Anna Abramyan, LICSW, LCSW

(she/they)

Anna Abramyan, LICSW, LCSW, identifies as a queer, kinky, hard-femme, first-generation immigrant, residing in Washington. She attended California State University San Marcos and received a Bachelor’s in Psychology in 2012 and a Masters in Social Work in 2016.

She moved to Washington after graduating and began working in outreach programs designed to reach underserved populations with severe mental illnesses. Since then, she’s found a passion in working with chronically mentally ill populations that cycle through the systems and hospitals. In 2019, she was hired at a state psychiatric facility into a program with the 10 most violent patients of the hospital. Through this program she was able to provide individualized care that they would otherwise have not received elsewhere in the hospital. She was able to successfully discharge those deemed “ not dischargeable” and facilitated their ability to decrease violent behaviors to get their needs met. Due to funding, the project closed, and she then became part of a consulting team, in the same hospital, providing support to wards with patients identified as “the most challenging, assaultive, and violent”.

She has experience with services in de-escalation, substance use support, anger management, case management, MRT, jail systems, forensics, hospital and community systems, multi-disciplinary teams, medication management, homelessness and outreach services. She has an extra soft spot for those on the schizophrenia spectrum and those who experience psychosis.

As an abolitionist, she has found that working within the system has not been successful in creating change. She is excited to be a part Wombat MHS to continue to provide support to underserved populations and be a part of creating policy changes to abolish carceral systems and invest in communities.

In her free time, she enjoys pottery/ceramics, creating art, gardening/farming, and exploring Washington. She has 2 “lowrider” dogs including a dachshund; which will likely make appearances in meetings.

Specialty Areas

Although we are encouraged within our profession to follow DSM diagnoses, I believe in symptom reduction and management, regardless of the “official diagnosis”. Below are identified diagnoses from the DSM perspective that I specialize in:

  • Psychosis/Schizophrenia/Dissociative Disorders
  • Anger Management and violent behaviors
  • Personality Disorders including Borderline Personality Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Personal growth, self-esteem building, and increasing self-worth
  • Depression, self-harm, suicidal thoughts
  • Anxiety
  • C-PTSD, sexual trauma, systems trauma, intergenerational trauma
  • Life transitions
  • LGBTQIA2S+
  • Non-traditional relationship styles, non-monogamy, fetishes, BDSM/kink

Theoretical Approach

I don’t believe that a singular approach can manage symptoms. I believe in individualized eclectic and humanistic approaches to every client/patient. I have traditional training in:

  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
  • Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT)
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and CBT for Psychosis
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Humanistic
  • Exposure therapy
  • Family and relationship therapy
  • Harm reduction approaches
  • Solution focused brief therapy
  • Interpersonal and internal systems

A photo of Anna Abramyan wearing a leopard print dress and standing out in nature