Therapists

Kayla DeYoung, MA, LMHCA

WA State License #MC61480668Click for Kayla's Biography

Kayla has always been passionate about serving others. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate, earning her Master’s of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2023. She is experienced in helping with a variety of difficulties such as anxiety, depression, life transitions, trauma, grief and women's issues.

Kayla enjoys working with adolescents and adults, she empowers her clients to discover their healthiest selves and live their fullest lives. It is important to her that the therapist-client relationship is collaborative and based in trust. Kayla utilizes an empathetic, non-judgmental, holistic, and lighthearted therapeutic approach alongside several evidence-based modalities.

Shannon Dickerson, MA, LMFT

WA State License #LF60093186 Click for Shannon's Biography

Shannon received her Master's Degree in Child, Couple and Family Therapy from Antioch University Seattle in 2006, and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Central Washington University. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with the State of Washington and has worked with families in various settings since 2001. Shannon utilizes several treatment approaches, such as Cognitive/Behavioral, Parenting Education, Family Systems and Attachment Therapy.

Over the past decade she has focused her training on helping families with special needs including Autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities. Shannon offers compassionate support and practical tools to better help manage the unique challenges in your life. She works with each individual and family to create the best possible approach, help implement it immediately and maintain it over time.

Leia Dickerson is Shannon's "office assistant." She enjoys meeting new people. She will greet you in the waiting room and walk you back to Shannons office. Leia enjoys getting hugs and pets and can sit with you during your session. 

Scott Gassoway, MA, LMHCA

WA State License #MC61515867Click for Scott's Biography

Scott is passionate about empowering people to pursue a rich and meaningful life in the face of challenges. He is experienced in addressing anxiety, depression, explosive behaviors, and relational trauma. He believes successful therapy begins with a trusting relationship and a safe environment. Scott aims to build confidence and strengthen resilience by collaborating with his clients to address their needs and improve mental, emotional, and relational well-being. They work together to discover and mobilize strengths, grow in self-awareness, and gain tools to overcome life’s challenges. Scott is certified in trauma counseling and incorporates techniques informed by neuroscience, attachment theory, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Before entering the counseling field, Scott spent many years working with children and adolescents in a variety of settings as a teacher, coach, and youth pastor. When he is not in his office, Scott enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, reading, playing board games, and listening to his vinyl collection. His favorite food is tacos, and he loves cookie dough ice cream. One of his dreams is to visit Alaska and see a grizzly bear in the wild (from a safe distance, of course).

Kimarie Scholz, MA, LMHC

WA State License #LH61163863Click for Kimarie's Biography

Kimarie grew up on a farm in nearby Snohomish. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at Western Washington University in 1995 and a Master’s Degree in Cross-Cultural Studies from Fuller Seminary shortly thereafter. She spent the next decade living in foreign countries, doing aid work, and then returned to the states with her husband to be a stay-at-home-mom to their five kiddos for another decade. She completed her Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology in 2017 and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. 

Kimarie loves working with people of diverse backgrounds and tends to utilize a person-centered approach, focusing on helping the client feel empowered to discover their own solutions to life’s difficulties. She also has a passion for trauma recovery, women’s issues, and incorporating a holistic (mind, body, spirit) approach to counseling.

Joel Wright, MA, LMHC

WA State License #LH00008912Click for Joel's Biography

Joel has spent most of his life in the Arlington-area. Since childhood, Joel has been passionate about helping people succeed. In 2000, he began providing mental health counseling in the clinical setting. He is trained and experienced in helping many types of people, with various issues, including students who have emotional and behavioral difficulties. His approach focuses on the healthy aspects of life while being mindful of the whole-person (emotional, mental, physical and spiritual).

In 2001, Joel received his Master of Arts degree in Counseling with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. He then moved back to the Arlington-area and began providing counseling at a local mental health agency. In 2003, Joel decided to open Wrightway Counseling Services in order to provide quality counseling in a convenient location for the families in his hometown.