"I wanted to share my story about my experience at Bastyr because it has made such a difference in my life.

"The treatment and approach to care that I experienced in the counseling clinic was a radical departure from what I had experienced previously while being treated at a conventional medical school teaching clinic for anxiety and depression. What I experienced in the past focused on determining my symptoms and drug recommendations based on diagnostic labels, but at Bastyr they sought to know and care for me as a whole person.

"From the beginning, Dr. Brad Lichtenstein and the students were warm, compassionate and welcoming, and I felt regarded by them as both a patient and a teacher. Their care approach included teaching me biofeedback and mindfulness practices, enabling me to better manage my chronic illness and decades-long depression and anxiety. For the first time in my life, I had ways to respond to these strong emotional states instead of feeling totally at the mercy of them, and I had techniques to help myself that I could use any time and in any place.

"Through their deeply kind and respectful care, I’ve also learned to be more accepting and compassionate toward myself, which was essential for my healing. It has been a tremendous gift to learn new ways to deal with my health challenges.

"I have such gratitude for Dr. Lichtenstein's and the students' incredibly compassionate and keenly perceptive care. I particularly appreciated working with students Alison Kerns, Ara Walline and Cecily Schuler. They have helped make my life much better."