Hi, I’m joe.
My name is Joe Makka-Agonafer and my journey to be a psychotherapist started with my own experience of being deeply seen, felt, and understood in therapy. I have always been drawn to other people’s stories of pain, growth, and triumph. One of my favorite stories of suffering and redemption is Khalid Husseini’s The Kite Runner. The novel follows the story of Amir, who grew up in Afghanistan and now lives in the US. Amir carries years of shame and guilt over how he betrayed his best friend, Hassan. In the first few pages of the novel, Amir gets a phone call from Rahim Khan, his father’s best friend. Rahim Khan asks Amir to return home to Kabul to face his demons and assures him, “There is a way to be good again.“ Just like Rahim Khan gently invites Amir to a place of healing and forgiveness, I invite my clients with no judgement into change and healing. I love my job as a therapist because I get to witness the pain and celebrate the growth my clients experience.
A few personal things about me: I grew up close to Cape Town, South Africa where I lived for the first 26 years of my life. The ocean is my favorite place in the world because no other place can slow me down and force reflection like being in and near water. I love traveling and have called Seoul, South Korea home for ten years of my life before making Seattle my home. My favorite city remains Cape Town though. My favorite traveling companion is my husband. Together we are proud cat parents to Wilson and Marmot whom we adopted while living in South Korea. I love learning and consider myself a student of interpersonal relationships. When I am not reading for work, I love reading spy thrillers.
my work
I enjoy working with individuals, couples, and families who feel like they live between two or more cultures, like third-culture individuals, trans-racial adoptees, and bi-national and bi-cultural couples. As an experiential therapist, I believe that no healing happens without the feeling of safety with the therapist. To that end, I draw deeply from Emotionally Focused Therapy modalities (e.g. Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy and Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy), attachment theory, Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and Bowen Family Systems Theory.
education & credentials
I graduated with a master’s degree in Couple and Family Therapy from Antioch University Seattle. I earned two bachelor’s degrees, one a BA in Psychology (with an emphasis in Counseling Psychology) from California Southern University and the other a BA in Drama and Theater Studies from Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
I am credentialed in the state of Washington as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associate (License #: MG61469456).
I am a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and the Washington Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (WAMFT).
SUPERVISION & ONGOING EDUCATION
I am currently pursuing more training in Emotionally Focused Therapy and doing so under the supervision of Kimberly Castelo, LMFT, (License #: LF60690428).