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You want to go beyond coping and experience true, deep healing and support.
Grief and loss can feel like getting hit by a truck. You might feel disbelief, pain that does not have words, and an ache for what no longer exists.
If you are mixed race, multiracial, or biracial you might feel on the outside or like you can't quite find your sense of belonging. It can feel lonely to navigate your identity and unpack what it means to be you.
Or if you experienced religious trauma you might be grieving the loss of community and a belief system you once belonged to.
However you find yourself, I am grateful you are here. As an IFS therapist I offer a space you no longer have to hold the weight of what you carry alone. I serve clients in Beacon Hill, U-District, Ballard, Seattle and online all across Washington as well as online across California state.
My Approach to Therapy
Instead of sending you home with a worksheet or trying to change your thoughts, my approach seeks to help you understand and heal what is happening for you deeper beneath the surface.
I was raised in a faith tradition that taught many beautiful things, but also communicated the message that people are bad at their core, and any parts of ourselves that we don’t like need to be feared, changed, and fought against.
I found that every time I attempted to get rid of the parts of myself that I did not like, they became louder and more stuck. Internal Family Systems (or “parts work”) has been deeply influential in shifting from a “getting rid of” perspective to a posture of respect and openness.
This means instead of trying to get rid of your emotions, we will listen to them and try to understand the deeper message they are trying to communicate.
For myself and the clients I’ve worked with, practicing internal kindness to all parts and experiences has been key, and why my practice is called Kindness Inside.
Ali Pagán Williams
IFS Therapist | LICSW & LCSW
As a black mixed race person of color, navigating complex identities has been a lifelong process.
My own experiences with identity, navigating growing up in religious spaces, and the long process of faith deconstruction has provided me with personal knowledge and passion for helping others on their own journeys of healing and self-discovery.
My Masters in Social Work has provided a framework to see the impact of systems and environments on individuals as well as groups, which I believe is necessary for understanding you as a whole person.
I was born and raised in northern California until my early 30’s (except for one year living in Guatemala and Mexico), but I now call Seattle home. I’m so thankful to have always lived in places where nature is accessible, especially the ocean--which the Pisces in me appreciates!
I have found nature to be where I feel the most grounded. I love hiking, trying new restaurants, reading, and spending time with people I love.
MY CORE VALUES
Curiosity
Non-Judgmental + Open
Each emotion and reaction you bring is telling us information and trying to communicate something. I will listen to your story and experiences with curiosity. This means no judgement or criticism, but instead listening with a posture of learning and openness.
Respect
You Matter
Your feelings and experience are not something to fix. Your identity will be respected and honored. Your experience will be respected and honored. And each part of you will be respected, even the parts of yourself you might struggle to accept.
Agency
Honor Your Inner Wisdom
It is not my job nor desire to push you into action or change. When you feel ready and safe enough to feel your emotions or shift things in your life, you will. I am here as your guide. Your inner sense of knowing will help feelings and change flow through you as you feel ready and safe enough to do so.
What does somatic mean?
A somatic approach to therapy comes from the word 'soma' which means 'the body.'
This means that I value both your body and mind in our work and how they interact and impact your life and experience. This looks like checking in with you at the start of sessions to see how your body is feeling, so we are both mindful of how you are coming into the work both physically and mentally.
Somatic therapy is powerful, because it helps you heal and care for both your body and mind. Often this approach empowers clients to experience freedom and healing on a deeper level that goes beyond talk therapy.
You can read more about a somatic approach to therapy on my somatic therapy page.
What is an IFS therapist?
IFS stands for Internal Family Systems, it is an approach to therapy that believes every human is inherently good inside and capable of compassion, curiosity, and calm. The idea is that inside every person is an internal family system comprised of all of the many parts of you.
You might have one part of you that feels angry while another part of you is overwhelmed. This allows space for complexity and honoring each feeling and experience inside of you as valid and worthy of being heard, explored, understood, and met with compassion.
Both IFS and somatic therapy seek to help you heal the deeper root of your pain and struggle instead of just coping on the surface. This is a good fit if you are desiring deeper work that creates lasting shifts. I provide online IFS therapy to clients in Seattle, U-District, Ballard, Beacon Hill, all across Washington, and all across California.
You can read more about IFS therapy on my IFS therapy page.
Training & Education
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Masters in Social Work from California State University, East Bay Community Mental Health emphasis
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Licensed Clinical Social Worker (CA) California License # 106558
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Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (WA) Washington License # LW6126778
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Grief Therapy Intensive: What’s Your Grief
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Internal Family Systems - Level 1 Trained
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25 additional training hours in IFS through active consultation with other IFS therapists
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When searching for my license search under the name "Alison Williams"
