You don't have to navigate life alone.
Powerfully effective therapy for individuals, couples, and families who long for a deeper, more intimate connection.
Trauma Informed, Evidence-Based Therapy in Bellingham, Washington.
Now accepting new clients for both in-person and telehealth sessions.
We can help!
You’ve got a nagging sense that something isn’t right.
You feel stressed, alone, and close to your breaking point.
Your inner voice tells you there’s got to be something more, something deeper.
You’ve read the recommended books and tried dozens of tools, but the peace that you feel is fleeting. You long to finally feel at home with yourself, to feel real connection, with your partner, with your kids or family, but you aren’t sure which direction will take you to authentic and lasting change.
Inside Passage Counseling can help.
Lasting change takes the right intervention with the right guide.
Inside Passage Counseling Services
Choosing to seek therapy isn’t always easy, but finding the right therapist should be.
We pride ourselves in providing only the highest quality mental health counseling.
Using trauma-informed, evidence-based therapies, we can help you in the following ways:
We Serve:
Adult Individuals
If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship problems, or unresolved trauma, our therapists create a safe space for you to be heard while also providing you with evidence-based tools to help you find peace. Specializing in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, EMDR, Trauma Release Therapy, Brainspotting, and Mindfulness Instruction, we can help you feel at home in your body.
We’ll start by building a supportive working relationship so that you can feel safe to open up and explore your inner and outer world. Your therapist will give you suggestions for what to focus on in order to help you reach your goals, but you are ultimately in the driver’s seat in determining where we go in our sessions.
- Low Self-esteem
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Mood disorders
- Trauma Resolution
- Relationship Issues
- Boundaries
- Grief
- Internal Conflict
- Life Transitions
- Sexuality
- Self-Identity
- Self-empowerment
- Emotional Regulation
Couples and Marriages
Your relationship is strained and you feel frustrated by the same arguments that never get resolved. You long for a closer emotional or sexual connection but everything leads you back to the same old habits. We can help you transform your communication, strengthen your emotional and physical connection, and rebuild trust so that you can finally have the relationship you’ve always hoped for.
- Communication
- Emotional Connection
- Sexual Connection
- Infidelity and Betrayal
- Trust
- Pre-marital Counseling
- Fertility, Preparing for Childbirth, Post-partum
- Life Transitions
Children, Teens
and Families
Parenting is hard enough as it is. When your child is grappling with anxiety, depression, or having problems connecting with their peers, it can be hard to know where to start.
As parents, we want what’s best for our children and family. Unfortunately, we don’t always have the tools to know how to navigate the behaviors and emotions of our most precious people. Inside Passage Counseling can help children, teens, and families gain the skills and tools they need to regulate emotion, change patterns of thinking, process and heal from past events, develop healthier relationships with one another, and explore potential strategies for navigating life’s challenges.
Therapy for children and teens will not only guide your child to a more stable emotional state, it will also help you feel more confident in your role as a parent.
- Trauma
- Anxiety Disorders
- Depression and Mood Disorders
- ADHD
- Behavioral Challenges
- Transitions
- Adjusting to Divorce
- Social Challenges
- Gender Identity
- Attachment Issues
Meet our Counseling
Service Providers
Our professional team of licensed counselors and therapists boast a wide variety of training in evidence-based therapies such as Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT), Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and trauma therapies such as EMDR, Brainspotting, Trauma Release Therapy.
Our therapists are hand-selected by our founder Heather Varnau, LMHC for their quality of character and dedication to mindfulness-based, attachment-oriented, trauma-informed approaches to working with individuals, couples, children, and families.
Heather Varnau, MA, LMHC (she/her)
Founder, Supervisor, Therapist
Specializing in: Adult Individuals and Couples Therapy
Heather is passionate about helping individuals and couples reconnect with themselves and each other. She is a Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapist and Approved IFS Clinical Consultant, and a Certified EFT Couples Therapist and Supervisor-in-Training. Heather has had the honor of helping hundreds of individuals and couples in private practice for the past 16 years and has spent over 15,000 hours training and practicing her craft.
Laura Gambrel, PhD, LMHC (she/her)
Supervisor, Therapist
Specializing in: Couples and Marriage Therapy
Laura is an experienced therapist and an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, specializing in couples therapy. Bringing a holistic and systemic approach to working with clients, she supports them in transforming communication patterns through Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT), Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and PREPARE/ENRICH, and Mindfulness.
Available by telehealth only.
Jeni Quigg, MA, MHCA (She/Her)
Therapist
Specializing in: Kids, Teens, Families, Adult Individuals
Jeni brings 20 years of experience and specializes in helping individual adults, children, and teens with self-soothing techniques, deep trauma release work, mind-body collaboration in healing for autoimmune disease, and mindfulness instruction. She is passionate about helping clients learn how to connect to their most wise and compassionate self.
Carla Mullins, MA, LMHC (she/her)
Therapist
Specializing in: Individual Adult Therapy & Couples Therapy
Carla has 25 combined years’ experience in the human services, counseling, and education sectors. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Washington State and trained in a number of different methods, including DBT, Trauma-Focused CBT, Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT). Carla draws from her experience as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and specializes in trauma, attachment, and life transitions. She also has an extensive understanding of topics related to addiction recovery, codependency, relationship issues, and parenting.
Stephanie Bracamonte, LMFT (she/her)
Therapist
Specializing in: Couples and Marriage
Stephanie has 20 years of experience as a professional therapist and takes a systematic approach to improving family dynamics, communication and relationships. She works with couples, families and individuals to promote self-awareness and personal growth using a variety of models including Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) and Gottman Method Therapy.
Emily Patterson, LICSW, LMSW (She/her)
Therapist
Specializing in: Adult Individuals and Teens
Emily is dedicated to supporting her clients in their desire to find more wholeness, aliveness, acceptance, and peace within themselves. Utilizing multiple modalities including CBT, Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, EMDR, AEDP, and mindfulness techniques, Emily works with individual adult and teen clients navigating life transitions, doubt, grief, anxiety, overwhelm, and fear.
Megan Rhea, MS, LMHC (She/Her)
Therapist
Specializing in: Couples and Marriage
Coming from a background in education, Megan has a Master’s degree in Marital and Family therapy, and specializes in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT). Using attachment informed methods, she is passionate about helping individuals and couples reach their full potential, both within themselves and within their most important relationships
Merry Capozzolo, MS, LMHCA (she/her)
Therapist
Specializing in: Couples, Families, and Individuals
As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate in Washington state with advanced training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) Merry specializes in guiding couples, families and individuals through the challenges that come with transitions, loss and trauma. Using attachment-based, trauma-informed approaches, she will walk alongside you, helping you to regulate strong emotions, strengthen your most important relationships, and grow your personal confidence.
Client Gratitude
Investing in yourself, in your children, or in your relationship is a gift that keeps on giving.
If you are ready to improve your emotional well-being and quality of life, contact Inside Passage Counseling today.