Dr. Carly Claney, Ph.D.
Dr. Claney brings a depth-oriented approach to every therapeutic relationship: a commitment to understanding the complexities of your unique story rather than mapping it onto a predetermined framework.
Her clinical foundation is psychodynamic. She believes that the patterns shaping your present-day struggles were formed in earlier relational experiences, and that genuinely understanding them (not just naming them) creates the conditions for real change.
Her focus on what others miss
Over more than a decade of practice, Dr. Claney has developed particular expertise in neurodiversity, identity development, and the kinds of quiet struggles that don’t always look like crisis from the outside. She works frequently with high-masking autistic and ADHD adults who have spent years learning to perform competence while quietly exhausted inside.
She also specializes in comprehensive psychological assessment: thorough ADHD and autism evaluations for adults who want a sophisticated, individualized picture of their minds, not a checkbox evaluation.
How she works
Dr. Claney’s aim is to create a collaborative dynamic where you feel both supported and challenged enough to grow. She doesn’t rush toward conclusions or solutions. She pays attention to what’s said and what’s not said, to recurring themes, to moments of aliveness and deflection. The therapeutic relationship itself becomes a living laboratory for the relational patterns being explored.
She believes that lasting change requires this kind of depth, the kind that shifts how you relate to yourself and others. It takes time, and it is worth it.
Training & credentials
Dr. Claney completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2018 and has been practicing in the Seattle area since then. She is a licensed psychologist in the state of Washington, and holds advanced training in psychodynamic and relational approaches.
Her practice, Relational Psych, PLLC, is based at 200 W Mercer St in Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne neighborhood.
The values behind the work.
These principles shape every clinical encounter, from how Dr. Claney listens in a first session to how she structures an assessment report.
Depth over breadth
Dr. Claney keeps the practice intentionally focused: fewer specialties pursued more seriously, rather than a generalist approach that skims the surface of many things.
Curiosity without judgment
She approaches each client with genuine curiosity about their particular experience. There is no template you should fit. She is interested in your specific story.
Relational at the core
The therapeutic relationship is itself the medium of change. Dr. Claney attends closely to what happens between you as a window into your broader relational world.
Honoring complexity
Dr. Claney doesn’t reduce people to their diagnoses or their presenting problems. Her work holds the full complexity of who you are and how you got here.
A collaborative pace
She follows your lead. Some clients need to move slowly; others are ready to dive deep quickly. She finds the rhythm that’s right for you.
Inclusive by design
Dr. Claney actively affirms LGBTQIA+ identities, neurodivergent experiences, and the full range of human ways of being. You don’t have to explain yourself to be seen here.
The people behind the practice.
A small, intentional team built around the same values that shape Dr. Claney’s clinical work: warmth, expertise, and a commitment to getting the details right.
Dr. Carly Claney, Ph.D.
Clinical psychologist specializing in psychodynamic therapy and comprehensive psychological assessment. Over 10 years of experience in neurodiversity evaluations.
Ally
Dr. Claney’s care coordinator and first point of contact. Warm, experienced, and genuinely skilled at helping new clients navigate the often-overwhelming first step of reaching out for support.
About Dr. Claney and the practice
Who is Dr. Carly Claney?
Dr. Carly Claney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in Seattle, Washington, and the founder of Relational Psych, PLLC. She has more than a decade of clinical experience and specializes in depth-oriented psychodynamic therapy and comprehensive psychological assessment, with particular expertise in neurodiversity, high-masking autism and ADHD in adults, and identity development.
What is Dr. Claney’s approach to therapy?
Dr. Claney practices psychodynamic and relational therapy. Rather than focusing on short-term symptom management, she works at the level of underlying patterns and meaning: exploring how earlier relationships and unconscious dynamics shape present-day struggles, and using the therapeutic relationship itself as a central part of the work.
Her aim is a collaborative dynamic that is supportive enough to feel safe and challenging enough to produce real change, without rushing toward conclusions.
What are Dr. Claney’s specialties?
Dr. Claney specializes in comprehensive psychological assessment (particularly thorough ADHD and autism evaluations for adults) and in psychodynamic therapy for neurodiverse adults, life transitions, anxiety, and relationships. She works often with high-masking autistic and ADHD adults who have spent years performing competence while quietly exhausted underneath.
Where is Relational Psych located?
Relational Psych, PLLC is located at 200 W Mercer Street, Suite E305, in Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne neighborhood. Dr. Claney also offers secure telehealth sessions to clients throughout the state of Washington.
What ages does Dr. Claney work with?
Comprehensive psychological assessments, including ADHD and autism evaluations, are available for clients 16 and older. Dr. Claney’s psychotherapy practice is focused on adult clients.
What training and credentials does Dr. Claney hold?
Dr. Claney holds a doctorate (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology and is a licensed psychologist in the state of Washington. She has advanced graduate and post-graduate training in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic approaches, attachment, and neurodiversity, and has been practicing in the Seattle area since graduate school.
Let’s start a conversation.
A 15-minute consultation call is the first step. No commitment, no pressure. Just a chance to see if this practice is the right fit for you.
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