Bex Foresman

Background

About Bex Foresman

As a Clinician I at Valley Cities Rainier Beach, I use my WA DOH Agency Affiliated Counselor (AAC) and Certified Behavior Technician (CBT) training to provide outpatient mental health counseling to children, adolescents, and adults. Previously, I worked at Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center as a Program Therapist to provide residential, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient group therapy services. At Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Psychiatric & Behavioral Medicine Unit (PBMU) I worked as a Pediatric Mental Health specialist (PMHS) with complex, acute psychiatric inpatients (6-17 yrs). I implemented behavioral intervention plans, charted data & clinical notes, taught wellness curricula, and managed behavioral crises as a Certified Safety-Care provider and an AHA Certified Basic Life Support provider. Before joining APPLE Consulting and Seattle Children’s Hospital, I worked with Kyo Autism Therapy as an early-intervention specialist CBT for children (3-6 yrs) with ASD. Because my clients’ behaviors often included interpersonal aggression and property destruction, I was trained to safely maneuver de-escalation techniques that prioritize the dignity, independence, and long-term learning of the child. I am fundamentally at ease with a self-directed work environment that presents unforeseen challenges every hour. Play is the heart of my child-centered practice. I use play to foster trust with new clients, to sustain motivation as my clients progress to new stages of intervention, to ignite connections between my clients and their families, classmates, communities, and perhaps most critically, their own inner lives. I see play as a gateway to a higher goal: growing my clients’ confidence and sense of self-efficacy so they can shape their own futures. The greatest joy for me, as a mental health practitioner, is following a patient’s imaginative expression and reflecting that expression back through interactive exercises. When I “Yes, And” my client’s imaginative scenario, the client feels seen, heard, and invited to investigate their internal perceptions and real-life dilemmas. Prior to my work in ABA therapy and pediatric mental health, I used my ten years of teaching, curriculum design, and program organizing experience to serve high-risk and special needs students, survivors, international refugees, and LGBTQ+ identities. Throughout my educational career, I pursued training as a clown. I continue to implement that via dramatic play for my patients’ social-emotional learning and development.