Dr Katherine Yost is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Washington. With well over 20 years of experience, she has a private practice in Bellevue located right off the 405, near the Botanical Garden. Dr Yost is a frequent speaker for professional groups and lay audiences. Her advice and opinions are often solicited by the media. She was on the faculty of Rutgers University and has taught for several other academic institutions, most recently for Antioch University Seattle. She served as President for the New Jersey Division of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and on the Board for the Washington Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She is an AAMFT Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor.

Qualifications

Education: PhD in Interpersonal Communication, University of Southern California. Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy, USC.

License: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Washington.

Additional Credentials: Certified by Behavioral Therapy Training Institute, OCD Foundation, AAMFT Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor.

Theoretical Orientation

reviresco-300x292 I believe in hope and renewal. Reviresco is a Latin word that means to grow green again, like this tree stump growing new branches. Even when we feel hurt or scared or lost, another part of us is preparing to grow in new ways. My job is help you to connect with the strengths that are already within you.

I work from a family systems perspective. This means that instead of looking for who to blame or what diagnostic label to give, the therapy tries to understand the issues in the context of what causes and perpetuates them. In general, the therapy is solution focused, (to build on strengths), pragmatic (teaches practical, take away skills), and brief (usually taking months, not years). Specifically, I use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), including exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD, communication and interpersonal skill building, as well as psychoeducational and supportive therapy.

Aside from my professional qualifications, I like my work. Some people wonder if being a therapist is kind of gloomy. I think doing therapy is uplifting — I work with people who want to make their lives better and are looking for ways to do it. Every person and every story is interesting and hopeful. To quote an old saying, “When you look for the best in someone, expecting to find it, you surely will.”