Licensed Psychologist
2203 Thorndyke Ave W.
Seattle, WA 98199
(206) 926-3866
Therapy Office
Pictured at right is my sweet little waiting room.
Though our regular sessions would be by phone or video, I'm happy to meet with new clients at my office for our first session, if they would like.
If later on in therapy something big comes up, and it would just feel better to have an in-person session, Babette and I could meet you in the office then, too.
I'd like to tell you about my office. I've seen a ton of therapy spaces and I think this one's pretty special.
EASY STREET
The office location is a pleasure. I'm in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle. Though there are several other businesses along Thorndyke Avenue West, this is a quiet area as compared with much of the city. There isn't the dense traffic or tight parking one finds elsewhere. Street parking is free. Most clients find a space within 1/2 block of the office.
It's easy to spot 2203 Thorndyke Ave W. It's near the intersection of Boston & Thorndyke. Look for a blue townhouse with white railing and a red front door.
One thing people say they like about coming to therapy at my office is that the waiting room will never have anyone else sitting in it.
PRIVACY
Many therapists are in a suite of healthcare providers, with a waiting room they all share. Your provider comes to the waiting room, calls your name and walks back down the hallway with you. My building is not shared with any other professionals; it would be you alone in the waiting room.
In that room is a charming coffee/tea/water/hot cocoa station, a private restroom, a container of dog treats and the usual outdated but fun magazines. There's natural light from a window, but no way to be seen up on the third floor.
I think that little details like this matter. It's not easy to decide that you want therapy, not easy to find a good psychologist, to find someone with an opening, to drive across town and to discuss personal stories. It calls upon your time, money and bravery. Doesn't it matter at least a little that the coffee is strong, the seating comfortable and the office space well-appointed? For me it is. I believe you might enjoy a dignified experience.
Tell me more about what you're looking for in therapy: danafalk@icloud.com
At right is what clients see from the therapy couch.
The view from my office includes the greenery and hillside homes of Queen Anne and Phinney Ridge; the Space Needle; the downtown Seattle skyline and ferris wheel. Of course, a beautiful view isn't essential to therapy, but clients say it helps focus their thoughts.
THE FRENCH BULLDOG FACTOR
Babette is usually in her corner bed as you can see, listening intently and passing judgment. Just kidding. She is passing gas.
Occasionally, Babette asks if she can sit on the couch next to a client, but that's pretty rare; she's an anxious girl. Please don't be bummed if you love dogs but she doesn't ask to sit with you. I'm very proud of how far Babette has come with her fears.
Pictured left is my spot in the therapy space.
Our sessions are meant to a place you feel like yourself. Only when you are free to be both optimistic and pessimistic, aware and unaware, open and guarded, generous and critical will we get to the real stuff. Getting to show the full range your personality is rare and frankly, it's a relief.
Good therapy isn't just analyzing patterns and solving problems. It's also two people who share an awareness of all the quiet challenges in ordinary adult life. It's having an eye for the absurd. I hope you'd feel very comfortable with me, and if we meet at the office, in this space.
ACCESSIBILITY
My usual therapy room is on the top floor of a townhouse, up two flights of stairs, but we could easily meet in a different room that's more accessible. There's a beautiful space that would require you climbing one flight of stairs, and another (less fancy) space that would require no stairs at all.
If you want to have an in-person session, just let me know if meeting in a room that calls for few or no stairs would be your preference.