About Chris Trimis (he/him)

I began my career working with youth as a musician and music educator after earning my Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Washington. I spent the early part of my career teaching K-12 music students at schools in Seattle while also dedicating time to creating, recording, and performing music with different collaborators around town. As an educator, I discovered a passion for the social/emotional aspects of the work and became particularly motivated by connections I made with my students that extended beyond the confines of my curriculum and the classroom. As I began getting to know my students on a deeper level, I became interested in learning more about child and adolescent development and particularly aspects of development related to identity and mental health. I felt called to gain the tools to pursue a practice that helps youth thrive more holistically. I returned to the UW, where I received my MA in Child and Adolescent Psychology.

While pursuing my MA I provided psychological care to children and teens as a practicum student at Seattle Children’s Hospital. There, I worked in the Anxiety Intensive Outpatient Program and received training in a variety of evidence-based psychotherapies while working with a variety of individuals and child/parent groups. After graduation I launched my practice and joined the team of outpatient therapists at DBT Eastside, working towards my LMHC while being intensively trained in and delivering “gold-standard” group and individual Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. I continue to operate my private practice while also working with middle school students as a faculty member on the counseling team at Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences.

When I’m not counseling I love working with youth as a baseball and basketball coach, spending time outside on my bike or kayak, hanging and hooping in local parks, reading, listening to music, watching local sports, singing karaoke, and beating my friends at Settlers of Catan.

Training and Certifications

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. I also hold a Washington State teaching credential. I have received training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) including CBT subsets Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Behavioral Activation (BA), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), as well as Parent Management Training (PMT) and Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) through the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital, under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Hartman. I have been intensively trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) through Behavioral Tech and DBT Eastside, under the supervision of Mary Erickson, MA, LMHC. I am a member of the American Counseling Association.