About Us
RELATIONSHIP-CENTERED THERAPY THOUGHTFULLY PRACTICED
We believe meaningful therapy begins with meaningful relationships. The relationship you have with your therapist matters, but so do the relationships that shape your life, with partners, family members, friends, your identity, your beliefs, and yourself.
Dr. Peter M. Rivera, LLC is a psychotherapy practice serving individuals, couples, and families in Seattle and throughout Washington. Our therapists bring different areas of focus and different personalities to the work, while sharing a commitment to thoughtful, collaborative, and compassionate care.
Our Philosophy
MEANINGFUL THERAPY BEGINS WITH MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS
People rarely experience difficulties in isolation. The ways we communicate, protect ourselves, respond to conflict, understand our emotions, and make sense of who we are have often developed within relationships over time.
Therapy offers an opportunity to better understand those patterns. Sometimes that means strengthening a relationship with a partner or family member. Sometimes it means examining how past relationships continue to influence the present. And sometimes it means developing a healthier and more authentic relationship with yourself.
We believe understanding these connections can create opportunities for lasting change—not simply relief from what feels difficult today, but greater awareness of how you want to live and relate moving forward.
What Therapy Is
Like Here
ENGAGED, COLLABORATIVE,
& HUMAN
We do not believe therapy should feel like talking to someone who simply nods from across the room. Our therapists are active participants in the therapeutic process. We ask questions, offer observations, explore patterns, and work collaboratively with clients to better understand what is happening beneath the surface.
At the same time, therapy is not about a therapist telling you how to live your life. Our role is to help you slow things down, notice what may be difficult to see on your own, and create space for greater understanding and new possibilities.
Different therapists may draw from different theories and therapeutic approaches, but our work shares a common foundation: curiosity, compassion, honesty, respect, and a willingness to engage meaningfully in the process.
Our Practice,
Different Therapists
FINDING THE RIGHT FIT MATTERS
There is no single therapist who is right for everyone. That's why our practice intentionally includes clinicians with different areas of interest, styles, and lived experiences.
Peter works extensively with couples, families, premarital counseling, relationship repair, and infidelity. Eric has particular interests in working with couples and men around communication, emotional intimacy, attachment, identity, and masculinity. Cole works with teens 16+, adults, couples, and families navigating identity and belonging, chronic illness, religious deconstruction, and life transitions.
What connects our therapists is not that we all practice therapy in exactly the same way. It is a shared belief that people deserve thoughtful care, authentic therapeutic relationships, and space to understand themselves more deeply.
What We Value
01
Relationships
The quality of the therapeutic relationship matters. We work to create an environment where clients can feel understood, respected, and able to engage honestly in the work.
02
Curiosity
We approach people and relationships with curiosity rather than judgment. Therapy creates room to ask not only, “What is happening?” but also, “Why might this make sense?”
03
Collaboration
Therapy is something we do together. Your experiences, values, goals, and understanding of yourself are an essential part of the process.
04
Meaningful Change
Insight matters, but understanding alone is not always enough. We want therapy to help you develop new ways of responding, relating, and moving through your life. We believe outcomes matter.
In Seattle & Throughout Washington
Peter offers both in-person therapy from our Seattle office and secure telehealth appointments throughout Washington.Eric and Cole provide telehealth therapy to clients located throughout Washington.This allows clients to choose a therapist based on fit, areas of focus, and availability rather than geography alone.
Why I Built This Practice
I built this practice around a simple belief: therapy should be a place where people feel understood while also being challenged to grow. I have always found tremendous meaning in helping people better understand themselves and repair the relationships that matter to them. As the practice has grown, I have been intentional about bringing in therapists who share that commitment while also bringing their own personalities, experiences, and strengths to the work.
My hope is that whether you work with me, Eric, or Cole, you experience therapy as thoughtful, personal, and genuinely useful—and that the work helps you build healthier relationships with the people you love and with yourself.
— Peter M. Rivera, Ph.D., LMFT
