Behavioral therapists in Issaquah, Washington WA

If you’re in a season of change and feeling unsure, overwhelmed, or stuck, you’re not alone. I help people reconnect with themselves, clarify what matters most, and move forward with more confidence and peace. I specialize in supporting clients through life transitions such as career changes, new parenthood, divorce, relationship shifts, and the empty-nester stage. My approach is supportive, honest, and grounded. Therapy with me is a space where you can show up exactly as you are, without judgment, and begin building a life that feels more aligned and authentic. I welcome clients of all backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences. This practice is inclusive and affirming of all bodies, genders, religions, sexual identities, abilities, relationship structures, and countries of origin. I look forward to connecting with you.  

If life feels heavy right now, you’re not alone. Many people reach out for support when anxiety, relationship struggles, or major life changes begin to feel overwhelming. When challenges stack up, it can be hard to see a clear path forward. We offer a warm, inclusive environment where individuals and couples can explore challenges and begin moving toward the life they want. Our experienced team uses evidence-based approaches to support people working through anxiety, depression, trauma, major life changes, perfectionism, and feelings of shame. We work with children, teens, and adults, and welcome people from all backgrounds and communities. Visit our website or send us an email to schedule an appointment or a free 15-minute consultation. We’ll help you find the therapist who feels like the right fit for you.  

I'm a licensed clinical psychologist with over a decade of experience helping clients make sustainable change for the better. With extensive training in motivational interviewing, I help clients explore and understand the impact behaviors like substance use, overeating, and others are having on their well-being, and guide them in making an individualized plan for change. Taking into account your life context and environment, we'll work together to address underlying issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression in order to reduce unwanted behaviors and develop coping strategies that work without causing their own problems.  

Ms. Kurz's practice offers several kinds of personal growth services. She has over 20 years of experience as an individual and couple's counselor, executive coach, and corporate trainer. For the workplace, she has Career Counseling, Executive Coaching, and tailored corporate trainings in interpersonal skills or leadership. For your personal well-being, she has weekly counseling focusing on problem solving tools as well as creating a plan for you to obtain your goals. Individual weekly counseling offers emotional support, psychological tools, parenting strategies, marriage tools, and business strategies! If you're experiencing anxiety, depression, substance or alcohol overuse, ADHD, or other life challenges she'll offer you a tool kit of solutions. Ms. Kurz is empathic and practical and will help you work on your significant relationships, workplace goals, your mental health, or any other life or work challenge. Ms. Kurz will meet you where you are and help you get where you want to go!  

We are all unique individuals which means that each person I meet with requires special attention. My background and specialties were chosen based on my personal and professional experiences as it relates to our mental and physical wellbeing. Much of this revolves around the fact that behavioral change is not usually easy but has to be a foundation of treatment in order to obtain each individual's optimal health. My hope is to be a catalyst for change, and my goal is to create a safe environment to better reinforce long-term change. My experience provides the opportunity to educate, support, and empower each person that I encounter on a daily basis.  

With over two decades of experience working in diverse therapeutic environments—ranging from outpatient clinics to psychiatric hospitals, adventure programs, residential treatment facilities, schools, juvenile corrections, and a military hospital—I bring a wide-ranging perspective to problem-solving and overcoming life's obstacles. As the Founder & President of two award-winning mental health centers with a staff 150, I've gained a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to care.  

I specialize in assisting clients who are dealing with anxiety and OCD-related disorders. During our initial sessions, we will thoroughly explore these challenges and work together to create a personalized plan. Many of my clients notice a significant reduction in their symptoms within the first month, which often leads to lasting improvements in their overall well-being. I earned a Doctorate and a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA, in 2018. Prior to that, I completed my Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh in 2008. Additionally, I completed a two-year postdoctoral training program at Harvard Medical/McLean Hospital’s OCDI residential program in Belmont, MA. I am passionate about providing culturally sensitive care and strive to create a comfortable space for individuals with diverse sociocultural identities.  

I believe therapy should be a space where you feel comfortable, understood, and supported as you navigate life’s challenges. My approach is compassionate and empowering—I work collaboratively with you to uncover patterns in your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that may be holding you back. Together, we’ll identify these cycles and develop tools to help you break free from them, build healthier ways of thinking, and create lasting change. My goal is to help you strengthen self-awareness, increase emotional resilience, and move toward a more balanced and fulfilling life.  

Hi, I’m Ryan. I became a therapist because I know how powerful it can be to have someone genuinely in your corner. Someone who sees the good in you when you’re struggling to see it yourself, who stays grounded when life feels overwhelming, and who believes that your current circumstances do not have to define your future. I believe people are capable of meaningful change, even after years of feeling stuck, lonely, anxious, disconnected, or shaped by painful experiences. Sometimes we simply need a relationship in which we feel safe enough to be honest, supported enough to take risks, and gently challenged enough to begin doing things differently. I hope to offer that kind of relationship to my clients. My path to becoming a therapist has not been entirely conventional. I grew up in Bellingham, Washington, earned degrees abroad in Italy and Spain, and previously worked as both a marketer and a psychometrist before entering the counseling profession. Living in different countries and moving through several professional worlds taught me to be curious about people. Their stories, cultures, relationships, contradictions, and the experiences that shape how they see themselves. In therapy, I want to know the person behind the symptoms. I want to understand what you long for, what keeps getting in the way, what you learned about yourself growing up, and who you might become if fear, shame, trauma, or self-doubt were no longer making so many of your decisions. You do not need to arrive with the perfect explanation for what is wrong. You may simply know that you feel lonely, overwhelmed, disconnected from yourself, haunted by the past, or tired of repeating the same relationship patterns. You may be outwardly successful while privately feeling insecure or lost. You may want deeper relationships but find yourself withdrawing, avoiding vulnerability, choosing unavailable partners, or questioning whether anyone could truly understand you. Whatever brings you here, you do not have to perform or pretend with me. I aim to create a space where you can speak honestly. Even about the thoughts, experiences, desires, fears, and parts of yourself that feel difficult to share elsewhere. My style is warm, grounded, direct, and deeply human. I will listen without judgment, but I will not simply nod along with everything you say. When helpful, I will gently challenge the beliefs or patterns that may be keeping you stuck. I believe we can be compassionate toward ourselves while also taking responsibility for creating change. Therapy with me is both insight-oriented and action-oriented. We will explore how early relationships, childhood experiences, unconscious beliefs, and protective behaviors may still influence your life today. I take an Adlerian and psychodynamic approach, meaning I am interested in the deeper story beneath your current struggles. However, I do not believe your past permanently determines who you are. Awareness gives us choices. Once we understand why a pattern developed and what purpose it once served, we can begin deciding whether it still belongs in the life you want today. Insight is important, but I also want therapy to extend beyond the hour we spend together. Depending on your goals, I may suggest small behavioral challenges (what I sometimes call “missions”) to help you practice new ways of relating to yourself and others. That might involve initiating an uncomfortable conversation, setting a boundary, reaching out to someone instead of isolating, tolerating the possibility of rejection, making eye contact, expressing a need, or interrupting a pattern of avoidance. These challenges are collaborative and paced carefully. The goal is not to overwhelm you or push you before you are ready. Instead, we gradually build your capacity to do things that once felt impossible. Little by little, you begin gathering evidence that you can survive discomfort, respond differently, and become more secure in yourself. I also use evidence-based approaches such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, or EMDR, as well as Cognitive Processing Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. These approaches can be especially helpful when painful memories, traumatic experiences, intrusive thoughts, or deeply rooted negative beliefs continue to affect your relationships and daily life. We can discuss these options together and determine what feels most appropriate for you. Therapy is not one-size-fits-all, and I want you to understand and feel comfortable with the work we are doing. Many of the people who feel drawn to my practice are young adults, members of Gen Z and the millennial generation, and people who want to build more meaningful relationships. I often work with men experiencing loneliness, insecurity, relationship difficulties, or questions related to sexual identity. I particularly value working with gay and bisexual men and hope to provide a space where you can explore identity, dating, intimacy, coming out, attachment, and relationship dynamics without having to explain or defend who you are. I also enjoy working with women navigating attachment concerns, dating patterns, motherhood, single parenthood, major transitions, and the desire to form healthier, more secure relationships. Across identities, I tend to connect well with people who are introspective, curious about themselves, and ready to move toward a life that feels more authentic, even if they are not yet sure how to get there. My goal is not for therapy to become the only place where you feel known and supported. I want the trust we build together to ripple outward into the rest of your life. Over time, I hope you become more comfortable expressing yourself, navigating conflict, forming close relationships, recovering from setbacks, and allowing others to truly know you. Ultimately, my goal is to help you build a life so full, secure, and meaningful that you no longer need therapy in the same way. Outside of my work, I enjoy spending time with my fiancé, family, and friends. I love being outdoors, walking through neighborhoods and cities, riding my bike, growing food, and working on DIY and home-renovation projects. I also practice Vipassana meditation, although, like many people, not quite as consistently as I would like. These parts of my life help me stay curious, grounded, and connected to the ordinary moments that make life feel meaningful. Choosing a therapist is deeply personal. Training and therapeutic methods matter, but so does the feeling you have when you speak with someone. You deserve a therapist with whom you can gradually lower your guard and feel more like yourself. A free consultation is an opportunity for us to talk, for you to ask questions, and for you to get a sense of my personality and approach without pressure. You do not need to commit before knowing whether the connection feels right. I would be honored to meet you, hear what has been happening in your life, and explore whether I might be the person to walk alongside you as you begin creating something different.  

ADHD Testing and treatment available: New patients seen the same week. Are you struggling with ADHD, anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, insomnia, or other mental health challenges? You do not have to face them alone. I have over 8 years of medical experience caring for adolescents and adults across a variety of mental health settings. I am a board-certified Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and I see patients ages 10-65.