Bonnie Ayotte, MA

Bonnie Ayotte View Specialties

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Personalized therapeutic strategies can assist adults in achieving mental well-being, increased confidence, and tools to enhance the way they respond to the world around them.

Clients come to me from a variety of backgrounds and strengths. I love to hear people's stories and have a geeky sense of humor. Clients often state they feel welcome and relaxed very quickly upon meeting me. They find an ally who believes in them, who will defend them, and who isn't afraid to be honest and call out patterns that prevent better outcomes. I am a real person, who has been there and can speak from both struggle and success.

Discover online therapy, where compassionate support meets personalized healing. I empower individuals to overcome challenges and build a fulfilling life. Explore a nurturing environment that fosters growth and resilience.

 
Services I Provide:

Individual Counseling

Marriage and Family

Group Counseling

Coaching

DSM-V Diagnosis & Treatment

Christian Counseling

IFS for Christians

People I Serve:

Veterans

Individuals

Couples

Elderly

 
My Specialties include:

Anxiety & Panic

Depression

PTSD

Trauma

Addiction

Low Self Esteem

 
Working with me:

Inner Harmony: Individuals do better when beliefs and behaviors are in alignment across body, mind and spirit. I am dedicated to helping individuals unlock their full potential and achieve their personal and professional goals. My evidence-based and wholistic approach is integrative, and rooted in positive psychology and neuroscience. I help clients overcome obstacles, gain clarity, and live a more fulfilling life.

Rapid Results: While pain may manifest differently for everybody, we can make use of strong patterns to cut through the fog with targeted interventions that get quickly to the heart of what matters. I use a unique combination of therapies that work quickly to get you onto living with more joy and freedom.

I’ve been there: Nobody gets to skip steps. The best of us have had to endure things like injury, humiliation, failure, fears and loss. We all want justice and the benefits of good effort. Sometimes it feels like you can’t get a break! I get it. As a life-long learner, I’m constantly learning new ways to think, to understand myself, and the world around me. Therapy is about a journey together where each shares wisdom, where we carry one-another’s burdens, and collaborate to make the most of the short time we have on this beautiful planet.

Understanding and Honesty: It is important to keep expectations clear and realistic. And, I want you to get good value from our time together. There will be times when I will challenge you, and times when I will simply hear you. These are your sessions, and this is your life. It is an honor to be invited to walk even a short distance on your journey. You will always be in charge of your own healing and results.

 


The Master Formula:

My approach combines the strongest elements of eight neurologically based therapies that focus less on the stories of past events, and more on what the brain is doing with that information to guide you today- for better or worse. The past shapes the models that drive our futures. Those models can be reshaped in the present, resulting in greater understanding of personal behaviors, increased Self esteem, greater clarity for better decision-making, an increased sense of wholeness and balance, restored relationships, marked reduction in anxiety and depression, and an open road to redesign your future.

CBT-T (Trauma-Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): CBT-T examines the relationship between our thinking, beliefs, and behaviors, and how past trauma can impact this process. Even when things we think and feel seem to be working against us, the goal is always to solve a problem with the best resources available at the time. Reframing, challenging, and modeling are all interventions to reshape our day-to-day into something that cooperates with who we really are, in the here-and-now.

NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming): The brain processes an overwhelming amount of information. To do this quickly and efficiently, it must break information down into smaller portions. In the process, it creates “maps” or simplified versions of reality that represent our lived experience. These maps can propel us forward, or they can limit us, though the goal is always to protect us in some way. NLP makes use of a variety of techniques to alter these maps to affect phobias, change performance, change mindsets, process trauma memories, and life a happier life.

IFS (Bible-Based Internal Family Systems): In the same way that the brain breaks complex amounts of information into smaller sets, IFS is based on the idea that the brain also assigns tasks to subtle sub-personalities, or roles with unique skill sets to perform various tasks. For example, we play a role as a parent, a sibling, a co-worker, a spouse, etc.. Trauma can disrupt this natural process, and wounded subs can also form, causing inner conflict as individuals seek to solve problems with outdated, or misdirected skill sets. The goal of IFS is to restore the individual’s relationship with their core Self, to resolve conflict, restore balance, and promote a greater sense of safety and regulation.

Narrative Therapy: Narrative therapy focuses on the stories we tell ourselves… about ourselves. We learn these stories through lived experiences, crafting narratives that we live up to, or down to, depending on our view and value of Self. Narrative therapy is a collaborative process to discover how our stories influence thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Through problem-solving techniques, new stories can be crafted that empower people to live more in alignment with their values and desires.

Positive Orthopsychology: Positive psychology focuses on the positive human traits such as love, kindness, creativity, personal autonomy, and a desire to do well in life. Orthopsychology is a multidisciplinary approach that is based on the idea that that there are patterns of health and dis-ease, and that health can be restored to reflect a more ideal health state. Orthopsychology means that issues can be identified, prevented, and managed. For some, this means there is hope for those dealing with deep-seated or severe struggles.

Integrative Therapies: An integrative approach is holistic, and combines ideas from different approaches that are customized to the unique needs of individuals. Treatments can be modified or merged to be more collaborative. This can be effective for divergent thinkers or those with different learning styles.

Coaching: While therapy focuses on the reasons for people’s behaviors, coaching focuses on current problems and strategies to achieve specific goals. Coaching is better suited to those that are functioning fairly well, and have been able to process former traumas and outmoded thinking. Coaching seeks to develop Clean Thinking, which paves the path to clarity, confident decision-making, and addressing barriers to change in an accountable way. Coaching and therapy work well together, as clients that have developed emotional skills are powerful coaching clients.

 
The first session:

By the end of a first session with me, I want clients to feel they have found an ally, and a skilled therapist who is a good match for their unique situation and struggle. We will identify specific issues, make some starting goals, and assess safety and resources for the coming sessions together. I make sure clients feel heard, important, and safe to be honest in working with me.


Bonnie Ayotte Reaches


Clients throughout Washington