Julene Pommert, MACP, Licensed Mental Health Counselor

I am a general practitioner. Interests include autism, racism, relationships, trauma, dissociation, domestic violence, intercultural communication, and the intersection of Christianity and Indigeneity. I am trained in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR via EMDR International Association), domestic violence (via Northwest Family Life and The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology), brain synchrony open focus neurotherapy, and relational psychotherapy. I regularly dip into narrative therapy and other therapies of use to the people who come to see me. I also am steeped in the study of Native American historical trauma and related work regarding the well-being of Indigenous people. I am not a specialist in this area. I am informed and becoming awake. In addition, I am working toward a master's degree in theology, with a focus on Old Testament. My hope is to research, write, and sometimes teach about how ancient Middle Eastern cultures, including the Jewish culture, may have experienced traumas similar to what Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) people experience today. I love Creator, and Creator's son, Jesus, very much, but I am also accepting of others' religious or nonreligious affiliations.

In sessions, I work with clients through art media, "zord" fighting (think Star Wars lightsabers), role play, Gestalt two-chair, somatic interventions, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), Open Focus brain work (neurofeedback), and talk with attention to details in patterns of speech and behavior. Often, I work with breathing and grounding before doing any other work, and then, throughout therapy, attend to my clients' body, emotion, and thought connections. I strongly believe in self-care, and some of my caring practices include painting watercolors—usually scenery, baking bread (my family especially likes whole wheat cinnamon craisin bread!), walking, regular exercise, sleeping in whenever possible, writing poetry and fiction, spending time with family, and singing while washing dishes by hand.