Patricia Sumlin, LMFT

Therapist in Washington

Patricia Sumlin is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 25 years of experience who focuses on helping people navigate stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, and relationship challenges.

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License 44844, LF 60059026 · California, Washington Expires October 2026, October 2026
NPI 1891899027 · national registry
Experience and languages 25+ years in practice English

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.

About Patricia

Patricia Sumlin is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 25 years of experience who focuses on helping people navigate stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, and relationship challenges. She speaks plainly and works to create a straightforward, respectful space where clients feel heard and taken seriously.

Patricia aims to help people build practical skills so they can manage emotions and regain a sense of stability in daily life. Her approach blends several evidence-informed methods to match what each person needs.

Background and approach

She draws on Gottman Method ideas for relationship patterns, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to clarify values and actions, and attachment-based thinking to look at how past bonds shape current struggles. Cognitive behavioral techniques are used to spot unhelpful thinking and try different behaviors. Patricia has worked across many settings, including outpatient clinics, residential programs, hospice counseling, and trauma-informed services in remote communities.

That background shapes a pragmatic style that combines insight, education, and hands-on skill building. She is committed to straightforward feedback and shared decision making in sessions. Clients can expect a mix of talk, practical exercises, and coaching toward realistic goals.

Patricia pays attention to cultural and neurodiversity issues, and offers support around adoption, caregiving, addiction, and identity concerns. Sessions aim to leave people with clearer steps and skills to use between appointments. She practices in Washington as a CA LMFT and WA LMFT LF and conducts sessions in English.

For many people the work begins by choosing a direction together and practicing small changes that add up over time.

Credentials

LMFT (California): License 44844 · expires October 2026
LMFT (Washington): License LF 60059026 · expires October 2026
NPI: 1891899027 · national provider identifier

Both are public records. A state board register will confirm a license and its standing, and the national registry will confirm an NPI. This directory copies what the therapist lists and checks neither.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Patricia lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

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 Patricia names

These are the approaches Patricia names on their own professional profile. Naming an approach is not evidence of training or certification in it, and this directory checks no training records. Ask directly if it matters to you.

Online support

How approaches like Gottman, ACT, and Attachment translate online

Gottman Method ideas focus on identifying interaction patterns and building specific skills for communication and connection. Online sessions can use conversation, role-play, and exercises to practice those interaction skills and try new ways of relating.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people clarify what matters to them and take committed action toward those values. In remote sessions this often looks like short values exercises, goal-setting, and behavioral experiments to try between appointments.

Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to how early bonds shape current relationships and emotion responses. Therapy online can help people name those patterns, rehearse different responses, and track progress over time.

Choosing the right approach is collaborative. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful, then adjust methods as work progresses. That ongoing decision making helps keep sessions relevant and focused on real-life change.

Online therapy offers flexibility and practical convenience. Video calls let people use visual cues and work through interactive exercises. Phone sessions need less bandwidth and can be easier to fit into a work break. Live chat and text messaging make it simple to check in, get short coaching, or continue practice between appointments.

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Frequently asked

What kinds of concerns does Patricia help with?

She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy issues, addictions, grief, sleep and eating concerns, parenting strain, ADHD, and related topics such as abandonment and caregiving stress.

What is her general therapeutic style?

Her style is straightforward, respectful, and practical. Sessions combine talk, education, coaching, and exercises to build skills for managing emotions and daily challenges.

How much experience does she have?

She has 25 years of clinical experience across outpatient clinics, residential programs, hospice counseling, and trauma-informed work in remote communities.

What credentials and location are listed for this therapist?

She is a LMFT listed as CA LMFT and WA LMFT LF and practices in Washington.

Which languages are supported for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

Can international clients work with her?

International clients are not currently accepted.

What session formats are available?

She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.

How do I begin working with her?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

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