […]
IFS vs EMDR for Trauma
When it comes to real healing from trauma, a lot of folks in Washington, especially those carrying the weight of childhood or complex experiences, find themselves choosing between Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Each approach stands out, and the buzz around which one “works best” is real. There’s […]
CBT vs EMDR for Trauma
If you’ve gone through trauma, figuring out the right therapy can be a game-changer. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) come up the most when people talk about cutting-edge ways to heal from past pain. These two therapies take very different routes to help you find relief from memories and […]