Brian Garrison

As a student of philosophy, I was captivated by the personalist thought centered in the face-to-face encounter. This fascination bloomed into a vocation rooted in the incredible capacity that deep relationships have to facilitate liberation and flourishing. I followed this thread from wilderness guiding, to social work with young adults experiencing homelessness in the greater Seattle area, to serving as a chaplain with this very population, where I built theologically formative programs devoted to the upbuilding of human dignity and space to find meaning in the aftermath of trauma and severe economic oppression. As a therapist, I work from the premise that behind so much of how we think, what we long for, and how we relate to ourselves and others lies unacknowledged shame, trauma, and the strategies we developed, sometimes very early on, to cope with and hide these realities from ourselves. These make up the “muscle memory” of our emotional worlds, which cannot always be easily recalled, but determine our lives nonetheless. Therapy aims to cultivate awareness of what lies underneath in disconnected, dissociated ways, and provides a space to move through the pain, accept, and integrate the past so that it no longer repeats itself in our lives. Some people use my practice for making immediate changes, while others address more disruptive and perpetual problems that require deeper attention. I work from a relational psychodynamic foundation, and integrate other compatible modalities including Somatic Awareness, Existential, Narrative, and Internal Family Systems therapy. I enjoy working with people who are struggling with depression, anger, anxiety, childhood neglect or abuse, challenging relationships, identity, life transitions, and living in the aftermath of trauma. I have particular experience with individuals looking to find meaning after a loss/shift of faith. My approach works best with those who are looking for ways to transform their pain, to understand themselves and access their own deep wisdom, creativity, and agency. I enjoy working with folks who identify as queer and trans, those who practice alternative relationship forms, and individuals of various religious backgrounds and faiths.