Zara A. Sayles
Director
Forensic and Clinical Psychiatry
Zara is our Director who joined the practice after a long trip from Pittsburgh to Seattle in the fall of 2019. Zara graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation and Human Services and a minor in English. Her studies at Penn State are what brought her to her particular interest in the intersection between mental health and the law.
Before her move to Seattle, Zara worked as the Director of a Clubhouse Model mental health program. While in that position, she held adjacent titles as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work and Co-Chair of the Sally and Howard Levin Clubhouse Advisory Board. Her favorite part of those roles was the amount of education and guidance that she was able to spread to people just stepping into the field. She traveled to many national and international conferences to present on issues such as inclusion and equality for people living with mental illness while also mentoring students in social work, counseling, and other healthcare-related programs.
Zara had been eager to shift gears to a more dynamic and impactful part of healthcare for quite some time. She viewed her move to Seattle as an excellent opportunity to cross utilize her skills set and expand her knowledge of recovery combined with justice. Zara’s passion for behavioral health and belief in recovery are what have prepared her to be a part of something bigger than she could ever imagine.
In her spare time, you can find Zara traveling, experimenting in the kitchen, strolling a beach, hiking, or relaxing with her cats.
Emily Steen, BCN
Program Director, EEG Technician
The PTSD Institute
Emily Steen attended Alfred University in New York. She received a bachelor’s degree in Clinical and Child Psychology with a minor in Coaching. Emily did post graduate work in Counseling and Art Therapy at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California. She was the Director of Therapeutic Programming at an Assisted Living and Memory Care facility in San Francisco. Emily is a Board Certified Neurotherapist accredited by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance. She is an experienced EEG and Neurofeedback technician and is working towards her QEEG-T.
Emily is passionate about neuroimaging and helping individuals understand their brain and make changes in their lives with the help of neurofeedback.
Emily loves to learn, read, write poems and create art. Swimming, surfing, biking, and camping are some of her favorite pastimes.
D’Anthony Smith
Clinical Therapist
The PTSD Institute
D’Anthony Smith Ed.D., LMHCA, is a Counselor who came to us in the fall of 2021 after meeting Dr. Adler through a mutual acquaintance, a physical trainer. After playing seven seasons in the National Football League, Dr. Smith has found his second career as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor to be exciting and fulfilling.
As a member of the Super Bowl XLVIII Champion Seattle Seahawks, Dr. Smith has set out to advocate for mental and emotional health within both the Black and Athletic Communities. He is our liaison to the Black Lives Matter lawsuit cohort. In addition to his role here at the practice, Dr. Smith also enjoys teaching future practitioners and applying peer-reviewed research to his work with clients as an adjunct professor at Seattle Pacific University.
After graduating from the University of Western States in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Smith has become a true Pacific Northwesterner while maintaining his Southern roots. Establishing a private practice (Unleash! Mental Performance, https://www.unleashskill.com/) in Bellevue dedicated to the mental wellness of athletes, Dr. Smith often relies on his personal experience as a guide to obtaining his mission of improving the world of sports through the development of past, present, and future athletes. During his free time, Dr. Smith enjoys maintaining an athletic lifestyle and developing his Texas-Style smoking BBQ skills.