Professional Associates

Linnea Olson, BMT, MSW, LSWAIC, SUDPT

Linnea Olson is a Washington state-licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate, Music Therapist, Substance Use Disorder Professional Trainee, and nonprofit community clinical manager. She specializes in mental health assessment and treatment of trauma and works with individuals experiencing a range of concerns including anxiety, substance use, PTSD & CPTSD, aging & disability, depression, and life transitions, including those re-entering society from carceral or long-term treatment settings.
 
Linnea holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy from Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Denver. She regularly facilitates psychoeducation groups on PTSD, CPTSD, and trauma symptomatology and assessment.
 
​Linnea strives to approach her clinical work through anti-oppressive and trauma-informed lenses, utilizing several treatment modalities for care. She is trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Written Exposure Therapy (WET & CBT-X), as well as PRISM for PTSD Neurofeedback (exclusive trauma treatment option offered at The PTSD Institute). Linnea’s therapeutic process engages individuals in collaborative processing that is both challenging and ideally, enjoyable. She is committed to continuous learning, professional growth, cultural understanding and curiosity, and maintaining clinical practice in trauma-informed care. 
 
Linnea has worked in co-occurring treatment settings, including long-term care; inpatient, outpatient, and mental health and substance abuse management services; and transitional housing at the public, private, and non-profit levels. Outside of her work with the PTSD Institute, she currently holds a position as Clinical Social Work Manager of a non-profit agency that provides re-entry housing, employment, and community services to legal system-impacted individuals through trauma-informed, mental health, and recovery programming.
 

Em Steen

Master’s Student in Forensic Psychology | BCIA Board-Certified in Neurofeedback, Associate Fellow | QEEG-T Candidate

Em Steen is a graduate of Alfred University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical and Child Psychology with a minor in Coaching. She is currently a Master’s graduate student in Forensic Psychology and Clinical Counseling at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is Board-Certified in Neurofeedback by the BCIA and is currently a candidate for QEEG-T certification. Em has extensive experience as a qEEG Technician, providing EEG assessments and neurofeedback interventions in various clinical, forensic, and community settings. Her work has involved nationwide travel to jails, prisons, and attorney offices to collect EEG data and administer both online and paper-based psychological assessments. Em is particularly passionate about working with individuals involved in legal cases and emphasizes the importance of understanding mental health within forensic contexts. She draws on the intersection of neuroscience and creativity to utilize cutting-edge treatments.

Currently, Em is a forensic and clinical counseling intern, integrating biofeedback, trauma-informed care, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Art Therapy, and polyvagal theory into her therapy sessions. Em is also a member of an Interventional Psychiatry Team, dedicated to increasing access to care and fostering a warm, collaborative team environment. Additionally, she leads a bi-weekly art-based treatment group for individuals dealing with treatment-resistant depression.

In her previous roles as Program Director at an Assisted Living Facility in San Francisco and the PTSD Institute in Seattle, Em supported individuals coping with anxiety, PTSD, caregiver burnout, traumatic brain injuries, concussions, neurocognitive impairments, dementia, and grief. She is deeply committed to helping each client feel seen, understood, and empowered to heal.

Outside of her professional life, Em enjoys writing poetry, creating art, swimming, biking, and birdwatching.
 
 

Wes-Center,-PhD

Wes Center, Ph.D.

Wes Center, PhD is a graduate of Howard Payne University, the U. S. Marine Corps’ Amphibious Warfare School and Command and Staff College, the Defense Acquisition University, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned Masters’ degrees in Education, Marriage, and Family Counseling and a Research Doctorate in Psychology and Counseling. Dr. Center completed additional doctoral work at Walden University in Clinical Psychology.

Dr. Center served on active duty for over 20 years as a commissioned officer in the U. S. Marine Corps, retiring in 2002. He is a veteran of the Gulf War and served in a variety of command and staff assignments in the Fleet Marine Force and in joint duty assignments in the United States and Asia. Among his many decorations are the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with Gold Star, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and Combat Action Ribbon.

Dr. Center founded Focus for Living, PLLC in 2010 after leaving hospital-based clinical work in order to focus on Quantitative Electroencephalographic (QEEG) guided neurofeedback. For the past 10 years, he has been a thought leader in the field of psychophysiology and the application of emerging technologies to treating difficult clinical presentations such as complex PTSD, combat-related PTSD, autism spectrum disorders, substance use disorders, mood disorders, PANS/PANDAS, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders. Dr. Center has trained hundreds of clinicians in QEEG-guided neurofeedback as an instructor of the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance’s Blueprint of Knowledge as well as mentoring clinics and clinicians in Asia, Europe, and North America in the processes of linking symptoms to dysregulation in the brain using QEEG-guided neurofeedback. He has also served as a subject matter expert for using emerging imaging technologies of QEEG for forensic and neurological applications.

Loreli thompson, PhD, SOTP

Dr. Thompson is a Washington State licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in the assessment and treatment of trauma, depression, and PTSD in first responders. Prior to that, she was a police officer with the city of Lacey, Washington for 30 years. During her law enforcement career, she was assigned at different times as a patrol officer, detective, patrol lieutenant, and drug task force commander. She specialized in the investigation of sexual offenses, child abuse, and interpersonal violence for most of her law enforcement career, regardless of assignment, where she developed her interest in trauma.

She completed a BA in Criminal Justice from St. Martins, MA in Criminal Justice from Pacific Lutheran University, MA in Clinical Psychology from Chapman University, and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Fielding Graduate University, an APA accredited university. Her doctoral internship was at Maple Lane School for Boys, which was a juvenile rehabilitation facility for adolescent males ages 15-21 who had mental health issues in conjunction with their criminal behavior. Many of them had suffered extremely abusive and violent childhoods. She has a private practice which not only treats first responders, but also includes support for investigators at the local, state, and federal level who must seek out those who deal with child pornography offenders. She routinely presents to first responder groups on trauma symptoms and wellness.