Welcome to Archangel Catholic Counseling
Our Leadership and Support
Archangel Catholic is committed to Magisterial Fidelity and Clinical Best Practice
Michael d’Esterre, MSW, LICSW
Founder & Director
Michael d’Esterre, MSW, LICSW, is the founder and director of Archangel Catholic Counseling. He has served as a licensed Catholic counselor for over a decade throughout Colorado, Washington, and Idaho. Raised in Helena, Montana, he studied Psychology and Theology at Carroll College before earning his Master’s in Social Work from the University of Montana. He has a deep appreciation for nature integrated with the sacramental worldview as an essential part of human wellness.
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I'm a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in Washington, Idaho, and Colorado state — and I offer a space where your Catholic faith is primary.
My approach draws from a psychodynamic framework, shaped by formation in Catholic anthropology through years of study and mentorship.
My hope is that you learn more about yourself and become more fully alive with God.
I am a grateful husband and blessed father of seven children. I am an avid reader of classics and Catholic literature. I try to stay active and use sports as a vehicle of virtue development. Love solitude in nature and sharing creation with others. I am particularly inspired by the back to the land movement and the power of friendship.
Blessed Fulton Sheen is my all-time hero.
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BA Psychology and Theology
Carroll College
MA Social Work
University of Montana
Formation
As a lifelong Catholic, Michael has developed a robust formation in catechetics and mystagogy. Through years of service as an altar server, sacristan, choir member, catechist, youth minister, Totus Tuus missionary, and participant in various men’s formation groups (KofC, TMIY, FOCUS, and others), his love for the Eucharist is the keystone of his growth. His spiritual life has been shaped by decades of spiritual direction, his own journey of recovery, and raising a family of seven children. These experiences have given him a compassionate understanding of the challenges individuals and families often face.
Professionally, Michael has accompanied individuals and couples across the lifespan. He has supported clients in navigating anxiety, depression, pornography and other addiction, relational tensions, and faith-related concerns by integrating therapeutic tools with the richness of Catholic teaching and practice. His parallel work in entrepreneurship and real estate has further grounded his passion for practical, faith-integrated solutions. Through a psychodynamic approach, he strives to walk alongside Catholics in all stages of life, uniting the wisdom of the Church with the best of clinical practice to help them become more fully alive.
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Availability: In-person in Spokane, WA and Telehealth in Washington, Idaho, & Colorado, on a limited basis at this time.
Elizabeth Hince, MMF, MSc, is our most remote team member. With previous roots in the Northwest, she is currently based in the UK, she is a wife, mother of three, and devout Catholic. She graduated from the International Theological Institute with her Masters degree in Marriage and Family studies, and from Divine Mercy University with a Master of Science in Psychology. She has volunteered extensively with special needs individuals in Christian and Muslim communities in the Middle East, and to all things, she brings a heart for service. She has brought her warm and professional touch as our first point of contact for new clients.
Elizabeth Hince
Client Services Coordinator
Meet Our Team of Clinicians
Read through our clinicians’ bio to learn more about who we are
Jacob Frazier
Licensed Counselor
Jacob Frazier, LMHC, MA, NCC, is a licensed mental health counselor in Washington and Idaho. Trained in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), DBT, and EMDR, Jacob also works with OCD/scrupulosity, trauma, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, post-separation/divorce healing, and vocational discernment. His approach integrates evidence-based treatment with respect for Catholic faith and conscience, helping clients pursue greater psychological freedom, healthier relationships, personal virtue, and a more peaceful and confident spiritual life.
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How I Can Help
I'm a Licensed Mental Health Counselor offering in person and telehealth therapy throughout Washington and Idaho state — and I offer something genuinely hard to find: a space where your faith is not a complication to work around, but a foundation to build from. You don't have to explain yourself here or leave any part of yourself at the door.
My approach draws from DBT, EMDR, ERP framework, shaped by formation in Catholic anthropology. We don't just talk about what's hard — we go underneath it, find what's driving the pain, and do the real work of healing. Honest, unhurried, and safe.
My hope is that you leave counseling more fully yourself — more present, more grounded, more fully alive with God. Healing is possible. If any of this resonates, I'd love to connect.
More Than Just My Work
I’ve been a marathon runner for the past five years and have also grown to love gardening. Both have taught me the value of discipline, patience, movement, and community. These days, one of my quieter dreams is to build a homestead, care well for the land, and enjoy the simple rhythms of growing food and raising chickens.
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MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Gonzaga University
BA in Psychology
Washington State University
Post Graduate Formation
EMDR Trained - EMDR Consulting
ERP Trained - The Knowledge Tree
Intensive Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Trained
Professional Memberships/Affiliations:
Catholic Psychotherapy Association Professional Membership Committee Member since 2025-Present
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Availability: In-person in Spokane, WA and Telehealth in Washington & Idaho
Lena Acosta
Licensed Counselor
Lena Acosta, LPC, is a licensed therapist in Idaho who works with adults who experience grief & loss, relationship struggles, or deeper wounds that stretch back generations. My background in counseling began in the field of Education. I am passionate about connecting interpersonally with clients and creating a warm, comfortable, and safe space where you feel truly heard. My therapeutic style values a holistic approach, focusing on the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of each individual. I believe these areas play a vital role in your unique journey toward transformation.
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More Than Just My Work
I am bilingual in English and Spanish. I enjoy traveling, deepening my understanding of the Catholic faith, and spending time with my grandchildren in the Boise area.
Wondering if Vibroacoustic Therapy could bring the relief your body is craving? This gentle, vibration-based therapy helps calm the nervous system and ease long held tension. People often share it's the first time they've felt "deeply relaxed or able to rest well enough to sleep through the night". If you're local to the Boise area and curious about VAT, reach out to explore an in-person session.
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BA in Education
Azusa Pacific University
MA in Educational and Clinical Counseling
Azusa Pacific University
I help clients navigate a wide range of concerns, from daily stressors that increase anxiety, family conflicts, and insecure attachments, to more complex issues like generational trauma and PTSD. I approach healing through somatic processing (sensations felt in the body) while utilizing Brain-Body Based Techniques. These techniques include Brainspotting (BSP) and Bi-Lateral Analysis Stimulation Treatment (BLAST) through eye movement desensitization, as well as Internal Family Systems (IFS), also known as "multiple parts work."
Patiently and compassionately, I will guide you to notice the physical sensations and different "parts" of your life that are showing up (e.g., sadness, self-hatred, inner critic, perfectionist). The goal of our work is to guide you toward a grounded, neutral, or calm state. Through this process, clarity and insight into negative thought patterns are often achieved much faster. Your body has tracked all your experiences and intuitively knows the best way to overcome difficult emotions and begin transforming from the inside out.
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Availability: In-person in Boise, ID and Telehealth in Idaho
Jarred Ford
Licensed Counselor
Jarred Ford, MA, LMFTA, is a Marriage and Family Therapist Associate serving individuals, couples, and families. Jarred focuses on deep empathetic listening to understand each person in their unique situation, then helps them draw on their internal strengths while integrating researched psychological tools from CBT, DBT, ACT, Gottman, EFT, and Integrative Systemic Therapy. His work supports clients in pursuing meaningful, practical changes in their lives and relationships.
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Before entering the counseling field, Jarred worked in auditing at Ernst & Young LLP in Seattle. During that time, he began volunteering with the Seattle Crisis Line, where his growing interest in mental health developed into a new vocational direction.
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Jarred completed a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy at Whitworth University in Spokane, WA. During his graduate training, he completed clinical internships with the Medical Lake School District, the Excelsior WISe team, and the Whitworth Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic, gaining experience in school-based services, intensive community-based care, and therapy with individuals, couples, and families. After graduation, he spent a year at a holistic health practice, coordinating mental health care with psychiatric, medical, and social work staff, before joining Archangel Catholic.
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Availability: In-person in Spokane,WA and telehealth in Tennessee, Washington, & Idaho
Shauna Verlanic
Licensed Counselor
Shauna Verlanic, LCPC, is a licensed therapist in Montana …more info coming soon
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Coming soon…
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Coming soon…
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Availability: Remote across Montana
Kristin Martinez
Licensed Counselor
Kristin Martinez, LMFT, is a licensed therapist in Idaho and California who works with individuals and couples navigating complex relational dynamics, high-conflict marriages, and personal growth. She helps clients who feel stuck in patterns that have not changed despite insight, effort, or previous therapy.
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Her work is grounded, practical, and focused on lasting change. As a Catholic, Kristin’s approach is shaped by a serious view of human dignity, responsibility, moral development, suffering, and accountability.
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Her clinical work focuses on complex trauma, personality disorders, narcissistic and high-conflict relationships, emotional instability, control, manipulation, avoidance, and chronic relational breakdown. She helps clients rebuild self-trust, clarify what is happening in their relationships, take appropriate responsibility, and establish sustainable boundaries.
Drawing from systems theory, existential psychology, and targeted pattern-focused work, Kristin is direct, engaged, and outcome-focused. Therapy with her is not just about being heard; it is about identifying what is happening beneath the surface and making changes that hold over time.
Patiently and compassionately, I will guide you to notice the physical sensations and different "parts" of your life that are showing up (e.g., sadness, self-hatred, inner critic, perfectionist). The goal of our work is to guide you toward a grounded, neutral, or calm state. Through this process, clarity and insight into negative thought patterns are often achieved much faster. Your body has tracked all your experiences and intuitively knows the best way to overcome difficult emotions and begin transforming from the inside out.
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Availability: Telehealth in California and Idaho
James B. Walther
Counselor (intern)
James B. Walther, MA, ABS, is a Marriage and Family Therapy Intern serving clients in Colorado, Idaho, and Washington under the supervision of Michael d’Esterre, MSW, LICSW. His background combines Catholic theology, clinical sexology, and marriage and family therapy. Before beginning his clinical internship, he spent four years helping couples as a sexual intimacy coach.
James approaches therapy with respect for each person’s dignity, faith, and circumstances. He helps clients understand the patterns that keep them stuck and take practical steps toward greater connection, trust, and intimacy.
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How I Can Help
I work with adults and couples navigating marital distress, communication difficulties, desire discrepancies, pornography use, problematic sexual behaviors, and sexual difficulties affecting their relationships. These concerns may include erectile difficulties, ejaculation concerns, painful intercourse, difficulty experiencing orgasm, and trauma-related barriers to intimacy.
Drawing primarily from Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and the PLISSIT model from sex therapy, I help clients recognize their strengths, clarify shared goals, and build on changes that already work. My approach considers the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical dimensions of intimacy and respects Catholic teaching on marriage and sexuality.
As a U.S. Army combat medic, I also welcome military members, veterans, first responders, and their spouses.
Psychology Today Profile: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/james-boyd-walther-spokane-wa/1638644
More Than Just My Work
I live in Saint Louis, Missouri, with my wife, Megan, although I was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. I also serve as a combat medic (68W) in the Missouri Army National Guard.
Before marriage, I spent a decade in seminary formation. During that time, I lived in Italy, France, and Belgium and learned to speak Latin and French. Those years gave me a lasting appreciation for different cultures, languages, and the richness of the Catholic faith.
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Education and Training
Degrees and graduate education:
Bachelor of Arts, double major in Philosophy and Theology, magna cum laude, Holy Apostles College & Seminary.
Master of Arts in Theology, concentration in Dogmatic Theology, summa cum laude, Holy Apostles College & Seminary.
Graduate Certificate in Counseling, Systemic Couple and Family Therapy, Capella University.
Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy, in progress, Capella University.
Certifications and specialized training:
Certified Sexologist, American Board of Sexology.
Sex therapy training through the Sexual Health Alliance, in progress.
Clinical approaches include Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and the PLISSIT model.
Professional memberships and leadership:
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), student member.
American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), student member.
Washington Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, student member.
Rocky Mountain Family Therapy Network, student member.
Delta Kappa, the International Marriage and Family Therapy Honor Society, Pi Chapter member and Elections Committee Chair.
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Availability: Telehealth in Washington, Idaho, & Colorado
French-language counseling services may be available upon request. Please inquire to determine fit and availability.
Brandon Miller
Licensed Counselor
Brandon Miller, MSW, LICSW is a licensed therapist in Oregon and works with individuals and couples navigating trauma and addiction and their impact on marriages, and personal growth.
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Coming soon…
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Coming soon…
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Availability: Telehealth in Oregon