Seattle Therapy Alliance

I certainly support the idea behind this clinic. I’ve had great experiences in other cities with female-​identified therapists, and a low-​cost therapy option is helpful for many, including myself.
My experience with this clinic, however, was a negative one. The therapists here are interns, and understanding that, I did not expect my therapist to fill her role with total finesse. But I also did not expect her to respond to conflict with me by using issues I had trusted her with.
I had been seeing my therapist for close to two months. I expressed repeatedly (for our last three or four sessions) that I was worried our time together wasn’t focused enough. Finally, in what would be our last session together, I started to say we weren’t a good fit. Instead of letting me be in my truth, she responded for the entirety of the session in various unprofessional ways, only a few of which I’ll detail here. She tried to defend her work with me, saying that part of therapy is being in conflict together and replicating parent-​child dynamics. I tried to tell her that I wasn’t looking for another source of stress (or another parent). She seemed to take it personally and — at certain points — became agitated. As I was updating her on my life, I said I was avoiding my grandmother’s calls and said, «It’s hard. And she’s old – «
“So she doesn’t matter?» my therapist interjected.
I said, «That’s not what I meant. I meant, she’s old, so you suck it up and see her. That’s how you respond? ‘She’s old – ’ ‘So she doesn’t matter?’»
She said, «That’s the sense I get from you avoiding her calls.»
She used to say that her goal was to help de-​stigmatize my estrangement from my family. But when I expressed a desire to leave her as a client, she put direct judgment on my avoidance of an abusive relative’s calls.
I emailed her to confront her more clearly, and I emailed the clinic to ask for a refund for that last session since it did emotional harm. From both her and the clinic, I received artful non-​apologies that felt patronizing. («I’m sorry you felt missed by me.» «You sharing your experience with us is helpful…, hopefully first and foremost for you, knowing that you have been heard.») They might believe it’s risky as a business to take ownership of their mistakes, but it is necessary for building a level of trust with clients and organizational integrity.
As a person of color, I would especially caution patients of color against coming here, since the women who failed to acknowledge responsibility were white.

I found this place by looking on Google for a low-​cost therapy option. It’s on a sliding scale and it’s great that you have the choice to pay any amount of $ 35-​$ 65 per session.
The way it works: the staff here are interns and working here is like a «final» before they venture on to their private practice. They recommend weekly visits for an entire year, but you aren’t obligated to do so and they are very accommodating if you can’t make your appoinment.
The building is located on a quiet street with plenty of parking available. Once on the 4^th floor, the lobby is serene, quiet and very inviting.
I can’t speak for all of the interns that work here, but so far I’ve had an excellent experience with my therapist Jennifer. She is professional and extremely insightful; I have no doubt that I will follow her when she opens a practice of her own.