Tina Watson

~ MY WORK AND I ~ I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist and provide in-person and telehealth psychotherapy, coaching, and consulting for Minnesotans and Wisconsinites. I enjoy working with families, couples, individuals, children, teens, and adults across the lifespan. I'm dedicated to helping my clients find, develop, and care for the wounded, hidden, exhausted, and underdeveloped parts of themselves so they can live authentic lives rather than existing in the shadows. Together we discover ways to bring their lives into alignment with who they really are, strengthen their most meaningful relationships, honor what is important to them, and breathe new life into their soul. I believe in the hard work of therapy and bear witness to its healing power and the sacred experience of deep calling unto deep. I specialize in working with clients who have experienced trauma, grief, loss, a shattered self, relational distress, and the weariness that comes with holding the injustices of this world. My therapeutic approach is an integrative framework tailored to each client based on specific challenges, goals, personality, and past efforts towards healing and growth. It's informed by culturally humble and responsive understandings of family systems, attachment, trauma, and feminist theories. I also know that much of life is shaped by our unconscious experiences where language might not exist and cognitive attempts fail to bring healing and transformation. It is in those spaces where aspects of depth psychotherapy and psychodynamic theories can invite healing and liberation for the soul and its passions. I'm a master level practitioner of Acceleration Resolution Therapy (ART), a trauma modality that is very successful at reducing the emotional intensity of traumatic experiences while keeping the factual memory intact. Many times, ART can bring great relief within a few sessions. I partner with my clients to process painful experiences within a brave and safe relationship so they can move forward with their beautiful life. I'm a former professor and academic program director. I taught in the areas of marriage and family therapy, practical theology, and spiritual formation, and have provided therapy, consultation, and clinical supervision for over 25 years. I developed the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon family reintegration training track for the Minnesota National Guard, and served as a family mental health consultant with the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia. I've been a volunteer with Critical Stress Incident Management (CSIM) teams that support first responders and university systems throughout the Twin Cities, and I served as a Narrative Exposure Therapy volunteer trainer with The Center for Victims of Torture in Amman, Jordan. ~ PAYMENT AND RATES ~ I'm an out-of-network provider and clients pay me directly via their credit, debit, HSA, or FSA card through the online autopay feature of their client portal. The initial diagnostic assessment appointment is $225 and follow-up psychotherapy and coaching appointments are $195. I'm able to provide a psychotherapy super-bill for clients who, on their own behalf, would like to submit a reimbursement claim to their insurance carrier for out-of-network services. I also provide psychotherapy for clients in Minnesota and Wisconsin who are uninsured, underinsured, and in financial need through Open Path Psychotherapy Collective (https://openpathcollective.org). ~ HOURS AND LOCATION ~ I provide both in-person and telehealth appointments Monday through Thursday between the hours of 9am and 4pm and some Friday mornings. I offer ad hoc scheduling for those who need a flexible rhythm and standing appointments for those who want to reserve a specific reoccurring day and time. My office is located on the 4Front campus in Oakdale, MN, just one block east of the intersection of highways 694 and 14 (on the eastern side of the Twin Cities situated between Stillwater and Woodbury and across the river from Hudson, WI). There's ample free parking, ADA accessibility, a high level of privacy with a secured entrance, and anonymity due to the variety of technological, professional, and healthcare related businesses peppered throughout the campus. ~ YOU AND I ~ Questions, doubts, curiosities, wild dreams, salty language, diverse experiences, and all forms of humor (or even the lack thereof, but we can work on that) are welcome here. Nothing is too big or too small, it is what it is, and we can walk through it together. I offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation to anyone interested in exploring therapeutic and coaching options to determine if we might make a good therapy or coaching team, or if I can offer a referral to another provider who might be a better fit. Reach out to me through the contact tab located at the top and bottom of this webpage and let's get the conversation started. I look forward to connecting with you. Seriously, send a message and let's talk.