Services Offered
Talk therapy
I utilize my professional expertise and observational skills to help you explore your challenges and process your emotions through conversation. This approach is particularly effective for clients seeking to understand their feelings and gain insight into themselves. I often use talk therapy during the initial stages of therapy.
Focusing-Oriented Therapy
Focusing-Oriented Therapy is a somatic method that helps you connect with your body’s "felt senses," akin to engaging in conversations with various sensations within your body. I guide my clients in creating a compassionate space to engage with their emotions, bodily sensations, and inner imagery. This approach often allows for a deeper connection with the self, which can be more challenging to achieve through talk therapy alone.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy approach designed to help individuals heal from symptoms and emotional distress resulting from difficult life experiences. It is particularly effective for clients struggling with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).
About Me
Hello, I’m Mei Thompson, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Washington and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. I offer telehealth therapy services across both states, and I’m here to support you on your journey toward healing and self-discovery.
As a first-generation immigrant from China, I followed my dream to the United States to become a therapist. I’m fluent in English and Chinese, and I also understand Thai. My multicultural background—including a major in Thai Language and Literature and a year spent living in Thailand—has given me profound insights into how culture shapes societies and individuals. I embrace the experience of living between cultures and am passionate about advocating for cultural awareness.
My Journey to Therapy
My path to becoming a therapist has been deeply personal. In China, I grew up in an environment where expressing emotions was often discouraged, and I witnessed firsthand the struggles of a parent with mental health issues. From a young age, I felt a strong sense of intuition that something was missing in my world. My teenage years were marked by a growing curiosity about psychology as I sought to understand myself and those around me. Discovering psychology books felt like coming home, and this exploration set me on a path of healing that eventually led me to this profession.
Personal Interests
Outside of work, I find peace and joy in nature. I especially love spending time by lakes, oceans, and rivers, and I practice yoga and meditation regularly. Reading about psychology and spirituality is a passion of mine. I share my home in Bellingham, WA, with my husband and our dog, enjoying the tranquility of a creek in our backyard. My dream is to one day create a sanctuary where people can experience holistic healing through therapy, nature, and animal connection.
My Therapeutic Philosophy
I truly believe that “shame dies when stories are told in a safe environment.” Creating a safe and genuine space for my clients is the cornerstone of my work. I bring my natural empathy and authenticity into every session, striving to help you uncover your inner strength and resilience. It’s incredibly fulfilling for me to witness clients discover new potentials within themselves and find healing.
Areas of Specialization
I specialize in somatic therapy for trauma, anxiety, depression, and grief. My experience includes working with individuals in domestic violence shelters, veterans with PTSD, college students in transition, and professionals navigating the demands of high-paced corporate environments. I help clients manage stress, perfectionism, and emotional disconnection while guiding them toward a more balanced and authentic life.
A core specialty of mine is inner child work. When trauma or emotional stress occurs in childhood—especially without adequate support—it can overwhelm the developing nervous system and leave lasting emotional wounds. These early wounds often manifest later in life as depression, anxiety, excessive fears, emotional dysregulation, or dissociation. Inner child work allows us to connect with those wounded parts of ourselves, offering them the compassion, presence, and acceptance they may not have received at the time. Through this process, clients learn to “reparent” their inner child with empathy and love, fostering deep healing, integration, and resilience.
I also have a deep appreciation for working with Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs), as both my husband and I identify as HSPs. This personal experience allows me to attune deeply to the needs and challenges that come with heightened sensitivity and to support clients in embracing it as a strength rather than a limitation.
In addition to inner child work and somatic therapy, I incorporate dreamwork, Focusing-Oriented Therapy, and EMDR to help clients access deeper levels of insight and transformation. I support individuals working through low self-esteem, attachment wounds, acculturation challenges, spiritual exploration, and relationship difficulties. My overarching goal is to help clients cultivate a deeper relationship with themselves, increase self-awareness, and move toward a more empowered and fulfilling life.
My Approach to Therapy
I approach therapy as a collaborative journey grounded in authenticity, embodiment, and deep connection. My work is strongly rooted in somatic therapy, which helps clients develop greater awareness of how emotions and memories are held and expressed in the body. Through gentle, body-based practices, we’re often able to access emotions that are stored beneath the surface—especially those not easily reached through words alone.
Somatic therapy is particularly helpful for individuals who have experienced preverbal trauma—stress or wounding that occurred before they had the language or cognitive capacity to make sense of their experiences. Because these early memories are often stored in the body, clients may struggle to articulate them but still carry their emotional weight. Using techniques like Focusing-Oriented Therapy, mindfulness, and body tracking, I support clients in accessing and processing these deeper layers of experience.
I’m especially attuned to working with clients who feel stuck—whether in relationships, career, emotional patterns, or personal growth. Together, we gently explore the root causes of this stuckness and how it plays out in internal dynamics, particularly how different “parts” of the self relate to one another. Once these inner knots are seen and understood, we begin the process of untangling them through compassionate interventions that restore movement and clarity. Many clients report feeling lighter, more grounded, and more aligned after our sessions.
Clients often describe my style as warm, empathetic, intuitive, and engaging. They frequently share that they feel deeply attuned to—both emotionally and somatically—in our work together. I strive to create a safe, welcoming space where all parts of you are invited to be seen and heard. I work best with individuals who are ready to explore themselves in a body-focused and intuitive way, and I believe in the value of mid- to long-term therapy to support lasting transformation.
The Therapeutic Process
I view therapy as a natural, evolving process. In the beginning, we focus on building a strong, trusting relationship where you feel heard and accepted. As our work deepens, emotions, memories, and body-based sensations may begin to surface. At this stage, we focus on cultivating self-compassion and deepening your relationship with yourself, often using tools like Focusing-Oriented Therapy and inner child work. When appropriate, we may integrate EMDR to help resolve and release the emotional impact of past trauma, supporting a greater sense of inner peace and freedom.
