LMHC
EMDR Certified
EMDR training
Specialist training
Experience
Chantel Ames | LMHC
Licensed Mental Health Therapist · Founder, Evolve Intensive Therapy · Member of EMDRIA, Association for Contextual Behavioral Science and the Canadian Counseling Psychotherapy Association · EMDR Certified; EMDRIA Consultant in Training
North Seattle
In Person
1 - 5 Day Intensive Therapy
Why I do this work
If you are feeling stuck — you are in the right place.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or carrying something that previous therapy has not been able to resolve — you are in the right place.
I'm Chantel Ames, licensed mental health therapist and founder of Evolve Intensive Therapy. My own experience of healing is what brought me to this work — and to EMDR intensives specifically. A concentrated, evidence-based approach that reaches what talking alone often cannot.
I offer 1–5 day intensive program in North Seattle, for adults navigating trauma, PTSD, grief, and heartbreak.
"Please take your time exploring the site and its resources. When you are ready, I would love to connect."
Qualifications & training
Training, credentials & professional memberships
Core training
Masters of Education in Marriage, Family, & Couples Therapy Lamar University TX· Licensed Mental Health Counsellor (LMHC) · State of Washington
EMDR Basic Training, EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) · Certified EMDR Therapist · Consultant in Training · Advanced training in EMDR & Intensives · Psychedelic Assisted EMDR
Attachment Focused EMDR · Certified Mindfulness-Informed Professional · Somatic Therapy for Trauma & Attachment · Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Training · KAP Group Leadership Training · Ketamine Assisted EMDR Training · Emotion Focused Therapy
While in private practice, provided 100+ therapy intensives and more than 2000 weekly therapy sessions. Previously worked in community mental health.
Who I work with
The people and experiences I specialize in
I work with adults across the Greater Seattle area — in person at my North Seattle practice and online — who are ready to move beyond managing their symptoms and into something that feels like genuine resolution. My clients tend to be people who have already tried to understand what happened to them. What they need is help completing what that understanding has not been able to finish.
Trauma & PTSD
Single-incident and complex PTSD, childhood trauma, medical trauma, accidents, and witnessed violence. Including C-PTSD arising from prolonged or repeated adverse experience.
Heartbreak & relationship trauma
Betrayal, abandonment, emotional abuse, and the attachment wounds that persist long after a relationship has ended — affecting trust, identity, and the capacity for new connection.
Grief & loss
Bereavement, divorce, estrangement, miscarriage, and ambiguous loss. Including prolonged grief disorder where loss has become stuck and unresponsive to time alone.
Anxiety, fears & phobias
Specific phobias, panic disorder, social anxiety, performance anxiety, and fear of failure — particularly where these have a traceable root in earlier experience.
Endorsements by Colleagues
“Chantel is an outstanding clinician with a warm, calming presence. She is highly self-aware and this informs her work with clients by how much empathy and patience she shows. She is skilled in a number of areas and helps her clients find true healing. “
Michelle Henderson, LMHCA at Next Chapter Counseling
“Chantel has the capacity to hold deep space for her clients. She is thoughtful about her clients and tailors her work to individual needs and preferences. She thoughtfully curates continuing education in modalities to best meet client needs.”
Maureen Kane, MA, LMHC, LCPC at Maureen Kane Counseling, PLLC
“Chantel is a warm and naturally empathic person who is dedicated to the people she has served in the community.”
Karla T Mancero, LMFT at Adapt to Growth Therapy
My approach
How I work — and what you can expect
Every intensive begins with a thorough consultation — a conversation about your history, your goals, and what the work needs to look like for you specifically. Nothing begins before you feel ready, and the pace throughout is always yours to set. Preparation and stabilization are built into every program, ensuring the nervous system has the resources it needs before any deeper processing begins.
I work within an EMDR framework but draw on attachment theory, somatic awareness, and a deep respect for the body's role in holding and releasing trauma. The intensive format is central to how I work — not because I believe healing should be rushed, but because I have seen what becomes possible when the therapeutic process is given the continuity it needs.
If you are exploring this site, please take your time. The resources here are designed to help you understand what EMDR intensives are, what the experience of trauma, grief, and heartbreak actually looks like, and what becomes possible when those experiences are properly treated.
Chantel Ames LMHC
Founder, Evolve Intensive Therapy · North Seattle
When you are ready, I would love to hear from you.
Licensed Mental Health Therapist · Free 20-minute Consultation · Serving the Greater Seattle Area · In Person & Hybrid Sessions · 1-5 day Intensives