Meet Dr. McGinn

Welcome! Thank you for considering Have the Talk Counseling, PLLC. I am Dr. Meghan McGinn (she/her), a licensed psychologist in Washington State with over 10 years of experience as a couple therapist. I hope that perusing my website has given you a feel for my approach to treatment and also my enthusiasm for working with couples. I view couple therapy as a unique opportunity create lasting improvements in your day-to-day life, as most of us interact with our romantic partners on a pretty frequent basis.

Choosing a couple therapist is an important decision. You are much more likely to participate fully in treatment and get the most benefit from couple therapy if you are comfortable with your therapist. In this section, I have included some details about myself that may be of interest to you in making your decision.

I obtained my graduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles, where I did research and clinical practice under the mentorship of Dr. Andrew Christensen, one of the founders of Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy. I am an avid consumer of the latest research in my field, and I strive to apply this learning to my clinical practice, as well as make it more accessible to the general public (for example, through my blog posts on this site). I enjoy writing and, in addition to writing for fun, I have collaborated with some amazing colleagues to contribute to the scientific literature in areas like couple communication, relationship satisfaction, couple therapy, and telehealth. (See selected publications.)

I am committed to providing culturally competent and LGBTQA+ affirming care. One of the reasons I have always embraced telehealth, even before it became widespread, is that it offers the opportunity for individuals who feel stigmatized within their local community to reach providers outside of that sphere who will affirm their identities and acknowledge the real impact of systems of oppression.

My professional and personal experiences to date have led me to develop specialties in working with couples who are navigating parenting challenges or dealing with burnout related to the mental load of household and caregiving responsibilities. In 2024, I was trained as a facilitator of the Fair Play method, and I bring this additional expertise to my work with couples. I also have extensive experience in working with couples where one or both partners have been diagnosed with ADHD, PTSD or anxiety.

If you have other questions about me or my practice, please do not hesitate to reach out.