Insight Alliance Psychotherapy
Heather LaBouy, PsyD
Psychotherapy is the practice of talking through emotions and thoughts within a confidential relationship. When embarking on psychotherapy, you should be prepared to encounter your emotions more directly and personally. This can result in feeling "more emotional" for a time and not always "feeling better" when leaving weekly sessions. For this reason, psychotherapy is a courageous choice and requires a desire to look within, exploring both past and present.
The name Insight Alliance refers to what research shows are the two most transformative aspects of therapy. Insight tends to be the factor that leads to individuals "feeling better" following a healthy therapeutic relationship. Learning the origin of our behavior often leads to feeling lighter and an improved sense of self-worth. The alliance between psychologist and client facilitates a practice of thinking and behaving in new ways, setting the stage for lasting changes.
These two elements are inextricably linked and form the foundation of my work with clients.
Over the last 10 years in private practice, my commitment to practicing culturally informed and competent care has deepened. We live in a world that struggles to differentiate emotional maturity from defensive responses, hold multiple truths, approach with nuance and curiosity, and systems that aim to repress cultural knowledge, leaving many of us feeling scared and disconnected. Alongside my clients, I acknowledge and affirm the impact of our current world on our internal worlds. As larger systems and ideologies of power-over exploit, the impact is felt on a personal level. There is no you without the injection of messages from your family of origin, culture at large, and other powerful influences.
I strive to uncover and affirm clients' experiences as they relate to family of origin, gender, ethnicity, ability, and other factors of identity. My goal is to create a transparent interaction where actual and perceived differences between clients and me can be addressed. My specialization within Clinical Psychology is Multicultural Psychology, which refers to understanding human behavior as it occurs in settings where individuals of different backgrounds encounter each other. My experiences entering, joining, and embracing communities that differ from dominant Western culture have made a significant impact on my ability to understand the intersections of culture and identity.
Without active growth towards understanding the presence of supremacy and colonialism in the field of psychology, continued hurt and injustice can take place between clinician and client. The foundation of my skills, including the empirically based orientations from which I practice, examine and inquire into the origin of our beliefs and values. I am committed to creating a future for psychology, as well as a place for clients, which is attuned and aware of the influences of colonialism, supremacy, and racism, where affirmation, nuance, and compassion can thrive.
Clients can expect to engage in a non-judgmental curiosity around their experience, explore the influence of their earliest relationships on the here and now, as well as develop their own practice of self-compassion. Compassionately asking ourselves to move towards change, not letting ourselves off the hook, is a fundamental part of improving our emotional well-being, relationships, physical health, and other personal goals. Each of my clients is on a journey toward shifting their lives to reflect their priorities, helping it drive the deepest and fullest connections they seek. Vulnerability, courage, and compassion are the foundation of creating change and living an authentic, imperfect existence.
I earned a Psy.D., or Doctor of Psychology, in Clinical Psychology from John F. Kennedy University in California's Bay Area. Unlike a Ph.D., or Doctorate of Philosophy, which tends to focus more on conducting research, my doctoral degree focused on learning how to assess and treat clients. I was trained in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness, as well as conducting psychological testing.
"In my experience, psychotherapy at its best is like dual meditation - it's like a container in which you can be compassionate and mindful toward yourself."
Jack Kornfield
Heather LaBouy, PsyD, Licensed Psychologist and Owner of Insight Alliance Psychotherapy
WA PSY60536432
TX 40320
hlabouypsyd@gmail.com
206-756-5221
If you are in a mental health crisis, please call 911. You can also reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
at 800-273-TALK (8255). You can also text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line.
The name Insight Alliance refers to what research shows are the two most transformative aspects of therapy. Insight tends to be the factor that leads to individuals "feeling better" following a healthy therapeutic relationship. Learning the origin of our behavior often leads to feeling lighter and an improved sense of self-worth. The alliance between psychologist and client facilitates a practice of thinking and behaving in new ways, setting the stage for lasting changes.
These two elements are inextricably linked and form the foundation of my work with clients.
Over the last 10 years in private practice, my commitment to practicing culturally informed and competent care has deepened. We live in a world that struggles to differentiate emotional maturity from defensive responses, hold multiple truths, approach with nuance and curiosity, and systems that aim to repress cultural knowledge, leaving many of us feeling scared and disconnected. Alongside my clients, I acknowledge and affirm the impact of our current world on our internal worlds. As larger systems and ideologies of power-over exploit, the impact is felt on a personal level. There is no you without the injection of messages from your family of origin, culture at large, and other powerful influences.
I strive to uncover and affirm clients' experiences as they relate to family of origin, gender, ethnicity, ability, and other factors of identity. My goal is to create a transparent interaction where actual and perceived differences between clients and me can be addressed. My specialization within Clinical Psychology is Multicultural Psychology, which refers to understanding human behavior as it occurs in settings where individuals of different backgrounds encounter each other. My experiences entering, joining, and embracing communities that differ from dominant Western culture have made a significant impact on my ability to understand the intersections of culture and identity.
Without active growth towards understanding the presence of supremacy and colonialism in the field of psychology, continued hurt and injustice can take place between clinician and client. The foundation of my skills, including the empirically based orientations from which I practice, examine and inquire into the origin of our beliefs and values. I am committed to creating a future for psychology, as well as a place for clients, which is attuned and aware of the influences of colonialism, supremacy, and racism, where affirmation, nuance, and compassion can thrive.
Clients can expect to engage in a non-judgmental curiosity around their experience, explore the influence of their earliest relationships on the here and now, as well as develop their own practice of self-compassion. Compassionately asking ourselves to move towards change, not letting ourselves off the hook, is a fundamental part of improving our emotional well-being, relationships, physical health, and other personal goals. Each of my clients is on a journey toward shifting their lives to reflect their priorities, helping it drive the deepest and fullest connections they seek. Vulnerability, courage, and compassion are the foundation of creating change and living an authentic, imperfect existence.
I earned a Psy.D., or Doctor of Psychology, in Clinical Psychology from John F. Kennedy University in California's Bay Area. Unlike a Ph.D., or Doctorate of Philosophy, which tends to focus more on conducting research, my doctoral degree focused on learning how to assess and treat clients. I was trained in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness, as well as conducting psychological testing.
"In my experience, psychotherapy at its best is like dual meditation - it's like a container in which you can be compassionate and mindful toward yourself."
Jack Kornfield
Heather LaBouy, PsyD, Licensed Psychologist and Owner of Insight Alliance Psychotherapy
WA PSY60536432
TX 40320
hlabouypsyd@gmail.com
206-756-5221
If you are in a mental health crisis, please call 911. You can also reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
at 800-273-TALK (8255). You can also text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line.