About Me
It’s easier to talk to someone when you know a little bit about them
Who Is This Guy?
Hi, I’m Derek, and that’s Zuko. Yeah, that Zuko - his full name is “Prince Zuko the Pupperlord”, although I tell folks that he’s really more of a Sokka. I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Associate) in Washington and I’m somewhat of a generalist - I work primarily with folks that are navigating grief, trauma, anxiety, depression, life transitions, and a loss of meaning in their life. Oh yeah, I also work with men, typically for questions and concerns revolving around masculinity, community, and how to show up in today’s world.
You can read more about my therapeutic approach and styles here.
To try and describe oneself can be a difficult project but I’ll give it a whirl here.
I am not just an eclectic therapist but an eclectic person. I am just as much at home playing video games as I am watching movies as I am reading a book as I am doing woodworking as I am climbing… you get the gist. I used to consider myself an introvert, then a “trained extrovert”, and now I simply consider myself as someone that enjoys relationships and the complexity inherent in them. I enjoy being with people and I greatly believe that being with others is the greatest salve for our modern troubles.
The Winding Path Here
I came to this work by a winding path. For a decade I worked in finance, a world of answers and tidy spreadsheets (which, yes, I genuinely enjoyed; I still love a good spreadsheet). But over time I realized what I missed most wasn’t just creativity or connection; it was a sense of meaning and a wish to be more present to the messy, beautiful realities of being human. I wanted work that invited curiosity, depth, and human connection. That realization eventually led me here, to a second career built on compassion, that same curiosity, and being with people as they navigate their own uncertainties.
During that time, I became a yoga teacher and volunteered at the Seattle Crisis Line (Crisis Connections). I loved working the phones and helping folks through moments of crisis. Because I worked the swing shift late at night, a theme began to emerge with many of the calls that I received: beneath the surface pain, there was often a deep, aching loneliness. Eventually, I went back to school to become a therapist, attending Seattle University’s Existential-Phenomenology (yeah, it took me a while to learn how to say it) program, a program grounded in philosophy and focused on meaning-making and connection.
Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer
— Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
What Grounds Me
Outside of the therapy room, I try to live the same questions I sit with in my work about connection, meaning, and what it means to live a “good” life. I spend time outdoors whenever I can, often hiking or climbing, and there’s something about being in the natural world that helps me embrace my smallness (the Redwoods, wow). I enjoy working with my hands and have been happily engaged as an amateur woodworker for many years. It’s a kind of meditation for me, a reminder that slow, deliberate effort can lead to something meaningful.
At home, you’ll usually find me with my wife and Zuko, who’re both dear companions and constant reminders not to take myself too seriously. I read a lot, everything from philosophy and psychology to sci-fi and fantasy, and I still find joy in playing video games and watching films.
Community and connection are a big part of what keeps me centered. Whether it’s cooking a meal and spending time with friends or sharing conversation that meanders into the strange and the meaningful, I’m reminded that relationships are what tether us to the world.
In all of it I try to stay close to what feels real and human. That’s the same grounding I hope to bring into the room with the people I work with.
Education, Experience, and Certifications
Seattle University Masters of Arts - Existential Phenomenology program
Seattle Crisis Line (Crisis Connections) volunteer - 2 years
Community Mental Health (Valley Cities) - 3 years
Trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
EMDR Basic Training (EMDR Therapist)
Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher - 5 years
I am currently practicing under supervision by Mark Goodman, MA, LMHC, LH00010410
My license information: Derek Harris, MA, LMHCA, MC61433827