Patricia Sumlin, LMFT
Practical, direct therapy for complex life struggles
Details
| Name | Patricia Sumlin |
|---|---|
| Credentials | LMFT |
| Based in | Washington |
| Licensed in | California, Washington |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 25 |
About Patricia
Patricia Sumlin is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 25 years of experience helping people who feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression, grief, or difficult relationship patterns. She talks plainly with clients and focuses on practical steps that make daily life more manageable. Patricia emphasizes respect, honesty, and a straightforward working relationship.
She blends Narrative Therapy with other approaches to help people rewrite the stories that shape their behavior and emotions.
Background and approach
She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and attachment-focused ideas to help people notice what matters to them and build more stable connections. Sessions aim for clear, realistic goals and skills you can use between appointments. Patricia has worked in many settings, including outpatient clinics, residential programs, hospice, and community mental health.
That background informs her approach with people facing chronic illness, addiction, trauma, and life transitions. She is experienced with issues related to adoption and foster care, aging, neurodiversity, and caregiving stress. Clients who identify as LGBTQIA find support for coming-out concerns, identity questions, relationship tensions, and advocacy needs.
Patricia also assists people navigating ADHD, impulse or anger difficulties, eating and sleep concerns, and career or parenting stress. Her style is direct and nonjudgmental while remaining warm and practical. Work begins with a short assessment of what you want to change and which strategies fit your life.
Patricia aims to help people build confidence, reduce reactivity, and create routines that support long-term stability.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Relationship issues, Family conflicts among the things Patricia works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hearing impaired
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trichotillomania
- Visually impaired
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Attachment-Based Therapy: Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Gottman Method: Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Jungian Therapy: Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Internal Family Systems: Listed by Patricia among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Patricia directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Patricia directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
How Narrative and ACT translate to online work
Patricia integrates Narrative Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in ways that fit well with remote sessions. Narrative Therapy looks at the stories people tell about their lives and invites them to explore alternative meanings; online conversations can surface those stories and support new perspectives. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people clarify their values and take small actions toward them while learning to live with difficult thoughts and feelings; this is useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions.Finding the right approach is part of the process and happens collaboratively. Patricia will talk with each person about their goals, try different strategies, and adjust the plan based on what feels most helpful. Clients are invited to give feedback so therapy stays practical and relevant to daily life.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which make therapy more flexible. Video sessions allow face-to-face interaction for skill practice, phone calls work when bandwidth is limited, chat can suit brief check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between meetings. These options help people fit therapy into work, caregiving, or other routines.
Common questions about this listing
What kinds of problems does this therapist address?
She helps with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addictions, grief, relationship and family issues, and identity concerns among many other topics listed in her specialties.
How would you describe the therapeutic style?
The style is direct, practical, and respectful. Patricia uses Narrative Therapy along with approaches that focus on values, attachment, and skill building to set clear goals and homework between sessions.
What is her professional background?
She brings 25 years of experience working in outpatient clinics, residential programs, hospice, community health, and programs serving diverse and underserved populations.
Where is she licensed and practicing?
Patricia is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) licensed in California and Washington and practices from Washington.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available online?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging as ways to connect depending on client preference.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Patricia are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Patricia where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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