Senior Clinicians| Olympia | Olympia Therapy

Senior Clinicians

CARY M. HAMILTON LMHC-S, NCC, CMHS, RPT-S™, CDWF

Owner & Clinical Director

Specialties: Children, Adolescents, Adults, Families, & Groups

Cary is not taking new patients.

“Through compassion and understanding, I empower and encourage each client, child or adult, and guide them toward their desired goal. Education and active involvement in treatment develop the individual’s unique strengths to move forward in life.”

Cary McAdams Hamilton received her Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from George Fox University in 2003. Cary then worked in community mental health, providing child, adolescent, and family services to high-risk, diverse ethnic and socioeconomic populations in collaboration with schools, the Juvenile Justice, the Department of Children and Family Services, and other community service providers. She developed a group curriculum for specialized parenting classes designed for families of children diagnosed with mental health disorders, which continues to be used in community health agencies today.

In addition to providing full-time therapy services, Cary loves teaching and promoting the ideals of the profession by helping psychology students reach their full professional potential. Cary is the Director and Adjunct professor for the Play Therapy certification program, an APT-approved provider at Antioch University in Seattle, WA. In addition, Cary presents various educational seminars and training, including: An Introduction to Play Therapy; Play Therapy in Educational Settings; An Examination of Trauma and Healing Through Play Therapy; When the War Rages On-Expressive Interventions with Veterans, among other workshops. Cary served as President of the Washington State Association for Play Therapy (WAAPT) from 2022-2023 and previously held the position in 2015-2016. She has served as Adjunct Professor at George Fox University in Salem, OR, where she taught Play Therapy at the graduate level.

Cary is a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor and Child-Parent Relational Therapist, qualifications that demonstrate her intense passion for working with children and families to improve their emotional and behavioral regulation. Whether working with children, adolescents, adults, couples, or families, Cary draws from a range of educational tools and therapeutic strategies to secure timely changes and effective solutions for a host of life challenges.

Educational and Professional Qualifications

BA, Sociology, Willamette University (1998)

MA, Marriage and Family Therapy, George Fox University (2003)

LMHC, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (2005)

WA State approved Clinical Supervisor (2007)

Child Mental Health Specialist (CMHS, 2005)

Certified, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapist/Supervisor (2008)

Registered Play Therapist/Supervisor, Assoc. for Play Therapy (2009)

AutPlay® Therapy Certified (2018)

Certified Daring Way Facilitator (2018)

Professional Affiliations

Member, American Assoc. of Marriage & Family Therapists (AAMFT, 2003)

Member, Washington Assoc. of Marriage & Family Therapists (WAMFT, 2003)

Member, American Mental Health Counselors (AMHC, 2004)

Member, Assoc. for Play Therapy (APT, 2002)

DAWN TONEY, LMHC, CMHS

Practicing in Montesano & Telehealth

Specialties: Play Therapy, Children, Adolescents, Adults, & Families

Mondays - Fridays

Dawn joined Olympia Therapy in 2010 after ten years of experience as a school counselor, community mental health therapist, and mental health consultant for special needs and developmentally delayed children and their families. With years of experience and extensive specialized training, Dawn provides play therapy for children ages 2+ and parenting support/psychoeducation. Dawn has a particular interest in working with all age groups experiencing anxiety, and working with neurodivergent children, teens, and young adults. She is passionate about helping people achieve the goals that bring them growth and health in all areas of life.

Educational and Professional Qualifications

MA, Counseling, Western Seminary (2001)

LMHC, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (2010)

Child Mental Health Specialist (2008)

Certification, TFCBT (2008)

Play Therapy training (1998-2001)

Sandtray Therapy training (2001)

AutPlay® Therapy Certified (2018)

KATRINA SWENSON, MA, LMHC, CHMS, DMHS

Specialties: Adolescents, Adults

Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays

My first goal in therapy is to make sessions a soft place to land. It is important to me that those who choose to work with me feel safe, seen, and supported. I believe that the therapeutic relationship is the foundation for a successful therapy experience. I often use mindfulness-focused and compassion-based forms of therapy, as well as some cognitive behavioral therapy, to help you meet your treatment goals. Ultimately, I believe that you are the expert on yourself and that my role is to help facilitate your path towards healing or growth.

Katrina is a licensed mental health therapist in the state of Washington who received her Master's degree in Community Counseling from Gonzaga University in 2008. Prior to completing this degree, she worked with adults and adolescents with developmental and intellectual disabilities and with homeless women in a shelter setting. As a practicum student and intern, Katrina worked with women transitioning into the workforce. After completing her degree, she worked with children, adolescents, young adults, and families in a community mental health setting for nearly seven years. During that time, she worked with hundreds of individuals from diverse backgrounds and gained experience helping others recover from a multitude of mental health presentations. She has also worked extensively with people of all ages with ADHD. In her off time, Katrina is very busy with her family, volunteering, trying to hike without breaking anything, an endlessly-revolving cycle of constantly changing (but always unfinished) hobbies, avoiding the laundry, and writing books for kids.

Katrina currently works primarily with individual adult clients and teens (13+), but may occasionally work with some younger children when the presenting issues are a good fit. She does not have extensive training in play therapy and is not a registered play therapist, but she does enjoy using game-play and creative approaches when working with younger children. Katrina does not work with minors on issues related to parental separation. Katrina has a particular interest in working with individuals experiencing depression and/or anxiety, adjustment-related difficulties, self-esteem and/or identity challenges, body issues and somatic concerns, neurodiversity, ADHD, sensory differences, and reproductive and postpartum challenges. She also enjoys working with parents to explore parenting concerns and is particularly interested in working with parents of children with sensory and/or neurodevelopmental challenges. Generally, she sees clients on Mondays and Fridays in the office or via telehealth and on Wednesdays via telehealth; however, due to a busy family schedules, available hours may vary.

Educational and Professional Qualifications

BA, English, Writing Emphasis, Loyola Marymount University (2004)

BA, Spanish, Loyola Marymount University (2004)

MA, Community Counseling, Gonzaga University (2008)

LMHC, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (2010)

Child Mental Health Specialist (CMHS, 2009)

Disability Mental Health Specialist (DMHS, 2009)

Certified, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (2009)

AutPlay® Therapy Certified (2018)

Professional Affiliations

Member, National Board of Certified Counselors (2008)

anita

ANITA BARUAH, MA, LMFT, CMHS, RPT™

Specialties: Play Therapy, Children, Parenting Skills, Neurodivergence

Mondays, Tuesdays in Auburn | Wednesday in Tumwater | Thursday Telehealth Only

“Play is a child’s work and this is not a trivial pursuit.” – Alfred Adler

Anita is accepting new patients under the age of 10 years for in person services in Auburn, WA. Anita is also accepting MFT supervisees.

Anita joined the Olympia Therapy team in August 2021 as a Child and Family Therapist after working in community mental health for over five years. She received her Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Antioch University Seattle in December 2016 and her Play Therapy Certificate in March 2020. She is a Registered Play Therapist credentialed through The American Play Therapy Association. Anita has specific training in Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), Sandtray therapy, AutPlay® Therapy, Adlerian Play Therapy, TraumaPlay™, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills, Circle of Security Parenting Program (COSP), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma (CBT+), among others.

Anita is currently accepting only children as new clients; however she serves most ages who are experiencing a wide-range of difficulties, but her specialties are working with pre-school and elementary age children, their parents/caregivers, and adults who have experienced traumatic stress and abuse and/or neurodivergencies such as Autism, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, and Sensory Processing issues. Her work is grounded in family systems, attachment theory, the neurodiversity paradigm, and interpersonal neurobiology perspectives. She is passionate about helping whole families heal by providing space for her clients to gain an understanding of themselves and their unique perspective of their world.

Educational and Professional Qualifications

BA, Sociology/Psychology, Western Washington University (1994)

MA, Marriage and Family Therapy, Antioch University Seattle (2016)

LMFT, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (2018)

Registered Circle of Security Parent Facilitator

Certificate of Completion, Play Therapy, Antioch University Seattle (2020)
RPT™, Registered Play Therapist (2022)

AutPlay® Therapy Certified

Professional Affiliations

Member, American Assoc. of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT, since 2014)

Member, Washington Assoc. of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT, since 2014)

Member, Association for Play Therapy (APT, since 2017)

Member, Washington Association for Play Therapy (since 2017)

Janny Ho, MA, LMHC, RPT™

Practicing in Redmond & Telehealth

Specialties: Teenagers, Young Adults, Adults (age 16+)

Tuesdays to Fridays (some Saturdays)

“Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.” – Diane Ackerman.

“Play isn’t the enemy of learning. It’s learning’s partner. Play is like fertilizer for brain growth.” -Stuart Brown

“Play is basic to all normal and healthy children. It provides pleasure and learning and a minimum of risks and penalties for mistakes” — Frank Caplan.

Janny joined the Olympia Therapy team in March 2023 as a Senior Clinician after working in community mental health and school settings providing counseling to the diverse clinical population of children, teenagers, adults and families for over three years.

Janny has specialized training in: Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), Sandtray therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety, Depression, & Trauma (CBT+), Psychodynamic therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and is certified in AutPlay® Therapy.

Sandtray Therapy is a specialized training Janny has chosen because it incorporates play, movement, somatic, and interpersonal neuroscience. She has witnessed firsthand the powerful healing effects of Sand Tray therapy with clients.

Prior to becoming a therapist, Janny worked as a teacher for over 10 years in North America and other countries. She taught with students in elementary school, high school, and college as well as interacted with families from many different cultures. Janny especially enjoys helping teens and young adults from immigrant families to recover their racial identity and culture, set emotional boundaries, realize their strengths, build self-esteem, and grow.

Janny has experience helping clients with the following:

Life transitions
Relational concerns
identity development
racial trauma/ racial prejudice
immigration/ cultural adjustments
intergenerational trauma
trauma
spirituality concerns/ church abuse
low self esteem
bullying
depression
social anxiety
anxiety
motivation issues
learning difficulties such executive function issues
ADHD (particularly adults)

When not at work, Janny enjoys eating different types of cuisines, particularly Asian cuisine, drinking bubble tea, playing badminton and board games.

Educational and Professional Qualifications

Bachelor of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia (2002)

Bachelor of Education, University of British Columbia (2005)

Teacher: Certificate of Qualification, Ministry of Education and Child Care British Columbia (2005)

Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Seattle School of Theology and Psychology (2019)

Play Therapy: Certificate, Antioch University Seattle (2021)

LMHC, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (2022)

AutPlay® Therapy Certified (2023)

Professional Affiliations

Member, Center for Object Relational Therapy (psychodynamic), (2022-present)

Member, Association for Play Therapy (APT, 2019- present)

Member, Washington Association for Play Therapy (2019- present)

BRYNN FITZER, LMHC, RPT™

Practicing in Lander, WY & Telehealth

Specialties: Play Therapy, Children, Teens, Adults

Mondays - Thursdays

"Who said Don't ask what the world needs? Ask what makes you come alive and go do it because what the world needs is people who have come alive?" -Howard Thurman

Brynn loves talking to her plants. “I feel their presence when I talk with them,” she says “it’s like a quiet friend just listening.”

Before receiving her Master’s in Counseling Psychology, Brynn worked for eight years with homeless and at-risk youth and young adults in Seattle’s University District. In her various roles, Brynn built relationships with these young people while developing and executing programming, teaching jobs, and life skills. After graduate school Brynn worked in community mental health, providing child, adolescent, and family services to high-risk, diversely ethnic and socioeconomic populations in collaboration with schools, the Department of Children and Family Services, and other community service providers.

Brynn works with children, adolescents, and adults. She specializes in working with preschool-age children, ADHD children and their families, and Parents. She especially enjoys working with parents who want both parenting support and therapy for their own struggles, as well as working with families to truly understand the impact of ADHD and how systematic changes can make life for everyone more pleasant. Brynn is committed to incorporating the healing elements of the experience and play into the therapeutic process.

Educational and Professional Qualifications

BA, International Studies, University of Evansville (2006)

MA, Counseling Psychology, The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology (2018)

Certificate, Intro to Synergetic Play Therapy, (2020)

LMHC, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (2021)

Certificate of Completion, Play Therapy, Antioch University Seattle (2022)

RPT™, Registered Play Therapist (2022)

Professional Affiliations

Member, Center for Object Relational Therapy, (2017-1018)

Member, Northwest Alliance for Psychoanalytic Study (2018-2020)

Member, Child Therapy Committee, Northwest Alliance for Psychoanalytic Study (2019-2020)

Member, Association for Play Therapy (APT, 2019- present)

Member, Washington Association for Play Therapy (2019- present)

Board Member at Large, Washington Association for Play Therapy (2022 - present)