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Pamela Gallagher

Licensed Mental Health Counselor
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Pamela Gallagher, MA, LMHC

Licensed Mental Health Counselor
(509) 209-8961

I offer a broad range of services, including counseling for children and teens, couples therapy, Lifespan Integration Therapy, treatment for trauma, depression, anxiety, and much more. No matter what you may be going through, I would consider myself blessed to walk with you for part of your journey toward healing, holding your story in my heart and before the Lord. My hope is that through our time together, you will gain a deeper understanding of the things you are searching for, and that the Lord will bring about healing and alignment in your spirit and soul to match who He created you to be.

Spokane - Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri & SatOnline (WA Only) - Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri & Sat

About

I often share with people that the ground is level between myself and the client, and the only thing between us is I have an education that allows me to sit in the seat across from them, and I have already done my own work to heal from my trauma in therapy. With God’s help, I truly believe we can heal and find the wisdom and answers we are searching for if we are seeking truth. I believe that in Christ, the truth sets you free to experience life and relationships through a new lens.

My Goal as a Christian Counselor

My goal as a counselor is to journey with the precious individuals I serve as a guide on their journey, and incorporate the skills, knowledge, and wisdom I have gained thus far in my own education and healing journey. My aim is to impart all I have learned by educating my clients with knowledge and answers through psychoeducation, because knowledge gives another lens through which we can see ourselves and others.

What I Offer in Christian Counseling

I offer a safe, welcoming space where you can feel comfortable sharing your burdens. Depending on your comfort level, I will offer to begin our session with prayer, thanking the Lord for His guidance during our time together. As a trained trauma therapist, I will listen to the details of your story to help you determine whether any of your history may be interrupting your present situation. Together we will establish a customized treatment plan to help you reach your goals.

My Approach to Christian Counseling

My faith is the guiding force for the work I am privileged to do. I could not do this work apart from my faith and trust in God. I believe a distinctively Christian approach gives the therapist and client a common ground, firm foundation, and understanding that serves as a greater connection to find what the client is seeking answers to. Also, as a therapist, I am free to guide my clients back to the firm foundation of Christian principles found in God’s Word, which serve as a guiding force for the individual or couple.

Biography

Qualifications & Experience

I have a BA in Psychology with a minor in Pastoral Care and Counseling and an MA in Counseling Psychology from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington. I also have the highest level of certifications in Lifespan Integration Therapy (Levels 1, 2, and 3) for adults, children, and adolescents. I am law enforcement knowledgeable and have experience supporting first responders and their spouses.

My Call to Christian Counseling

Soon after I was saved, I began serving youth and adults. I loved being in ministry and then had a huge life change, which the Lord used to prepare my heart to go to school to get my degree in Psychology. This was where my own healing began when I started learning about trauma, as I developed a narrative for the brokenness I had inside myself.

I was not planning to further my education beyond my undergraduate degree, but several of my professors asked me if I was going to apply to graduate school. I filled out the paperwork and went through the process, and a few days later I was accepted. I had always wanted to be in ministry but the Lord opened the door for me to get my degrees to serve in this field.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This has been true in my life, as God has used all that I have gone through for good, and I can now connect empathetically with so many people on so many different levels and reasons. “For it is God who works in me to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).

More About Me/On a Personal Note

My personal interests include my own spirituality and faith journey, raising my kids to know the Lord Jesus Christ, and trying my best to model my faith in action as a parent.

One of my passions has been climbing mountains. I was invited to climb Mount St. Helens and took my two oldest children up to the summit when they were five and eight years old. I then summitted Mt. Rainier, then all the volcanoes and highest mountains in Washington, Oregon, and California. I climbed four 4,000-meter peaks in the Swiss Alps, including the Matterhorn in 2007 with one of my best friends. I have done a lot of climbing and hiking with my kids. My daughter is a climber and my youngest son has summited a few mountains with me.

I have had a climbing ministry on Mount Adams where I have climbed the mountain 20 times and have taught climbing and rescue skills, and have taken many people up to the summit. Mountains are symbolic of God for me and who He is to me. I am in awe and always humbled in their presence and while climbing them.

Services and Specialities

Areas of Expertise/Specialties

  • Abandonment and Neglect
  • ADHD
  • Aging and Geriatric Issues
  • Anger Management
  • Anxiety
  • Autism
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Chemical Dependency
  • Coaching
  • Counseling for Children
  • Counseling for Teens
  • Couples Counseling
  • Codependency
  • Depression
  • Eating Disorders
  • Family Counseling
  • Grief and Loss
  • Group Counseling
  • Individual Counseling
  • Infidelity and Affairs
  • Lifespan Integration Therapy
  • Marriage Counseling
  • Men’s Issues
  • OCD
  • Online Counseling
  • Personal Development
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Premarital Counseling
  • Professional Development
  • Relationship Issues
  • Sex and Porn Addiction
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Spiritual Development
  • Trauma
  • Weight Loss
  • Women’s Issues

Lifespan Integration Therapy

Trauma is relative and when we have unprocessed trauma in our bodies, this can present somatically, causing physical symptoms and disease. Trauma can also present in how we relate and form connections with others.

Unresolved trauma affects all our relationships, including how we parent the next generation. The greatest gift you can give to your loved ones is your own healing, and the outcome will be a paradigm shift in the generations because of your choice to heal and realign your life with God’s heart.

Through Life Integration Therapy, the trauma experienced is integrated across the lifespan and you are then able to do life and relationships as a healed individual, as a coherent and attuned person to yourself and others. We begin by creating a timeline of your life from the womb to present. Trauma becomes part of your story, but no longer defines you.

Trauma

In my work with Christians who have unresolved trauma, I often hear that they are not able to live out what they understand cognitively they want and know to do, which is in alignment with the principles in God’s Word. This may look like having a pattern of trauma response in relationship to your boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse where you have trust issues.

Traumatized people can ruin their relationships and create “trauma drama.” I can say this because I experienced it before my own healing. This happens because the unresolved trauma lies deep within a person and when you are triggered, trauma restricts your ability to do cognitively what you know you want to do. This is also called spiritual bypass.

Another form of trauma is trauma bonding with spirituality/religion. When children are raised in homes where there is brokenness due to domestic violence, abuse, parents’ unresolved trauma, etc., and there is a religious environment and authoritarian parenting, children become confused with this dilemma. As they grow into adulthood, many people do not want anything to do with Christianity, God, or religion because of the trauma bonding. By sorting this out in a safe place, many people find freedom as they realize God had nothing to do with the traumatic experiences in childhood, and come to understand through Christ they can forgive, and enjoy their relationship with the Lord from a new perspective.

Spiritual Development

Exploring your faith in a safe environment allows for exploration and finding answers to the questions you may feel judged for in the larger church. Many Christians feel shame or guilt for things they hold within themselves that keeps them in hiding. Understanding the pathology of shame is powerful and a strong foundation for leaders to understand as they lead others in various capacities, which creates an environment for the growth of men and women of integrity.

Together in session we can discuss the importance of understanding servant leadership, the vision God has given you, suffering, surrender, and discipline as essential parts of life and development.

Personal Development

Counseilng for personal development includes a journey of looking deeply within oneself and finding understanding regarding a career path or calling. We will work to gain understanding regarding intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and how this plays into our faith as Christ followers.

We will discuss the differences between intentional formation and unintentional formation – habits passively formed versus pursuing practices that actively form. We will consider questions such as: What are my habits? What are the stories I believe? What do I believe about myself and others’ opinions of me?

Together we will address topics including suffering, surrender, discipline, the grief process, the differentiation process, and more.

Marriage Counseling

How did we get here? Helping couples to first establish or re-establish their commitment to each other affects the direction of the work done in counseling. I have found working with couples to be amazing as they are educated on topics such as attachment theory, which gives the couple information to understand each other through new lenses that create empathetic connection instead of anger and frustration.

I have found that through psychoeducation, couples gain knowledge which brings freedom to gain new perspectives on themselves and the challenges they encounter. Understanding how transgenerational trauma is passed on intentionally and often unintentionally influences the culture within the family.

I love to integrate psychology and theology and have studied trauma in the Bible and God’s remedy, which is taught in psychological modalities but rooted in God’s Word.
We will also look at the meaning of trust within relationships in the context of the physiology of trust and how it is established and built into the relationship to create the power couple.

Payment and Forms

Sessions: I offer 53-minute sessions. Sessions can be held more than once per week, weekly, or every other week. Scheduling options are discussed in greater detail during your Risk-Free Initial Session.

Availability (by office location):

  • Spokane – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday
  • Online (WA Only) – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday

Fees: I offer a Risk-Free Initial Session for individuals, couples, and groups looking to pursue counseling with me. Please note that there is a fee for the Risk-Free Initial Session as it is a clinical hour and reimbursable to most insurance companies, but if you choose not to reschedule and continue therapy after the initial session the entire fee for the session will be waived. For ongoing treatment the full fee per session is required at the time of service.

Insurance: As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), most insurance companies will reimburse for a portion of my services (as an Out of Network Provider). Please consult with your insurance provider as to whether they specifically cover adolescents, individuals and couples.

Receipts/Statements: In the event you require a printed or digital receipt, I will provide receipts for personal use, insurance reimbursement, Flex Spending Accounts (FSA), and Health Savings Accounts (HSA).

Payment options: Cash, Check, or Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, & American Express). A fee of up to 4% per transaction may be added for credit card payments.

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