Hello!
My name is Dorothy Lemoult ( pronouns she/they).
I identify as a heterosexual non-conforming white female. I have dual American and French nationality and am fluent in both languages. (Why does this matter?)
I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor/ Washington State approved supervisor
(LH 60925467) , a Registered Drama Therapist (#636) with the North American National Association for Drama Therapy and a Poetic Medicine practitioner. I have a Masters in Counseling Psychology/ Drama Therapy from CIIS in San Francisco and a BFA in Theater from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle.
I work with individuals, dyads, families, students and groups in private practice in West Seattle . In addition to mental health counseling, I lead creative workshops, coach parents and organizations and supervise and teach in various adult education settings.
BACKGROUND
I am specifically trained in Non-Violent Communication and Trauma Informed Developmental Transformations, which is an embodied and improvisational drama therapy modality. I also have extensive training in the use of poetry for healing. I have over 8 years of experience providing mental health services and expressive arts therapies to adolescents (12 and up) and adults (18 and up). I have worked supporting groups and individuals' behavioral health in multiple hospitals as well as prisons, community settings and schools.
APPROACH / PHILOSOPHY
I am passionate about healing. I also understand that the mental health and medical systems in the US has had its roots in the same systems that have colonized, killed and harmed people of color for centuries. These same systems have also perpetuated toxic white supremacy and toxic masculinity in our culture at large.
I've been trying to operate from a social justice lens since my early college days in the theater. This is not a one and done operation. It is an ongoing and nuanced complex conversation with self and others. While I don't believe any individual has the capacity or power to transform and overthrow harmful systems, I do believe that healing cannot truly happen without harnessing our capacity to examine who we are and where we come from.
I am not neutral as a therapist when it comes to these issues.
I am passionate about preventing and healing trauma, especially child sexual abuse and complex trauma. I have extensive experience in treating the aftermath of these events in adulthood with individuals and couples. I also provide education/support to families who may be needing education in how to prevent child sexual abuse or how to address it with their children or these who care for them. I love helping people not only survive, but thrive.
My approach is compassionate, warm, playful and direct. I have tremendous respect for human suffering, resilience and the challenges of being human at this time on earth. I believe you have inside you what it takes to heal and that my job is to help you gain more access to that and to support you in growing more fully into the person you wish to be. I work with you, from a strength based foundation, allowing you to discover and mold your own internal resources and capacity as well as drawing on your relationship to others and the world around you.
At the same time, I draw on my strong clinical skills and am well informed about evidence based treatments, the mental health system and the power and impact of diagnosis on people and their families. I take a measured and integrative view knowing that each person needs something different in order to heal and that everyone's goals are different as well as their context in our culture. I enjoy collaborating with other practitioners (nurses, doctors, nutritionists...) if that is something you need and want.
In addition to specializing in treating the impact of complex trauma (PTSD, complex PTSD) I specialize in treating mood disorders (depression, bipolar, anxiety) , dissociative disorders and adjustment disorders. I also work with people who are creatively blocked or want to try drama therapy to work toward personal growth or creative projects or add drama therapy as an adjunct to their regular therapy.
As a French first generation immigrant, I enjoy working with bicultural people and immigrants (1st or second generation). I am a strong advocate for greater access to mental health, the arts, community and equity.
I respect multiplicity, difference and intersectionality and believe it is my work to educate myself about the identity(ies) you hold that may be different from mine. I am committed to undoing oppression (in and out of the therapy room) and doing my best to stay aware and accountable for my privilege and power. I believe this is life long work and I continue to educate myself by taking classes/ embodied workshops in this area as well as other clinical areas in order to keep my skills up to date and to honor my commitment of not harming others and honoring difficult conversations or being uncomfortable.
I reserve a few spots every year which I offer for free or on a sliding scale. I understand the vulnerable position of asking for help and I honor you for asking if you are in need.
« Every challenge is an invitation to love (yourself) more.»