What We Treat

Over 30% of U.S. adults experience an anxiety disorder sometime in their lifetime. People experiencing anxiety often find themselves with levels of worry that are hard to deal with. You might find yourself unable to stop thinking about what might go wrong, for example, or people judging you. Some people also experience anxiety symptoms in their bodies, like muscle tension, heart, racing, panic attacks, teeth grinding, or stomach problems. These symptoms can generate a lot of distress, and some people end up making their lives smaller to avoid anxiety triggers.

The good news is that anxiety is treatable. Our team has experience helping people with generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder, agoraphobia, excessive worry, and phobias.

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Many people find themselves in demanding roles with high expectations. Whether it is a high-pressure job that doesn’t have room for error or caretaking work that doesn’t have an escape valve, there are moments where it feels impossible to meet the standards of ourselves or others. Sometimes people find this stress a constant and unwelcome companion, making them irritable, tired, or jittery. Sometimes people enter a burnout state where they have a hard time finding their motivation. Either way, we are here to help.

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Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, it is estimated that 19.4 million adults in the U.S.—almost 8% — experienced at least one depressive episode. More recent estimates suggest that number has rapidly grown.

Depression symptoms go beyond just feeling “down.” They can include sadness, irritability, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, lack of motivation, changes in appetite, or sleep trouble. Depression can also affect cognitive performance, making it hard to think as quickly or clearly as you usually do. It might also involve feeling worthless or frequent thoughts of death or suicide.

By its nature, depression can make people feel hopeless. Please know there is hope. Research has shown that evidence-based practices are effective in the treatment of depression. TAC clinicians use research-supported interventions based in Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). For chronic suicidality, we also use Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) often involves intrusive, unwanted, “sticky” thoughts that are hard to get rid of. These thoughts may involve fear of contamination, a need for symmetry, or thoughts involving perfectionism. Intrusive thoughts are just as likely to be violent, aggressive, sexual, or superstitious though. Many people with OCD live in shame because of these intrusive thoughts, fearing that others may judge them or (mistakenly!) think these thoughts represent desires. People with OCD may also develop compulsions to help relieve discomfort and anxiety, even when they know these compulsions don’t make sense. In addition to the shame, these intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and compulsions can cause intense distress and get in the way of living life.

TAC prides itself on being a community of OCD specialists. Many of our therapists have trained at the OCD Intensive Outpatient Program at Seattle Children’s Hospital, one of the few OCD Intensive Outpatient programs in the country. We are passionate about treating OCD and offer the gold-standard, evidence-based treatment: Exposure and Response Prevention (E/RP).

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People may develop symptoms when they experience or witness traumatic events. These events might be natural disasters, such as earthquakes or tsunamis, or they might involve serious accidents, injuries, or medical traumas. Trauma may also be interpersonal (involving harms done by others) such as domestic violence, child emotional/physical/sexual abuse, combat, terrorism, physical assault, or sexual assault.

Survivors of trauma may experience intrusive thoughts or memories, avoidance of things associated with the trauma, impaired memory and cognition, negative thoughts and feelings about oneself and others, self-blame, feeling detached or distant from others, self-destructive behaviors, difficulties sleeping, anxiety and depression symptoms, and increases in startle responses or watchfulness.

Many people experience these symptoms in the days immediately following a trauma, but for some people, these symptoms persist. These lasting symptoms may be Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. There is an enormous amount of research on treatments for PTSD, and evidence-based treatments such as Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) have been shown effective in helping reduce symptoms and distress.

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We believe that every person deserves a relationship with food that is free from suffering. Cycles of food restricting, bingeing, purging, or over-exercising can lead to physical and emotional rollercoasters, and treatment can help you get off the ride. We provide outpatient therapy for clients with anorexia, bulimia, avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), and other eating disorders. We also work with people who just aren’t happy with their relationship with food and would like to build a more joyful, positive experience, and people who have found their relationship with food complicated due to medical diagnosis or allergy.

Sometimes relationships with our bodies are also fraught. Perhaps you’re adjusting to a changing body or think your body needs "fixing". Perhaps you struggle to see your body in a positive or neutral light. Perhaps you wonder what it would be like to be free of body shame, comfortable in your physicality. We can help improve your relationship with your body.

At TAC, all treatments come from a HAES and fat liberation lens. We offer evidence-based treatments such as Family Based Therapy (FBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help repair relationships with food and body.

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Suicide is a leading cause of death, especially for adolescents and young adults, and one of the most stigmatized. Globally, the WHO estimates that one out of every hundred people dies by suicide. Self-harming behavior occurs in 15-20% of the population sometime during their lives, most frequently beginning in adolescence.

Suicide and self-harming behavior frequently stem from emotional anguish. Self-harming behavior can be effective in the short term for interrupting emotional pain, creating a cycle that can have long-term negative consequences. When suffering is high enough, suicide can seem like the only way to make it stop.

When people self-harm or express suicidal ideation, it can scare or overwhelm people around them. Many people don’t know how to best support their loved ones who are experiencing this anguish.

If you self-harm or have suicidal urges, you are not alone. At TAC, we offer Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to support people who are suicidal or self-harming. DBT is the single most researched treatment for suicidal behavior, and decades of evidence has demonstrated that DBT is effective. DBT can help relieve emotional anguish and build a life worth living. All TAC clinicians have received advanced DBT training.

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Sleep disorders are common in the US. One third of American adults report chronic insomnia, and that number get higher as people get older. Many people with trauma histories also report trauma-related nightmares and sleep disturbances. Sleep quality and quantity have enormous impacts on cognitive capacity, mental and physical health, and quality of life.

There are pharmacological treatments for many sleep disorders, but research has shown that evidence-based behavioral interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) are equally effective as sleep medication, with fewer side effects and longer-lasting benefits. Several TAC therapists are sleep specialists who have advanced training in CBT-I and other evidence-based sleep interventions.

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Sexual concerns can be difficult to talk about. When issues involving sex cause distress, many people are too ashamed to ask for help. We are here to help you put down this shame and find a comfortable, joyful relationship with sex.

We are skilled in helping with many sexual concerns, including: obsessive sexual behavior (sometimes called sex or porn “addiction”), unwanted loss of desire, pain during sex, erection / ejaculation difficulties, sexuality after sexual assault, post-partum sexuality, unwanted paraphilias / fetishes, sexuality in the context of religious trauma, and making already satisfying sex lives even better.

All therapy at TAC is trauma-informed, sex-positive, and non-pathologizing of asexual / demisexual identities. We are always poly / kink / sex-work / ENM competent and affirming.

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Understanding and claiming our identities can be a powerful moment in life. Perhaps you are thinking about where your gender fits in a gender expansive universe. Perhaps you grew up in an environment not affirming of queer identities and aren’t sure you’re straight. Perhaps you are first-generation and have a foot in two cultures (and sometimes feel like you have standing in neither). Perhaps you’ve been in one role for years and want to explore alternatives. Perhaps you’ve recently received a neurodiverse diagnosis and aren’t sure what it means for your self-conception. Perhaps you are tired of navigating the covert racism of a “liberal” city like Seattle.

TAC is dedicated to the marriage of evidence-based practices and liberation psychology. We think your identity matters, and so do ours. We think mental health services should not merely focus on treating disorders. We are here to promote flourishing, self-knowledge, and community roots.

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