Beth Allen, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC, PMHS

  Beth has been a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (CPNP-PC) since 2015,  Board Certified Pediatric Mental Health Specialist (PMHS) since 2024, and is projected to graduate as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) in 2026. She is originally from Iowa then spent time in Austin, Texas practicing as a registered nurse for 10 years before pursuing her Master’s degree as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner from the University of Texas in Austin (graduated in 2015). She then moved to Washington State and began her NP career working in general pediatrics at a community clinic in Yakima, WA. In 2019 she moved to the Bellingham area and continued to work in general pediatrics and in the childbirth center with newborns. 

During the first 5 years of her practice she discovered her desire to work in the area of neurodevelopment and pediatric mental health. Once she completed training as a COE provider (autism Center of Excellence), she started working in the Neurodevelopment Clinic at PeaceHealth Pediatrics part-time.  In Fall 2023 Beth joined Caterpillar Counseling in order to pursue her passion of working with the autistic community and supporting children and teens with mental and behavioral health concerns. She is part of the multidisciplinary TACC team (The Autism Clinic at Catalyst) and also offers pediatric mental health assessments and psychiatric medication management for treatment support of ADHD, depression, anxiety, oppositional defiant disorder, and other mental health and behavioral health conditions. 

When Beth is not in the office you can find her spending time with her two children, dog and friends. She enjoys an array of outdoor activities, reading, and dancing.

 Melissa is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has lived in Bellingham for 25 years.  A Washington resident most of her life, she moved from Eastern Washington to attend Western Washington University for her undergrad degree in Psychology and loved it so much, she stayed and is now a Bellingham lifer.  Melissa has worked in a variety of advocacy support roles in the Autism and Disability community including Respite care, Paraeducator in the Community Transitions program at Bellingham High School, and a variety of Employment advocacy roles in the community prior to developing this role as an LMFT.  
Melissa provides Neurodivergent and Gender Affirming therapeutic supports to families, individuals, children, and couples through a variety of therapeutic modalities individualized to each clients specific needs and preferences including Theraplay® based interventions, Acceptance and Commitment therapy, Compassion-Focused therapy, Sensorimotor interventions for processing difficult emotions, Walk and Talk therapy, Feminist therapy, and Somatic Experiencing therapy. Melissa earned her Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy through a COAMFTE accredited program at Touro University Worldwide and completed all hours for full licensure through internship and beyond at Compass Health on the Child and Family team, as well as through private practice and now here at Caterpillar Counseling where she has been for one full year.
Melissa also provides supports to families in the community through the Healthy Children's Fund grant that supports processing news of Autism diagnoses for families as well as connecting families to services and resources.   Melissa's focus with this role is to support parents in this often isolating experience of navigating a complex diagnosis for their kids and work with families strengths to support a sense of empowered advocacy and increased sense of connection for the family unit.  Healthy Children's Fund also supports monthly parenting support group for families with Autistic kids and Melissa facilitates this monthly group as well as provides outreach to families to connect to supports and increase a sense of community.

Outside of work, Melissa enjoys walking and hiking with her husband, 3 kids and pitbull mix, Chubbs.  She is also an avid reader and lifelong learner, enjoys paddle boarding in the summer, Sunset Silent Discos, exploring new walking trails, gardening, and singing.