“To be a service to others is a rewarding experience especially within the helping profession of therapy and healing. It is a constant challenge to respond creatively to new and existing problems which makes the stress of this work well worth the effort put forth to initiate the process of healing. The therapeutic embroidery consists of given opportunities to learn from one another, client to therapist -therapist to client. It is in recognizing a myriad of vulnerability, hopelessness and shattered dreams that I assist in helping my clients make sense of their own experiences and to be a part of these life changes that are possible to occur in the healing process.”
As a military veteran and long-time resident of Oak Harbor, Stephanie Hollins Passmore has embraced the culture of Whidbey Island and looks forward to serving this community. She has experience working with adults in defining their own sense of recovery in identifying barriers to overcoming mental illness, to cope effectively with life stressors, and to create a baseline of security that allows a person to explore, risk, and learn, advancing in cognitive, emotional and social support.
It is within her practice as a mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist, that she continues to be humbled with each individual interaction to the innate strength and courage of the individuals that she supports. Although she has spent much time in her graduate and post-graduate studies, the client versus the classroom has been her better teacher. Stephanie has earned her undergraduate degree in Social Sciences with emphasis in human development, psychology and women’s studies from Washington State University. She furthered her education at Brandman University accomplishing a double master’s in psychology and Organizational Leadership.