EMDR
Helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they lose their charge — used with children, teens, and adults.
About us
A practice built on one belief: healing happens in connection.
Connections Counseling NW serves children, teens, adults, and families across Seattle and Tacoma — specializing in trauma, attachment, and the relationships that carry us through.
Our story
Connections Counseling NW was founded on a simple observation: the families who walk through our doors are almost never struggling with symptoms alone. They're struggling with connection — a child who can't feel safe, a parent who's run out of ways to reach their teen, an adult whose earliest relationships still echo in the present.
That's why we built a practice around trauma and attachment work. Serving Seattle, Tacoma, and the surrounding communities, we care for children in foster and adoptive families, families navigating reunification and the courts, and individuals of every age carrying wounds that relationships can leave — and heal.
We also know that no therapist heals alone. We work hand in hand with caseworkers, courts, schools, and fellow clinicians, because families do best when everyone around them is pulling in the same direction.
How we work
Evidence-based care, delivered with warmth.
Every treatment plan starts with a careful understanding of your story — then draws on proven, research-backed methods, matched to your age, your goals, and your pace.
TF-CBT
The leading evidence-based therapy for children and teens recovering from trauma, with caregivers involved throughout.
DBT
Skills for managing intense emotions, tolerating distress, and building healthier relationships.
CBT
Practical, structured work on the thought patterns behind anxiety, depression, and feeling stuck.
TraumaPlay
A structured play therapy model built specifically for young children healing from trauma.
Family systems work
Seeing the family as a whole — because lasting change ripples through every relationship in it.
Our clinicians
Meet our clinicians.
Behind every session at Connections Counseling NW is a clinician with specialized training in trauma and attachment — and a shared conviction that therapy works best when it honors your story, your culture, and your pace.
Jennifer King
LICSW, CCTP
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker · Certified Clinical Trauma Professional
Jennifer is a licensed clinical social worker and certified clinical trauma professional specializing in trauma and attachment therapy. She works with children, teens, adults, and families across the Seattle–Tacoma area, bringing careful, evidence-based care to the moments that matter most — from a child's first session to the assessments courts and caseworkers rely on.
Evie Paulsen
CC-CCTP
CC-CCTP
Evie brings trauma-focused, attachment-informed care to children, teens, adults, and families across the Seattle–Tacoma area. Her sessions are steady and collaborative — a place to build skills, deepen connection, and move at the pace that feels right.
Genora Chappell
SWAIC-CCTP
SWAIC-CCTP
Genora brings trauma-focused, attachment-informed care to children, teens, adults, and families across the Seattle–Tacoma area. Her sessions are steady and collaborative — a place to build skills, deepen connection, and move at the pace that feels right.
Jeremy Ruiz
CC-MSW
CC-MSW
Jeremy brings trauma-focused, attachment-informed care to children, teens, adults, and families across the Seattle–Tacoma area. His sessions are steady and collaborative — a place to build skills, deepen connection, and move at the pace that feels right.
Tricia Cortazar
LICSW, CCTP
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker · Certified Clinical Trauma Professional
Tricia is a licensed independent clinical social worker and certified clinical trauma professional specializing in trauma and attachment therapy. She works with children, teens, adults, and families across the Seattle–Tacoma area, bringing careful, evidence-based care to the moments that matter most.
Ellie Coots
LMHC-A
Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate
Ellie brings trauma-focused, attachment-informed care to children, teens, adults, and families across the Seattle–Tacoma area. Her sessions are steady and collaborative — a place to build skills, deepen connection, and move at the pace that feels right.
Isabel Kennedy
MSW
Master of Social Work
Isabel brings trauma-focused, attachment-informed care to children, teens, adults, and families across the Seattle–Tacoma area. Her sessions are steady and collaborative — a place to build skills, deepen connection, and move at the pace that feels right.
Poppy Fry
MSW Intern
Master of Social Work intern
Poppy is completing her Master of Social Work and brings warm, trauma-informed care to children, teens, adults, and families across the Seattle–Tacoma area, working under the supervision of our licensed clinicians. Her sessions are steady and collaborative — a place to build skills, deepen connection, and move at the pace that feels right.
Photos and full bios for each clinician are on the way — this section updates as our team grows.
What we hold to
Safety first
No healing happens without it. We move at the pace of trust, never past it.
Connection over compliance
We're not here to fix children to fit a mold — we're here to build relationships where everyone can grow.
Respect without judgment
Every family's story deserves care, not criticism. You'll be met with warmth, not a checklist.
Real partnership
Parents, caregivers, caseworkers, and courts are part of the healing team — and we treat them that way.
Ready to take the first step?
Whether you're seeking support for yourself, your child, or your family, we'd be honored to hear your story.
We respond with care, usually within one business day.