My Practice

I am a soft-spoken and reflective counseling psychotherapist who works with children, adolescents, adults, and older adults experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, grief, victimization, and significant changes in health or life circumstances. My professional experience also encompasses behavioral health leadership, clinical supervision, social work education, and legislative advocacy.   I help individuals navigate trauma, grief, loss, and life transitions while respecting their cultural and spiritual traditions.   With decades of experience, my professional background spans private practice, telehealth, forensic and correctional mental health, psychiatric hospitals, tribal health, community behavioral health, and clinical supervision. 

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and NASW Diplomate in Clinical Social Work (DCSW), a credential awarded in 2004. My clinical approach integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a third-wave Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), that readily incorporates Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), Multimodal Therapy (MMT),  Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT), Eye-Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR), Satir Model Individual and Conjoint Therapy, and Psychosocial Casework. Grounded in contextual behavioral science, person-centered psychotherapy, attachment theory, systems theory, and the person-in-environment perspective, my work emphasizes psychological flexibility, mindful awareness, emotional understanding, and resilience. My continuing professional development includes doctoral studies in Professional Counseling, specializing in Trauma, Grief, and Loss, with scholarly interests in Clinical Sociology, ACT, Faith, Spirituality, and Cross-cultural psychotherapy.

Born of the Pacific, Europe, and North America, I recognize that each person's cultural identity, spirituality, and worldview are unique and cannot be reduced to stereotypes. I approach psychotherapy as a collaborative journey that honors the individual's beliefs, values, relationships, and framework of meaning. Rather than imposing a particular worldview, I seek to understand how each person makes sense of their experiences within their personal, familial, cultural, and spiritual contexts.  I also understand that one often approaches therapy with a personal struggle, to which one seeks help. I believe that change is an ongoing process of growth and adaptation directed by one's values. Although external circumstances may not always be within our control, meaningful internal change remains possible through authenticity, mindful awareness, acceptance, psychological flexibility, and values-directed pivots that guide one’s choices. As one develops a greater understanding of oneself and one’s relationships, these changes can reverberate beyond the individual, to one’s family and community.

— Ed Abuyog, LCSW, DCSW

NASW Diplomate in Clinical Social Work (Issued 2004)