Lucinda Wurtz MA, LMFT

Some of my earliest memories were of bringing home small animals and birds that “needed my help” because they were lost or hurt. They were somewhat silent, and I had to quietly listen and carefully observe them to understand their needs. I had to use my actions to communicate to them that they were safe with me. As I grew, that way of being then grew to include childhood peers, and later so many others of all stages of life who were, in their own ways, feeling similarly lost or hurt or unsure.

 I work from an attachment perspective, which simply means I believe that we all are born with an innate need to form an early bond with a safe, secure caregiver. We don’t always get that ideal bond, or sometimes our life experiences can alter that sense of safety we may once have had.

 I attempt to offer that secure place in our time together; a secure base from which you can explore your thoughts, feelings and views of the world around you in a safe, caring and accepting atmosphere.

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you really are.”-Carl Jung

I grew up near the beaches and mountains in a small agricultural town in Southern California and graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art. After working as an art teacher for MAVA (a private school of the arts) my new, young family moved north to Spokane in 1994, fell in love with the “Upper Left U.S.” and never left.

I continued to teach, create and sell art, but also coached soccer and ran conditioning clinics for high school athletes. I have worked with children, adolescents and young adults with special needs and behavioral needs throughout the years as an art teacher, swimming teacher, coach and as a para-educator. After working in the Mead School District for 8 years as a paraeducator, and undergoing a major life-transition, I chose to return to school to continue my education and further my calling.

Thirty years after getting my bachelor’s degree, I graduated with a master’s in marriage and family therapy from Whitworth University. It’s been a journey, with lots of compassionate, caring helpers along the way. I feel it is imperative that I continue in the direction I am moved, which is to be one of those who is out there helping others to figure out in which direction they would like to move and who they are along the way.