Dr. Charles Hoy-Ellis, LICSW

Dr. Charles Hoy-Ellis is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and a Certified Sexual Minority Specialist practicing in the Puget Sound region of Washington. He brings 21 years of experience providing psychotherapy in community and private practice settings, with a primary focus on sexual and gender diverse communities often referred to as LGBTQ2SIA+. His work attends to stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, and related concerns such as forgiveness, guilt and shame, isolation, and questions about life purpose.

His clinical perspective is grounded in psychodynamic and phenomenological ideas - a way of understanding how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors often develop as adaptive responses to earlier life experiences and relationships. He also holds a master's in clinical/contextual practice, which emphasizes how psychological difficulties are closely connected to social environments across past, present, and anticipated futures. Research he has contributed to examines how larger social structures like heterosexism can 'get under our skin' and shape mental and physical health among historically marginalized groups.

Alongside psychodynamic work, he draws on a range of evidence-informed tools including cognitive behavioral, narrative, and rational-emotive-behavioral practices, tailoring methods to each person's needs. He views clients as the experts on their own lives and aims to walk alongside them in exploring not what is wrong but what happened. When a person is ready to take a next step, he is available to accompany them in that process.

Evidence-Informed Approaches for Online Mental Health Care

Dr. Charles Hoy-Ellis integrates several evidence-informed methods that translate well to online formats. Psychodynamic work focuses on patterns that developed from earlier relationships and life experiences - it helps people explore how unconscious motives and repeated patterns shape current feelings and relationships. Cognitive behavioral techniques identify unhelpful thoughts and habits and introduce practical strategies to reduce anxiety, manage stress, and address depressive symptoms. Narrative approaches invite clients to examine and reframe the stories they tell about themselves, which can be especially helpful for identity, loneliness, and meaning-related concerns.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. He works with each person to consider their needs, goals, and preferences, adapting methods over time so therapy fits the individual rather than forcing a single model.

Online formats - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging - offer flexibility for scheduling and for the ways people prefer to communicate. These options can make it easier to access therapists, maintain continuity of care across life changes, and use approaches in ways that fit everyday routines, while still working with licensed professionals to address stress, trauma, anxiety, and identity-related challenges.