Seattle Therapy

Where to begin.

You don't need to have everything figured out before you start. Part of therapy is understanding what isn't working, what no longer feels sustainable, and where to begin.

Over time, experience has taught me what to listen for and what questions can help bring clarity and focus early in the process.

Get Started
Jason Lavalle, LICSW

Common reasons people begin therapy

Your mind keeps looking for what could go wrong, making it difficult to relax, make decisions, or feel settled even when things are going well.

What we might work on

Understanding patterns of worry and overthinking, responding differently to uncertainty, and finding ways to step out of cycles of reassurance, avoidance, or constant mental preparation.

What can shift

More flexibility with uncertainty, less time consumed by worry, and greater freedom to make decisions and engage with what matters to you.

You may look functional on the outside while feeling flat, stuck, unmotivated, disconnected, or unlike yourself.

What we might work on

Understanding what contributes to feeling stuck, reconnecting with meaningful activities and relationships, and finding workable ways to move forward when motivation is low.

What can shift

More access to energy, connection, interest, and a greater sense of engagement in your life.

Achievement may bring temporary relief, but the feeling that you're behind, not doing enough, or eventually going to be exposed keeps returning.

What we might work on

The patterns that keep self-worth tied to performance, perfection, comparison, or the need to continually prove yourself.

What can shift

A more grounded sense of confidence and self-worth that isn't constantly dependent on achievement or getting everything right.

Work may feel increasingly difficult to turn off, with constant urgency, competing demands, performance pressure, or too little room to recover.

What we might work on

Stress and workload patterns, boundaries, expectations, recovery, and the habits or pressures that make it difficult to disengage from work.

What can shift

A healthier relationship with work, clearer boundaries, greater capacity to recover, and more room for life outside of your job.

You may be exhausted but find that your mind or body doesn't seem ready to sleep—or that waking during the night makes it difficult to settle again.

What we might work on

The patterns that interfere with sleep, including worry, mental activity, sleep habits, stress, and the struggle that can develop around trying to make sleep happen.

What can shift

Less anxiety and effort around sleep, more consistent sleep patterns, and greater confidence in your ability to rest.

You may find yourself repeatedly people-pleasing, withdrawing, avoiding conflict, becoming resentful, or struggling to express what you need.

What we might work on

Patterns in communication, closeness, conflict, boundaries, expectations, and how you respond when relationships feel uncertain or difficult.

What can shift

More direct communication, healthier boundaries, greater connection, and more flexibility in how you navigate relationships.

No single approach works for everyone.

Therapy works best when it is tailored to the person. These are some of the approaches that may be integrated into our work together.

Practical work with thoughts, behaviors, symptoms, and situations.

CBT helps identify the patterns that maintain anxiety, depression, avoidance, and stress. The focus is not simply “thinking positive,” but learning how thoughts, emotions, body responses, and actions interact so you can respond with more flexibility.

Clarify values and reduce the struggle with internal experience.

ACT supports a different relationship to thoughts and emotions. Instead of trying to eliminate every uncomfortable internal experience, therapy focuses on making room for what shows up while moving toward what matters.

Understand why symptoms may make emotional sense.

Coherence Therapy looks for the deeper emotional learning or implicit belief that can make a symptom feel necessary, protective, or unavoidable. The goal is not to argue with the symptom, but to understand the emotional logic that keeps it in place and create conditions for real change.

Rebuild momentum through meaningful and doable action.

When mood is low or avoidance has narrowed life, behavioral activation helps reconnect with activities that provide structure, mastery, connection, and meaning. The emphasis is on small, realistic changes that create movement.

Work with ambivalence without pressure or judgment.

Motivational interviewing is useful when part of you wants change and another part has understandable reasons to hesitate. It helps clarify your own reasons, values, and readiness for change.

Build awareness of thoughts, emotions, urges, and reactions.

Mindfulness can help you notice internal experiences without being automatically driven by them. It is used in a practical way to support awareness, emotional regulation, and values-based action.

About

I have worked in mental health and human services since 2005 and have been in private practice since 2015.

Before private practice, I worked in community mental health throughout Seattle and later with University of Washington Medicine providing behavioral health assessment and counseling. Those experiences continue to shape how I work today and reinforced something I have found to be consistently true: people rarely fit neatly into categories, and therapy works best when it is adapted to the individual.

Many people I work with are thoughtful, capable, and carrying more than others realize. They are often managing anxiety, burnout, self criticism, relationship strain, uncertainty, or a sense that the way they have been functioning is no longer sustainable.

My approach is practical, collaborative, and tailored to the person rather than following a rigid formula. My goal is not to provide quick answers or one size fits all solutions, but to help people better understand themselves and create meaningful, workable change.

Jason Lavalle, LICSW

Get Started

Everything you need to decide on a next step is here: session fee, insurance information, and the appropriate inquiry form.

Individual Therapy
$200

50 minute session.

Out of network

If your plan includes out of network mental health benefits, you may be able to receive partial reimbursement. I can provide a superbill.

Insurance

Coverage, without the extra searching.

Insurance can be confusing. You can ask about benefits before scheduling to better understand what questions to ask and what information may be needed later.

Blue Care NetworkBlue CrossLifeWiseLyra HealthPremeraUnitedHealthcare

Ask about coverage before scheduling.
Share your insurance company and plan information and I’ll help clarify next steps, accepted plans, possible out of network reimbursement, and whether a more detailed benefits review would be helpful.

What can be clarified
If additional insurance details are needed, I’ll provide a more secure way to share them.

Get started

What would you like help with?

General inquiry
This form sends a short message so I can reply about availability and possible next steps. I reply to all inquiries within 48 hours.
This is not an intake form and is not for emergencies. Please keep your note brief and avoid sensitive clinical details.