Hello, I am Dr. Shelly Morgan, a clinical psychologist with 6 years of post-doctoral psychotherapy experience. Also, I am nurse (MSN; RN in MO). Given my unique dual qualifications, I am able to diagnose and treat a variety of mental conditions and to coordinate with other clinical providers when necessary, especially with persons who have complicated or distressing medical histories.
As an adolescent Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor, I know how the mind-body connection has an influence upon both physical health and mental heath. I understand personally how one can get lost in the gap between medicine and psychology, and how lonely and scary that gap can feel. If I can help you to navigate your own unique gap, cheer you on to climb out of your particular chasm of circumstance or distress, my job will be well done.
My therapeutic approach is integrative, systemic, and existential; my aim is to be interactive, empathic, and transparent as a psychotherapist. And my task is to help you define and reach your own goals, to help you to find a life worth living, and then together we figure out exactly how you go about doing the latter. Does the way you think about things need to change? Does your behavior need to change? Do you need to re-structure your environment in order to diminish exposure to specific triggers? Do you need to approach relationships differently? Maybe you have no identifiable mental diagnosis and just want to process challenges and ongoings within your day-to-day life, discuss historical events, or imagine your future. That is fine too.
I have been trained in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), Rogerian therapy, gestalt therapy, existential therapy, interpersonal therapy (ITP), rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT), narrative therapy, motivational interviewing, and longer-term psychoanalytical and psychodynamic therapies (especially as related to Adlerian or self-psychology approaches).
I enjoy working with a variety of age groups, each with unique developmental challenges. Given I currently have a sole online practice, any work with children is necessarily limited to older school-age kids who are able to verbalize their thoughts and feelings, but I enjoy very much engaging adolescents from pre-pubescence to high-school graduate. I like working with adults of all ages, ranging from college to retirement. Given stated online limitations, my primary work is with individual psychotherapy and clinical diagnostics. However, on a case-by-case basis, it is potentially feasible to work with couples or small family units.
I do not discriminate upon the basis of race, political affiliation, religion, gender, or identity. I enjoy working with persons from varying faith traditions, expatriate immigrants, men, women, and those within the LGBTQ community. No one person fits into a tidy box. Every person is unique unto themself and uniquely interesting to me, which is why I like being a psychologist.
Licensed to practice in: Washington
