Sumi Garg, MA LMFTA

There are many reasons people hesitate to seek help. I know it can be hard to do. I grew up in an immigrant family in which therapy was stigmatized. The connection between mental health and physical health was rarely acknowledged. Even though I needed therapy sooner, it took until adulthood before I wholeheartedly stepped into a therapist’s office.

 

Then I had my daughter, and my life was to completely change.

 

I was surprised how little resources there were for postpartum families struggling with PMADs (perinatal mood and anxiety disorders) and the chaos of new parenthood. That inspired me to make my career change from a corporate career to a career in counseling.  Working on the Perinatal Support Washington warmline, I saw how treatment was tailored to the individual (usually mom) even though partners, grandparents, older children all were impacted. Mothers needed help, yet they also needed their primary support system to be healthy too. This experience directed me towards expanding my work and getting comfortable with all the different components of the family – counseling youth, couples, and family.

 

I started my career as a family counselor at Northshore Youth and Family Services. Anxiety, trauma, depression were present with most of my clients or within the family. I became very comfortable with CBT & DBT that directly address many of the behavioral challenges that occur especially in my adolescent clients. I took extra training to work with couples — both Gottman Level 1 and will be completing the Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples training.

 

I am passionate about helping family members improve their communication and create positive change in the family as a whole. My corporate background also helped me understand and be empathetic to clients working in high pressure jobs dealing with burnout and struggling to balance drive or pressure to achieve with personal needs.

 

A special interest of mine is working with multiracial/multicultural clients or those struggling with identity. I was born in the USA however was raised by newly immigrated Indian parents and spent long holidays in India with my extended family. Consequently, I learned to shift identity between my two worlds. In graduate school I took a deep dive into the literature of multiracial children. How do children make sense of themselves developmentally, and ways to help families talk about multiracial identity. I wrote a children’s book for my daughter to help her and the family talk about different identity concepts.

 

Now at Bellevue Family Counseling I can put all these pieces together and support families, couples, youth (12+) and adults dealing with a wide range of issues. I specialize in anxiety, trauma, depression, perinatal challenges for parents, supporting couples and families in conflict, and multicultural/multiracial clients. My role is to build and grow the unique strengths and capabilities of my clients at their own pace. I integrate theories like CBT, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Structural Family Therapy, and Narrative Therapy based on client needs. Together we can work towards your desired change!  I look forward to being a supportive connection for you and helping you grow into your best self.

 

Feel free to visit the appointment page to schedule an appointment. Let’s get you and your relationship on a path to being the best version!

 

I offer in-office or teletherapy sessions.  Online counseling is conducted using HIPAA compliant software for your confidentiality.