Our Therapists
amira SIEGEL, ma, med, lmft (she/they)
Amira is originally from a small town in Oregon, but spent the majority of her childhood and adolescence growing up in sunny San Diego, CA. She moved to Tacoma in 1996 to attend the University of Puget Sound, where she studied Rhetoric and African-American Studies.
After her undergraduate education, Amira earned a Master's degree in Education from Seattle University, and a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy at Pacific Lutheran University. She is a Washington State Approved Clinical Supervisor, training graduate students and associate level therapists for careers in Queer-competent, systems-oriented psychotherapy.
Amira is passionate about the idea of helping others identify and utilize their strengths, overcome barriers, and achieve their goals. As a therapist, she brings patience, compassion, humor, and problem-solving strategies from her former classroom into the therapy room, providing her clients with the tools they need to uncover their potential, lead more meaningful, authentic lives, and build healthier, more fulfilling relationships with partners and family members.
Amira is available for in-person sessions in our Tacoma office and offers telehealth sessions for individuals and couples ages 18 and older. Her rate is $180/session with an available sliding scale.
JOSH SPECHT, M.Ed., LMHC (HE/HIM)
Josh spent the first 20 years of his life in Texas, growing up in Austin before attending Rice University in Houston, where he studied English and Philosophy. After graduating, Josh spent 7 years in the Bay Area in California, working in a residential program at a high school dedicated to serving young members of historically marginalized communities. In that time, Josh discovered his passion for mental health support as a means of empowering individuals to advocate for themselves and their community.
As a cis, male, Queer-identified clinician, Josh is particularly interested in working with other male and masculine-identifying individuals on navigating the world in ways that preserve their sense of their own masculine identities, while also acknowledging and working through the very real barriers and obstacles that many men and masculine folks face when it comes to being our best selves.
Josh also specializes in working with Queer-identified adolescents and young adults in the exploration of various topics including gender and sexual identity, self-esteem, and developing positive coping mechanisms. In his work, Josh always strives to utilize a non-judgmental, strengths-based approach to cultivate a space where his clients feel accepted, celebrated, and empowered with the confidence to continue along their unique and precious paths towards self-actualization.
In his free time, Josh enjoys playing video games, watching scary movies, participating in and hosting trivia nights, and tabletop gaming.
Josh sees individual clients ages 13 and older, and also sees couples and families. His rate is $160/hr with an available sliding scale. Josh sees in-person clients in our University Place office and also offers telehealth sessions.
Kaden sullivan, msw, lswaic
(he/him)
Kaden grew up in Olympia, WA. He attended college in Seattle and New York, graduating in 2000 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater from New York University. After changing careers from theater to sexual health education, Kaden moved back to Washington where he and his sweetheart live with their two children.
Prior to beginning his social work program, Kaden spent 20 years in the field of sexual health education. He has worked with teens and adults, and spent the past five years coaching and training adults in how to deliver and integrate sex ed into their work with youth. Kaden has a passion for helping people build comfort navigating discussions about sex and other value-laden topics.
This sex-positive and non-judgmental approach are integrated in Kaden’s approach to therapy. As a social worker, Kaden approaches therapy through a systemic lens, considering each individual within the context of their environment. He feels honored to hold space for individuals to tackle challenges, uncover strengths, and grow into their full potential within themselves and their relationships.
Kaden is available for in-person sessions in our University Place office and offers telehealth sessions for individuals ages 18 and older. He also sees couples and families.
Emric Pennington-Davis, clinical intern (He/they)
Emric was born and raised in the tiny town of White Salmon, WA. They moved to the Tacoma area for undergrad and fell in love with Tacoma’s charm and its wonderful Queer scene.
After graduating from Pacific Lutheran University with a double major in English and Psychology, they decided to dedicate themselves to serving the mental health needs of the Queer community. Emric is in their first year of the online Master’s in Social Work Program at Boise State University.
Emric works from a person-centered, humanistic lens and believes that the stories we tell ourselves–and are told by the world around us–have great power. As such, he wants to work with clients to explore the stories they tell about their own lives, honoring the client as the expert on their own life and experiences. Emric works from a variety of modalities, incorporating concepts from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Play Therapy, and Narrative Therapy. Instead of focusing on medical models that pathologize experience, Emric instead works with clients to find joy, meaning and belonging in life outside of prescribed cisgender, heteronormative expectations.
As someone diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder as an adult, Emric works with clients to embrace and navigate neurodiverse experiences through exploring client strengths and avenues for empowerment. Emric identifies as a Queer, transgender man. Exploring gender and sexuality identity, unlearning toxic masculinity/fostering positive masculinity, and developing healthy Queer relationships are major tenets in his work.
In their free time, Emric enjoys hiking, playing Dungeons and Dragons, learning new fiber crafts, and hanging out with their rambunctious rabbit, Juno.
Emric is available for in-person sessions with clients ten years old and older and also offers online telehealth sessions. He sees individuals, as well as couples and poly/ENM relationships.
Des haigh, clinical intern (she/they)
Des is originally from San Diego but spent a lot of their of childhood growing up in a small farming province in the Philippines. They moved to the PNW to attend Cornish College of the Arts and graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts in 2002. Des is currently a M.A. student at Saybrook University working on her Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree, with graduation set for Spring 2025.
Des works from a Humanistic, Person-Centered lens that meets clients where they are at in order to provide space for individuals to explore their sense of self and wellness. As a lifelong learner of the ancestral wisdom traditions and spirituality, Des incorporates a biopsychosocial-spiritual model to healing that supports decolonized practices in the mental health field. Des believes in moving towards a path that acknowledges identity and cultural experiences to help individuals connect with belonging, joy and meaning- while working to dismantle the current medical model of therapy.
As a mixed, bi-cultural person, it is Des' hope to work with marginalized and mixed populations to aid in a sense of belonging and connection through traditions and rhythms that hold space for self-discovery. Having the experience of growing up in two distinct cultures expanded Des' worldview and depth of understanding for another's experience. She is deeply rooted in the wonder and magic of life and believes in working with individuals in ways that tend to their spirits.
In their free time, Des enjoys hiking, camping, making most things from scratch or by hand. She is a home educator and stationery enthusiast with a love for fountain pens. Des is available to work individuals ages 18 and older.