Patricia Sumlin, LMFT

California · 25 years in practice

Patricia Sumlin is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 25 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship struggles.

License and registration

LMFT, California: 44844 · expires October 2026
LMFT, Washington: LF 60059026 · expires October 2026
NPI: 1891899027 · national provider identifier
Years in practice: 25
Languages: English

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.

About Patricia

Patricia Sumlin is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 25 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship struggles. She speaks plainly and works to create a direct, respectful connection so people feel heard and taken seriously. Patricia focuses on practical skills you can use between sessions to feel steadier and more capable in day-to-day life.

Her approach blends several evidence-based methods, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), cognitive behavioral techniques, and acceptance-based practices.

Background and approach

She aims to tailor therapy to each person’s needs while keeping sessions straightforward and goal-oriented. Patricia often combines skill-building with insight work so people understand what’s driving their reactions and how to change them. Patricia has worked in many settings over her career, from outpatient clinics and residential programs to hospice and community treatment in Alaska and California.

That background includes group work and programs addressing trauma, substance use, chronic illness, and re-entry after incarceration. Those experiences inform how she supports people facing complex life challenges. She provides services for a wide range of concerns including grief, addiction, parenting stress, ADHD, intimacy issues, eating and sleeping problems, and career or life-change stress.

Patricia also offers support related to adoption and foster care, caregiver strain, body image, and disability-related issues. Sessions are offered in English and conducted online. Patricia holds the LMFT credential and practices in Washington.

If someone wants to start, they follow the platform’s Start Therapy flow to complete a short questionnaire and schedule sessions.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Patricia lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Family conflicts
Trauma and abuse
Depression
Addictions
LGBT
Grief
Intimacy-related issues
Eating disorders
Sleeping disorders
Parenting issues
Anger management
Self esteem
Career difficulties
Bipolar disorder
Coping with life changes
Coaching
Compassion fatigue
ADHD
Abandonment
Adoption and foster care
Aging and geriatric issues
Antisocial personality
Attachment issues
Autism and Asperger Syndrome
Avoidant personality
Blended family issues
Body image
Cancer
Caregiver issues and stress
Chronic pain, illness, and disability
Co-morbidity
Codependency
Commitment issues
Communication problems
Control issues
Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
Dependent personality
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
Dissociation
Divorce and separation
Domestic violence
Drug and alcohol addiction
Eating and food-related issues
Emptiness
Family of origin issues
Family problems
Fatherhood issues
First responder issues
Gender dysphoria
Guilt and shame
Hearing impaired
HIV / AIDS
Hoarding
Hospice and end-of-life counseling
Immigration issues
Impulsivity
Infidelity
Intellectual disability
Isolation / loneliness
Jealousy
Life purpose
Men's issues
Midlife crisis
Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
Money and financial issues
Mood disorders
Multicultural concerns
Narcissism
Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
Panic disorder and panic attacks
Paranoia
Personality disorders
Phobias
Postpartum depression
Post-traumatic stress
Pregnancy and childbirth
Prejudice and discrimination
Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Self-harm
Self-love
Sex addiction
Sexual assault and abuse
Sexual dysfunction
Sexuality
Social anxiety and phobia
Trichotillomania
Visually impaired
Women's issues
Workplace issues

Approaches Patricia names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.

Online support

Approaches that guide online sessions

Patricia uses methods that focus on both managing difficult feelings and building new patterns. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them while clarifying personal values to guide action. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, teaches practical skills to change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns to reduce anxiety and depression.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will ask about goals, symptoms, and preferences and then suggest methods to try. Together the client and therapist track what helps and adapt the plan over time so sessions stay relevant and useful.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video works well for deeper conversations and skill practice. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat or text is useful for brief check-ins, reminders, or ongoing coaching between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and keep progress moving forward.

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Questions people ask

What kinds of problems does Patricia help with?

She works with many concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and family issues, grief, addictions, and ADHD among others.

What is her general therapy style?

Her style is direct, respectful, and practical. Sessions mix skill building and insight so people leave with usable tools and clearer understanding.

How much experience does she have?

Patricia has 25 years of clinical experience in a variety of settings including outpatient clinics, residential programs, and hospice work.

What credentials and location are listed?

She is a licensed marriage and family therapist - LMFT - practicing in Washington with licensure noted as CA LMFT and WA LMFT LF.

In which languages are sessions offered?

Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not accepted.

What session formats are available?

Therapy is provided via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging.

How does cost and billing work?

Cost varies with location and therapist arrangements; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Start by choosing the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

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