About Zarah
I am a doctorally prepared, ANCC Board Certified, Psychiatric Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP). I am accepting clients for short to medium term EMDR and Lifespan Integration psychotherapy for adults 18y.o. and up from a whole person-centered, collaborative, integrative and social justice informed perspective. I come from a Health at Every Size/weight neutral framework towards health. I often incorporate anti-inflammatory approaches including nutrition (additive, not restrictive), joyful movement/effortful recreation, sleep support, social connectedness and mindfulness into your care.
I work with people relationally and use psychotherapy to provide support, increase resilience, move towards peace with one’s emotions (especially the sticky ones), enhance flexibility in thinking and develop skills complementary to those already being used. My approach is flexible to best suit clients’ needs at any given point with a focus on workability and your strengths. The work is founded in the knowing that you are the expert of your own life. I use practical strategies from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for trauma, Lifespan Integration, polyvagal (nervous system/lizard brain regulation) theory and sometimes throws some humor in to enable clients to get unstuck and be more present with whatever is showing up for you right now and create room for a life that has meaning for you. I work with a variety of issues ranging from anxiety spectrum issues, depression, trauma (individual, inter-generational, and structural), relationship issues, sexuality questioning and gender explorations, body image dissatisfaction, disordered eating, etc. For addictions, I support a range of approaches including harm reduction/relapse prevention and abstinence. I am LGBTQIA, poly and kink friendly. I believe in racial justice and equity and that this is an active, ongoing process of growing in across our lifetimes. I earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a certificate in women’s studies at Florida Atlantic University in 1999. I later earned a RN/BSN equivalent in 2004 and a master’s in community health nursing in 2006 from Pacific Lutheran University. I earned a master’s in psychiatric mental health nursing in 2010 and a doctor of nursing practice in 2012 at the University of Washington. I took a long and winding route. I have worked in nursing in a variety of community settings as an RN since 2004 and as a Psychiatric ARNP since 2010. |
"This is a work in progress, a process of uncovering our natural openness, uncovering our natural intelligence and warmth...we already have what we need." - Pema Chodron in Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears |