I'm 28 yeas old, and I moved up to Bellingham around a year ago and had been meaning to find a counselor in the area to help me undergo my transition now that I am settled in. I was blindly (and honestly, hopelessly) searching online for a queer-/trans-friendly therapist who would possibly be able to assist me on this journey, as I had left my old therapist in L.A. before I had finally come to the conclusion that I wanted to begin to physically transition (hormones/gender affirming surgery). I saw Claire's counseling profile and emailed her right away. She responded that day and we set up a time to meet.
Claire and I quickly built a strong and trustworthy rapport (very important in choosing a counselor!) and she listened to what I wanted to get out of counseling. I have high expectations for a counselor/therapist and Claire exceeded all of them, even going out of her way to accomodate my needs. She is very open-minded and respected my knowledge about my own mind and body and what I was choosing to do with it. I have left several therapists in the past because I have felt that they could not relate to me or they just didn't "get it" and were being overtly judgmental (which just made me feel even worse and more ostracized), so I was over the moon when I realized that Claire definitely "got" me and I didn't feel like I had to explain my feelings to someone who would never understand them.
I would particularly recommend Claire to trans/queer individuals in Bellingham/Whatcom/Skagit and beyond who are looking for a counselor who is rad, relatable, understanding, kind, professional and organized, super compassionate (as well as passionate), non-judgmental, and educated on trans issues. I was immediately struck by her desire to help me in whatever way she could and I can just tell that she is that way with all of her clients! read more