Let us help you find a therapist that best suits your needs.
Meet the Team
Jeffrey K. Ellens, Ph.D.
Works with individuals navigating depression, anxiety, relationship concerns, performance challenges, and life transitions. Offers a grounded, down-to-earth approach that balances depth, clarity, and humor.
Owner & Clinical Director
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I work with individuals from all backgrounds and across a wide range of concerns, from serious mental health conditions to less pervasive adjustment challenges. My areas of focus include depression, anxiety disorders, relationship difficulties, performance concerns (academic, vocational/occupational, and athletic), and general life transitions.
My style as a psychologist is easy-going and down-to-earth, leaving room for both thoughtful, serious work and appropriate humor. While I take my work very seriously, I don’t take myself too seriously. I aim to create a therapeutic space that feels grounded, human, and approachable, where clients can engage openly and honestly in the work of therapy.
I don’t view my role as fixing people or helping them become someone entirely different. Rather, I believe therapy helps individuals reconnect with who they have always been—or with the person they are capable of being. As both a therapist and a fellow human being, I am deeply committed to supporting clients in this process with humility, respect, and care.
Megan Pagano, LCPC, MS
Supports individuals seeking greater self-understanding, emotional clarity, and meaning. Offers telehealth-only therapy grounded in mindfulness, curiosity, and authentic connection.
Lotus Counseling Clinician
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I work with individuals seeking support with everyday stressors, deeper mental health concerns, relationship challenges, and larger existential questions. Clients often come to me wanting greater self-understanding, emotional clarity, and a stronger sense of purpose.
My approach is grounded in compassion, authenticity, curiosity, and a touch of humor. I strive to create a relaxed, nonjudgmental space where we can explore your experiences, emotions, behaviors, and patterns of relating. Therapy looks different for everyone, and my priority is to support your growth and goals in ways that feel aligned and sustainable for you.
I often draw attention to what is happening in the present moment—both within you and between us—as a way to recognize patterns in thought, behavior, and relationships. Mindfulness is another tool I frequently incorporate, helping clients build practical skills and routines to feel more grounded in daily life. Through an authentic therapeutic relationship and collaboratively defined goals, we work toward meaningful change.
Megan is Lotus Counseling’s only 100% telehealth provider. Clients selecting Megan should be seeking audio and/or video-based therapy services.
Sean Kershaw, Ph.D.
Supports individuals facing loss, life transitions, and relational pain. Offers collaborative, experiential therapy grounded in connection and personal growth.
Lotus Counseling Clinician
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I work with individuals who are grieving loss, navigating major life transitions, living with regret, or healing from relational harm. Clients often seek support during times of emotional pain, uncertainty, or personal growth.
My approach is active, collaborative, and experiential. I offer presence, consistency, and care as we work toward healing and growth. I believe we are most secure when we feel connected, and therapy can be a space to rediscover that sense of support.
Together, we identify meaningful goals and work toward becoming the person you want to be. While I bring professional training and experience to the process, I hold firmly that you are the expert on your own life. Every part of you is welcome and deserves respect, compassion, and validation.
Sarah Buczek, PCLC
Works with individuals exploring identity, neurodivergence, grief, boundaries, and self-confidence. Brings creativity, humor, and collaboration into the therapy process.
Lotus Counseling Clinician
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I work with individuals exploring emotional growth, neurodivergence, identity development, sex and sexuality, grief, boundary-setting, addiction patterns, and self-confidence. Clients often come to therapy wanting support that feels both meaningful and approachable.
My style is engaged, creative, and collaborative. Therapy doesn’t have to feel like another job—we can draw on the whiteboard, share music, and create a space that feels alive and supportive. I aim to meet clients where they are while encouraging curiosity and self-exploration.
Before becoming a therapist, I worked as a veterinary technician, fitness instructor, and in food service. These experiences shaped my appreciation for adaptability, humor, and real-world problem-solving, which I bring into the therapy room.
Sarah is a licensure candidate under the supervision of Jeffrey K. Ellens, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist.
Jonah Barta, MS, PCLC
Works with individuals and couples seeking deeper connection and relief from patterns that no longer work. Offers trauma-informed therapy blending empathy with gentle challenge.
Lotus Counseling Clinician
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I work with individuals and couples seeking greater connection—whether with partners, family, friends, or themselves. Clients often come to therapy feeling stuck in patterns that are no longer working or wanting support navigating relationships, trauma, anxiety, depression, substance use, or existential concerns.
My counseling style blends empathy with thoughtful, gentle challenge. I listen without judgment and hold your experiences with care, while also helping you identify patterns of avoidance or areas of stuckness. Therapy requires vulnerability, and I believe it is most effective when you feel respected and emotionally safe.
By safety, I don’t mean therapy will always feel comfortable. There may be moments of fear, frustration, or uncertainty. The goal is to build a trusting relationship that supports emotional risk-taking, resilience, and growth.
Jonah is a licensure candidate under the supervision of Jeffrey K. Ellens, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist.
Michael Becker, PCLC, LAC
Works with adults navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship strain, and significant life transitions. His collaborative, psychodynamic approach integrates depth-oriented exploration with practical strategies that support meaningful, day-to-day change.
Lotus Counseling Clinician
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I work with clients navigating depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship strain, and significant life transitions. Many clients seek support in understanding longstanding patterns that affect mood, relationships, and overall well-being.
My approach is collaborative and psychodynamic, combining depth-oriented exploration with practical, day-to-day strategies. Together, we look beneath symptoms to the life experiences that shaped them while also building skills that support measurable change.
I earned my undergraduate degree in history from the University of California, Santa Barbara, served as a military veteran, and am currently completing my PhD in clinical psychology at Fielding Graduate University. Outside of therapy, I spend time parenting, skiing, and traveling into the backcountry—experiences that reinforce patience, adaptability, and steady effort.
Michael is a doctoral-level practicum clinician under the supervision of Jeffrey K. Ellens, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist.
Marleigh Poulsen, PCLC, LAC
Works with adolescents (15+) and adults facing anxiety, ADHD, perfectionism, and life transitions. Integrates depth therapy, attachment work, and coaching to help clients move forward with clarity.
Lotus Counseling Clinician
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I work with adults navigating anxiety, ADHD, self-doubt, perfectionism, and life transitions. Clients often come to therapy feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain about how to move forward in a world filled with constant stimulation and pressure.
My approach integrates depth-oriented and psychodynamic therapy, attachment-focused work, and coaching. I bring curiosity, honesty, and humor into the therapeutic relationship, with the belief that meaningful change begins with how we relate to ourselves.
My background includes years in wilderness education and leadership, as well as experience in community mental health. I hold a BA from the University of Washington and an MA in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Marleigh is a licensure candidate under the supervision of Dr. Sean Kershaw and Jeffrey K. Ellens, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist.