My Approach to Therapy

The way I see it, mental health comes from having a connection to yourself. When you know who you are and what you think and feel, you can connect better with others. Clients that get the most out of my practice are wanting to live and love more fully, and are willing to look deeper at what makes them tick (and alarm!) so they can make lasting change.

In therapy, I use a mind-body approach to support you. I use acceptance and commitment therapy to help you develop flexible attention to different aspects of your experience and commit to doing what you really value in life. I use somatic therapy techniques to deepen your awareness of the functioning of your nervous system and provide you methods to regulate your emotions and physical sensations in challenging experiences.

Parzival Popof, MA, LMHCA

I am a psychotherapist (Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate) living and working in Seattle, as well as a musician, dad, nature-lover, spiritual practitioner, and astrologist. I have 10 years' experience working with a diverse clientele including BIPOC and LGBTQIA+. Since a young age I paid attention to how people around me were feeling, and would imagine ways they might feel better. I believe I had one thing right: caring. I care about every person that reaches out to me seeking help. As I see it, the human condition is worthy of empathy and in need of care.

I find people fascinating and inspiring. Paying attention is easy when you realize who you are looking at: A unique human in the process of unfolding, different from anyone that came before or after. Worthy of the richest attention, inspiring because of what you overcome. I've been thinking this since I was seven. Seven year-olds are always right.

Qualifications, Education and Credential

Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA) credential number #MC 61176152. NPI#1992339857.
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, University of the Cumberlands (CACREP-accredited).
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Vanderbilt University
10 years' work as Certified Counselor (CC) providing crisis family counseling and parenting coaching.
Experience and training in the following modalities: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Gestalt Therapy (GT), Somatic Therapies, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Suicide Prevention, SafeCare parenting coaching, and more.

More about my approach and techniques

My work is non-pathologizing, meaning that I don’t see your condition as inherently a disorder but rather an order that developed because of needed adaptations to difficult circumstances. Our work can be oriented around a DSM-V diagnosis like anxiety or depression or it can be oriented around your chosen goals for change and growth independent of a diagnosis. I primarily work using acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and somatic therapy. Therapy may include some or all of the following steps:

Getting to know each other and establishing basic trust and goals,
Practice maintaining present moment attention and grounding.
Noticing thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and behavior reactions
Increasing vocabulary for emotions and physical sensations
Identifying one or more somatic resources for use in emotional regulation and stabilization.
Increasing knowledge of the nervous system and how to develop pendulation between sympathetic and parasympathetic activation,
Identifying and working through old programming/stories that are affecting your life behind the scenes
Bringing attention and compassion to parts of your self (younger ego states) that were affected by developmental or attachment trauma
Getting in touch with values and visions that you want to guide your choices now
Bringing awareness to your personal culture
Affirming identity and exploring purpose through your astrology natal chart or other familiar personality systems

About: About Me