About Whitney Reeve, MSW, LSWAIC
Pronouns: she/her, they/them
Adult Therapist, Sammamish, Washington

Who I Am

What makes a life worth living? And, perhaps more importantly, a life worth loving? My own work, personally and professionally, has been a lifelong pursuit for answers to these questions. My story begins with a passion for living beings channeled initially into work with service dogs for people with disabilities. After nearly a decade of raising, training, and caring for these animals, I recognized a higher calling. I had brought independence to many disabled clients and veterans, yet they faced hidden challenges and soul wounds that I knew no way of healing.

My Path Unfolding …

I discovered that volunteering with pet therapy in Hospice brought even more clarity for me. There, I came closer to grasping what was missing in my life as I supported and grieved with others. Even in tragedy, in the darkest times, I found that genuine human connection was a light that comforted those transitioning and strengthened those who were letting go.

This deep connection to humanity in the most profound and authentic way spurred me on my journey. Inspired to explore the possibilities, I spent many wonderful years working in a residential home with people with severe and persistent mental health issues. Later, I went back to school to pursue a master’s degree in social work, where I found myself interning in a cancer treatment wing in a hospital.

In both settings, I bore witness to the resiliency of the human spirit. I further pursued this light in skilled nursing and memory care. After graduation, I spent time in community mental health, finding wherever I went, hope endures; the greatest lesson I had to learn, but I still hadn’t entirely found my niche.

Finally, in my last leap of faith, I landed where I was always meant to be: providing individual therapy to adults in a practice setting. Each day, I wake up excited for work and to see my clients. I feel fulfilled in my love for my career, and the growth I continue to have as a person has made every day worth living.

Writing Our Own Stories

I believe in stories and work through a Narrative Therapy framework. Everyone has an individual story and heaps of stories others have told us about us. Whether they be friends or family, culture or society’s expectations, norms, and pressures, these stories shape our lives and influence our reality. The stories we write for ourselves, our own truths, matter even more.

I belong to the LGBTQIAP+ community, where our narratives are often written in words that are not our own. I believe the words we come up with, emerging from both outside of us and within us, can have an immense impact on the human condition and our world. I am empowered through defining who I am and what I care about; I am here for everyone who seeks to do the same.

Looking Inside Out

A favorite poem of mine by Rumi perfectly captures the other modality I work in, Internal Family Systems theory: “This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”

I have done this work myself. I have met with my resistance and other unexpected visitors, received their messages, learned new perspectives, and invited communication with the parts of myself I exiled long ago. With gifts of clarity, compassion, and courage, I have found we all can heal in a way that brings harmony and balance to ourselves and our world. And when we accept all parts of ourselves, we can finally begin to accept each other.

Credentials

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Social Services, University of Redlands, Redlands, CA
Master of Social Work (MSW), University of Washington, Tacoma, WA
Licensed Social Work Associate Independent Clinical (LSWAIC)

One Last Snippet

A little about me: I love nature and hiking, seeking adventures in new places, and am an enthusiast of loose-leaf teas and crochet. The Pacific Northwest is my home and my happy place. My favorite people in the world are my god dogs. I am an avid reader of fantasy books and aim to one day write my own novel.