Online Clinical Psychologist Washington State
Bloom Psychologist
Shelly Morgan, MSN, RN, PsyD
Hi, I'm Shelly, @ BloomPsychologist.com. I am both a licensed clinical psychologist and a masters-prepared registered nurse. Because of my combined areas of experience, I bring a unique dual perspective to mental health treatment. I realize your struggles are sometimes just about life and circumstance, and sometimes they are about physical health. I see the whole you, as more than the sum of your parts. No matter what you are going through today, or what is your past, you can still bloom!
“If you are a tulip, don't try to be a rose.
Go find a tulip garden”.
- Dr. Marsha Linehan
Why I Became a Therapist. My story.
My path to becoming a psychotherapist started with my own journey. As a young cancer survivor, I spent a lot of time in hospitals and doctor's offices. I saw firsthand how physical illness affects mental health, and how emotions can impact physical health.
Too many times, I felt lost between the medical world and the mental health world. In subsequent years, I continued to see doctors who focused on my "body". I saw therapists who focused on my "mind". But somewhere there was a brain too. Did radiation to my brain hurt my mind? I pondered these thoughts and wondered about the body and the mind and the brain and how they were connected. And what about my spirit?! Nobody seemed to realize how connected all these parts were, or they did not mention it, or ask. The absence of continuity, gaps in understanding, clinicians who were either trained one way or the other way. It was all very frustrating. That's why I decided to become both a nurse and a doctor of psychology. I wanted to help people who felt stuck in the same gap of treatment I experienced. And since what I most wanted was to be seen at all, that is what I want for you too.
As an teenager I could not wait to become more than the sum of my medical problems. After high school I prepared with excited anticipation for college. I was certain, like a flower, finally I would "bloom". As I became an adult, I realized that blooming is something that happens over one's entire life; it is the process of becoming. I also discovered that blooming can sometimes be hard! I now believe that the process of psychotherapy is about becoming all you can be; it is the essence of blooming. And that is why I named my practice Bloom Psychology.
And, if like the cancer kid, you feel a bit quirky, that somehow you are not "normal", just don't quite fit in, that you are a different kind of flower, or a chameleon ... realize that you have hung tight and endured the storm so far, and that every change in color you have had to make has served you well in the journey of life that is often first about survival. Every lost petal or scar is a life lived badge of which you should be proud.
My Qualifications and Licensure:
• Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) - Dr. Barbara Shelly Morgan, licensed clinical psychologist, Washington State
registration #PY00002819.
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Registered Nurse (RN) - Missouri State registered nurse licensure, 126719.
• Ten years of psychotherapy experience, as well as twelve combined years of both medical and psychiatric nursing.
• Trained in multiple therapies, so I can find what works best for you.
Because of a somewhat humorous personal story.
The summer after graduating from high-school, my friend and I anxiously awaited the start of college. We were certain our wonderful grown-up lives were only then to begin, and that alas we were going to “bloom”! All would be sunshine, teenage clouds would clear, and we would both be the bright shining star of our personal enchanted world.
Finally we did leave for college. Then we came back home on breaks. Back and forth. During break reunions we jokingly asked each other, “Did you bloom yet”? And, although we both generally had some positive interesting updates, neither of us felt we had properly bloomed. We were a bit frustrated.
Now that I am older and a little wiser, I have decided that we will always be “blooming”. Each decade is like one new layer of petals unfolding. Blooming is about becoming; and as long as one is alive then one is becoming, continuing to flower.
I believe you deserve someone who will listen and consider you as a whole person, a person living within a unique, and probably sometimes complicated, life. I believe you are doing the best that you can, but also that you probably in some way want to do better. I believe that because you are human, you implicitly deserve to be treated with respect. Lastly, because you are here, I believe you are wanting help.
Because I have had my own struggles, I maybe can fathom your struggle. As a survivor of childhood cancer, I learned at a young age that not only was life about fighting to hang on, but also it was about learning to finally actually live. So I intimately understand physical suffering, psychological distress, and the feeling of alienation that results from not quite fitting in anywhere.
If you now find yourself trying to formulate steps to reach a goal, or if you are in some state of distress, despair, or alienation, I am offering you my help. Subsequent to conversation and pointed questions, I will discuss with you my impressions about your diagnostic picture. Together we can make a plan.
If you have psychiatric challenges that require medication, or medical challenges that intersect with mental health, then I can help coordinate care with telemedicine. I have the knowledge, desire, and willingness to collaborate with your M.D., D.O., or ARNP.
I will not presume to fully understand your variety of struggle, because you are unique unto yourself. But I will stand with you in solidarity as you learn how to surf life rather than drown in the waves. I will look around so as to have a clue about the world in which you live, and help you to find resilience as you forge ahead either to find the meaning in your life or decide to make meaning out of the difficult hand you have been dealt. My aim in therapy is to be transparent and real with you, to share freely what insights I have based on our discussions. If you are stuck in some pattern of unhealthy behavior, I will coach you on strategies to get unstuck and march forward.
And if what you fundamentally most need is someone to listen to your story as you talk it out, then I will be here to reflect upon the narrative that unfolds as you bloom. Lastly, I respect that you are the master of yourself. My aim is to help you meet the goals you set, not to impose my values upon you.
As a psychotherapist with ten years of clinical practice experience doing psychotherapy, I bring a unique dual perspective to mental health treatment. My background as both a psychologist (PsyD, WA) and nurse (MSN; RN, MO) enables me to provide integrative care that addresses the critical mind-body-spirit connection often overlooked in traditional compartmentalized therapeutic settings.
Special Training That Sets Me Apart
Working with the Best. I've been fortunate to train with several experts in the field of psychology, most notably
Dr. Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., the creator of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). During my employment at the Treatment Development Clinics at the University of Washington, I worked with Dr. Linehan in clinical research trials for borderline personality disorder. It was during this period of time that I was accepted as a DBT team member in the group of which Marsha was a member. It was my honor to learn DBT therapy techniques and skills training from the master. These experiences now serve me well to work with people who have psychological struggles born of emotional dysregulation. To date, DBT is the most empirically-validated treatment in the field of mental health. Not only are DBT skills utilized by persons with severe psychological distress, now they are as well taught to school-age children as young as kindergarten in order that they might learn effective skills needed to grow up healthy. Starting from the start is always a good place to start!
What This Means for You. When we work together, you're getting someone who has learned from experts in the field of psychology, someone with experience using proven methods to help people who have challenges similar to yours.
How I Can Help You.
- Feeling Anxious or Worried? - Panic attacks, constant worry, social anxiety, specific fears.
- Feeling Sad or Depressed? - Enduring sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest in life.
- Trauma and Bad Memories? - PTSD, childhood trauma, recent traumatic events.
- Suicidal Thoughts? - Recurrent background ideas of killing yourself.
- Self Injury? - Purposeful infliction of pain, cutting, risky behavior.
- Relationship Problems? - Marriage issues, family conflicts, trouble connecting with others.
- Life Changes? - Divorce, job loss, grief, moving, starting over.
- Personal Growth - Breaking bad habits, finding your purpose, becoming your best self.
- And Much - Everyone's situation is unique, and I'm here to help with whatever you're facing.
My Approach to Therapy: Surfing Life.
You Are More Than Your Problems. I believe every person is more than the sum of his or her struggles. My job isn't to "fix" you. My job is to help you to discover your own strength. My job is to coach you on more skillful problem-solving strategies than the ones you may currently be using. The whole purpose of therapy is to help you to figure out who you want to be and how to get there, for you to bloom. But if you drown first, then certainly you are not going to bloom. So you have to learn how to surf the waves of life without getting caught in an undertow.
How I Work:
- Authenticity - I will not glare at you with a poker face as we talk. I'm a real person who cares about your success. I value both warmth and transparency in psychotherapy and tend toward a casual demeanor.
- No Judgment - Whatever you're going through, you won't be judged here. Everyone deserves compassion.
- Your Goals Matter - We work on what you want to change, not what I think needs fixing. I have a deep respect for self-agency, that you are the master of your ship. I will not impose my values onto you.
- Practical Solutions - Therapy should generalize to the world in which you live, to help you engage real life, real relationships, real problems. Therapy should help you to explore the depths of your psyche, if an insight-oriented depth psychology is that which you seek. If so, the insights learned from reflection about past experiences will hopefully make an impact upon your day-to-day coping mechanisms, in such a way that you more accurately view both yourself and the dynamics within the relationships of which you are a member.
Who I Work With
Everyone is Welcome. I work online with adults, teenagers, older school-age children, couples, and small families. I do not discriminate upon the basis of gender or sexual orientation; I welcome those within the LGBTQ+ community. Also I enjoy speaking with immigrants and expats; geographical and culture changes always come with unique challenges to adjustment. I welcome people from all backgrounds, religions (or no religion), and walks of life. Whether you're dealing with a difficult medical diagnosis, a mental health condition, want support making positive life changes, or decide to take a deep-dive into a look at your past, there's a place for you here.
What Makes Me Different. As both a psychologist and nurse, I understand how your physical health and mental health effect one another. If you're dealing with medical issues alongside emotional struggles, I can help coordinate your care and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Ready to Begin?
You Don't Have to Do This Alone Taking the first step toward therapy can feel scary, but you've already shown courage and willingness to change given that you are here. I aim to make the process as comfortable and helpful as possible.
What Happens Next? When you book your first session, we'll spend time getting to know each other and figuring out how I can best help you. If you seek a brief therapy with focus upon a specific goal, or to simply process events in your life, then we can engage in open-ended creative discussions. If that which you seek, either for yourself or your child, is a more formal psychiatric assessment then, subsequent to pointed discussions, I will share my diagnostic impressions. If after the diagnostic assessment you choose to engage in psychotherapy with me, then we will venture forward and make a plan together.
Licensed in Washington State | Secure Online Psychotherapy and Psychiatric Evaluation
