What to Expect for Individual Sessions
The first step in the process is to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation. During this phone call, you can expect us to chat about the following:
- Learning about what types of therapy I offer and which modality may be a good fit for you.
- Briefly sharing what brings you in for therapy now and what you hope it can help with.
- If you are hoping to use insurance for future visits, please have your insurance information available.
- Chatting through next steps such as scheduling availability and how to prepare for our first session together.
If for some reason we aren't able to work together, I would be more than happy to provide you with additional referrals.
Whether you are excited or nervous for our first appointment together, I will do my best to make the experience as comfortable as possible. Here is some important information to know:
- You'll receive intake forms through a secure client portal. You will be required to complete all forms before we meet for our first session.
- On the day of your intake, you'll check-in using an easy electronic system that notifies me you've made it. Feel free to grab tea or coffee as you sit in the waiting room, and I'll be out to get you at the time of our appointment.
- We will spend the hour reviewing the intake forms you completed, begin building a therapeutic relationship, and discuss hopes and recommendations for future sessions.
We will continue to strengthen our therapeutic relationship, build trust, gain new insights on your personal experiences, and engage in restorative emotional experiences. When the time feels right, we will discuss graduation from counseling, reflect on all your successes, and celebrate your progress and hard work!
What to Expect for Couples Counseling
The first step in the process is to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation. Both partners are strongly encouraged to be available for our call together. During our consultation, you can expect us to chat about the following:
- Each partner briefly shares their perspective on what brings them to couples counseling and their hopes and expectations for treatment.
- Learning about my qualifications and the type of therapy available so you can make informed decisions about your treatment.
- Chatting through next steps, such as scheduling availability and how to prepare for our first session together.
If for some reason we aren't able to work together, I would be more than happy to provide you with additional referrals.
Whether you are excited or nervous for our first appointment together, I will do my best to make the experience as comfortable as possible. Here is some important information to know:
- Each partner will receive intake forms through a secure client portal. Each individual is required to complete all forms before we meet for our first session. Both partners will attend the first session together.
- On the day of your intake, you'll check-in using an easy electronic system that notifies me you've made it. Feel free to grab tea or coffee as you sit in the waiting room, and I'll be out to get you at the time of our appointment.
- We will spend the hour reviewing the intake forms you completed, begin building a therapeutic relationship, and discuss hopes and recommendations for future sessions.
After your couple's intake appointment, each partner will schedule one individual session with me. This is a common practice in couples counseling and is an important step in the therapeutic process. These individual sessions allow me to understand your personal background on a deeper level and ensure that therapy is safe and beneficial for both partners.
After each partner attends their individual session with me, we will resume joint sessions. Throughout our time together, we work to understand the cycles and patterns of your relationship, engage in restorative emotional experiences, and strengthen the emotional bonds and secure attachment between you and your partner. When the time feels right, we will discuss graduation from counseling and celebrate the progress you've made together!
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Frequently Asked Questions
I work from the attachment lens of Emotionally Focused Therapy to help clients understand their emotional experiences, protective strategies, and to promote a more balanced and accepted view of self and others. I am also trained in EMDR and can offer this type of treatment to clients attending individual counseling. I also have extensive experience working with trauma in addition to supporting survivors of sexual assault.
I love working with both individuals and couples! At this time, I do not offer family therapy.
While I have experience working with all age groups, I am currently only accepting adult clients.
I believe that creating a strong therapeutic relationship is crucial to the counseling experience. I prefer to build this relationship by meeting with clients in person and do not offer Telehealth as the primary form of meeting.
To my individual clients, I am able to bill insurance and am in network with the following:
- Aetna
- Asuris
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- First Choice Health
- Kaiser
- LifeWise
- Optum
- Premera
- Providence
- Regence
- United Healthcare
To adhere to best ethical practices, I cannot bill insurance for couples, and all couples sessions are private-pay only.
When you arrive to the office, you will find an iPad with several therapists listed. Simply select "Kendall Watson" to check in. I'll receive a notification that you have arrived. While you wait, please make yourself comfortable and grab a cup of tea or coffee.
I am at the Rock Pointe Building at 316 W Boone Ave, Spokane WA, 99201. My office is Suite 850 located in the building labeled "Rock Pointe Tower".
When you enter the main building lobby, take the elevator up to the 8th floor and you'll find the waiting room with the check-in tablet.
Free parking is located immediately outside the building. The best entrance to the parking lot is located at 1212 N Washington Street, Spokane WA, 99201.
Evidence-Based Treatment and Trauma Informed Care
Heartsong Counseling offers evidence-based treatment from a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Heartsong Counseling also adopts a trauma-informed approach in treatment. Learn more about treatment options below.
Most therapists are exposed to working with trauma diagnoses in their practice, but not all therapists adopt a trauma-informed approach. Therapists who are trauma-informed will be able to recognize trauma symptoms and have a sound comprehension of how it impacts an individual's physical health, relationships, and overall quality of life.
Therapists who are trauma-informed also incorporate additional practices such as taking extra care and consideration in providing clients knowledge of what to expect in treatment, familiarity with the counseling environment, empowerment and control in treatment, and more.
Emotionally Focused Therapy, or EFT, is an evidence-based model of counseling that draws from attachment science and is backed by extensive clinical research. EFT operates from the belief that humans are wired for connection and that everyone craves belonging, bonding, and acceptance.
Emotionally Focused Therapy can be used with individuals, couples, and families. EFT can be a useful treatment for trauma, anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties.
EFT helps clients to:
- Identify their cycles and patterns that may be keeping them stuck or in conflict
- Engage in new emotional experiences so that emotions are seen as safe and acceptable
- Update and restore view of self and view of others, moving from emotional rigidity to flexibility
- Build deeper bonds and secure attachment with self and others
You can learn more details about Emotion Focused Therapy by visiting the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT) website
When a disturbing or difficult event happens, it can get locked away in the brain along with images, thoughts, emotions, and body sensations.
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing, or EMDR, helps you revisit one memory at a time while in a safe environment and reprocess it so that it is less overwhelming or distressing. It also helps reduce the intensity of triggers you may encounter in your daily life.
A common type of bilateral stimulation is eye movement, where you follow your therapist's fingers back and forth with your eyes. Other forms of bilateral stimulation include using tappers that gently vibrate in your hands. Bilateral stimulation helps speed up your brain's ability to process and heal troubling memories, thoughts, or feelings.
EMDR is clinically proven to be helpful in treating a wide variety of issues including:
- Trauma and other stressful events
- Anxiety and phobias
- Depression
- Grief
- Self-esteem
EMDR may not be as conversational as traditional talk therapy, but it is still highly effective. EMDR follows a specific protocol that helps your brain process the memories. You are in control the entire time. Your therapist will help guide you through the process and can provide support if you get stuck along the way.
New Client Inquiries
At this time my caseload is currently full and I am not accepting new clients. I invite you to check back in the future for potential openings.