Carolann Freedman, LMHC, NCC, NBCCH

Why this work, and why these women

I came to this work because I believe that the most important thing a therapist can offer is not a technique but a quality of attention — the kind that doesn't flinch, doesn't rush, and doesn't need you to be easier than you are.

Over 34 years of practice, I've sat with women carrying losses the culture doesn't always name: the mother who died before her time, the mother who was never really there, the career that arrived and left the person feeling emptier than before, the midlife that cracked something open and didn't offer instructions for what comes next.

I'm drawn to this work precisely because it doesn't resolve quickly. The women I see aren't looking for a checklist. They're looking for a relationship in which the real thing — whatever they've been managing alone — can finally be said out loud, and heard without someone needing to fix it.

My approach

My orientation is psychodynamic and attachment-informed, which means I'm interested less in the symptom than in what it's protecting — and in how early relationships shape the way a person moves through the world long after those relationships are over.

In practice, that means we talk. We follow what's alive in the room. I pay close attention to what you bring, and also to what you don't — the things that have been too large, or too frightening, or too shameful to say before. We work at your pace. I won't rush you toward insight any more than I'd rush grief.

I'm not neutral on the large questions. I bring a depth of clinical experience and my own genuine curiosity about what makes a life feel meaningful. If something you say strikes me as important, I'll tell you. The relationship is the instrument.

A personal video — my story and why this work

Training and background

I hold advanced training in psychoanalytic therapy and have spent decades deepening my understanding of attachment, grief, and the relational roots of anxiety, depression, and perfectionism. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Washington State, a National Certified Counselor (NCC), and certified through the National Board for Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists (NBCCH).

I see clients in person at my Seattle office and by secure telehealth throughout Washington State.