Lionel Enns PhD, BCBA-D, NCSP

I take my work seriously; myself, not so much. I’m super boring. If you were to drop in on me on any given evening, I’d likely be bingeing a crime drama or comedy with a gigantic cat named Cholo on my lap. When I’m feeling really adventurous, I might go to a Marvel movie with my teenaged daughter or stroll to the market with my youngest. I’m pretty sure I had hobbies before my kids showed up, but now all I can come up with is Netflix, napping and ketogenic diets.

I came to psychology rather late in life, after a career in film/TV production and writing. When my eldest was a toddler, after spending time at the park with her, I realized how much I wanted to know more about child development and psychology. By the time my toddler was in 5^th grade, I’d completed my PhD and BCBA at UW.

After a whole mess of training and time assessing and treating kids and families, I think I’ve gotten pretty good at this. The work still humbles me and keeps me on my toes. I know I will never know all that I need to know and depend on the smart, caring people with whom I work.

Lastly, I love my work. While my wife thinks I became a psychologist because it’s a great excuse to wear sportcoats (alright, well that’s kind of true), I truly enjoy problem solving with families. I can’t believe how fortunate I am to spend time with such interesting people

WHAT I DO

By the time a parent has picked up the phone and reached out to me, he or she probably feels as if they’re in a state of crisis, with problems that extend beyond their current abilities. I like to think I offer a compassionate, thoughtful, centered approach to helping people solve these problems and get their lives back on track.

Life is complicated, and my treatment reflects this. Each individual – parent, child, adult – deserves to be considered for their unique qualities. This often requires thinking outside the box and developing strategies that are far ranging. As such, I blend relational, cognitive behavioral, behavioral and play therapies together, depending on specific needs. I also depend heavily on parents to help support child-based services.

When considering an individual’s challenges, I think it’s critical to think about social systems that support or disrupt behaviors.  I don’t think there’s one magical way to solve problems for the children and adults I see.

Because of my unique training and interests, I see many children, adolescents and adults on the Autism spectrum. I think they’re often poorly understood and need treatment that differs from typical psychotherapy. They first have to be understood as people before coping skills can be taught and practiced. Taking a straightforward approach rarely works, and I enjoy the challenge of meeting each person’s needs. If I have a subspecialty, I’d say it’s assessing and working with girls on the spectrum. If children with Autism are poorly understood in general, I’d say females present even more challenges, both diagnostically and therapeutically.

I assess and treat a wide range of ages and challenges. I work with very young children (sometimes as young as 18 months) and also see adults. I assess and treat:

• Attention Deficit Disorders
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Behavioral challenges
• Internalizing challenges (e.g., anxiety, depression, OCD, phobias)
• Learning disorders and executive functioning challenges
• More impacted mental health challenges

I’ve also had the privilege of working with multiple school districts across the state of Washington and also perform the following school-based-services:

• Behavior Intervention Plans
• Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs)
• Independent Education Evaluations (IEEs)

I look forward to meeting you and your family and solving these challenges in a thoughtful, cautious, team-based approach.

NOT AN IN NETWORK PROVIDER, PRIVATE PAY ONLY