Wylie Bay (they/them)
Welcome! My name is Wylie, and I am a white, able-bodied, trans, queer human. I grew up in the Midwest, and I have been living in the Pacific Northwest on unceded Clackamas and Cowlitz land since 2016. These identities and experiences inform the way I approach my therapy practice, and I strive to work from feminist and anti-oppressive lenses. I encourage discussion of how our social locations impact our lived experiences and how power dynamics show up in and outside the therapy room. In my free time, I enjoy reading queer fiction, watching soccer, being in nature, and making friends with neighborhood cats.
Education, Training and Experience
I graduated with a BA in Psychology in 2010 and a Master of Social Work in 2021. I have had a winding professional path, working in a variety of settings including food service, schools, research labs, emergency shelters for unhoused people, and adult residential treatment homes. In graduate school, I interned at the Sexual Assault Resource Center and Quest Center for Integrative Health. Through these experiences, I noticed how systematic oppression interweaves with trauma - historical, intergenerational, and/or directly experienced - to keep people stuck in survival patterns. For this reason, I sought additional training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a technique to process trauma using eye movements and/or tapping.
Philosophy and Approach
My approach to therapy incorporates systems theory and the humanistic assumption that you are the expert in your life and already have the capacity and knowledge within you to grow and heal. My role is to accompany you in your self-exploration and help you gain confidence in your internal strengths and resources. I can also help you expand the ways you cope with stress and anxiety as well as how you respond to activation to reminders of trauma. I utilize techniques from interpersonal neurobiology and polyvagal theory, internal family systems (IFS), narrative therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness practices. My area of focus is working with people in the LGBTQIA+ community. In particular, I enjoy helping people navigate transitions and explore identity. I provide gender affirming care based on the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards of care. I work with adults 18+.
