Click here to contact our client care coordinator about working with Max!
Specialties Include:
-Adolescents & Adults (age 13+)
-LGBTQIA2S+
-Neurodivergent Affirming
-Polyamory Affirming
-Kink/Sex Positive
-Existential & Identity Exploration
-Anxiety & Depression
-Self Compassion & Confidence Building
-Self Harm & Suicidal Ideation
-Interpersonal/Relational Concerns
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In Person in Georgetown & Telehealth
Max is in-network with Premera, Cigna, Regence, Aetna, First Choice, Kaiser, LifeWise, Anthem and some other Blue Cross plans. Please be aware that Protea Wellness cannot accept insurance for couple's therapy.
Max's fees:
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50-minute session: $175
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80-minute session: $260
Max Payne, LMHCA
Pronouns: they/them
“It’s an awful risky thing, to live.” – Carl Rogers
As children, we’re taught from the very beginning to look to the future, dream, imagine the possibilities for our ideal life. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” starts as young as 3 years old. Living in a world consumed by capitalism, we’re conditioned to believe our worth
is connected to what we can produce. Whether you perform a service or create a product, we’re led to believe that our value in this life – in work, home, and social areas – is contingent on whether we did well at this thing. So naturally, you end up prioritizing the thing over most
everything else. What happens when the thing ultimately isn’t what you think your purpose in this life is? What if your humanity wasn’t correlated in any way whatsoever to how well you do a thing?
I became a therapist to walk people home to themselves after a long, tireless journey of searching; bear witness to the aches and pains of the trek, hold space for the sorrow of inevitable loneliness, fan the flame that you carried the whole way all by yourself. While I don’t believe people should be forced to have a thing, I do believe in finding a purpose to give direction to the journey. Mine is being a therapist.
My approach...
Sessions with me can look however my client feels most authentically comfortable to exist in a space – being vulnerable in sharing their inner world and lived experience, trusting the person across from them to hold their life with care and security. I desire to create an environment where my clients aren’t just told they are safe but that they truly feel safe. I actively reflect on the ways I can foster even more support, care, and
safety for my clients in the limited time we have together.
Some days this looks like virtual sessions where my client idly multitasks while we talk about the previous week, exploring their own awareness of when to pause and focus intently on topics they might consider more serious or particularly important to them. Other times it's in-person sessions sitting across from me at our Georgetown office, exploring what feels most immediately concerning to you in an effort to help relieve the
weighted stress you carry each day.
We all deserve to experience a space without judgement, to exist genuinely and authentically as ourselves with someone to witness our humanity, if only for an hour a week. It is my privilege and honor to witness the human beings I call my clients.
Professional training & memberships...
I completed a graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from
Rollins College in Florida. Upon graduation, I also received a Family & Relationship Certificate for my supplemental education and training in relational counseling techniques. Additionally, I am trained in a wide variety of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reductions techniques not solely
limited to meditative practices.
I have since gained licensure in Washington State (LMHCA #: MC61670868) and I am an active Emerging Professional Member of the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) at national and state level.