Meet Our Team - Dani Mae Millay
Dani Mae Millay, LICSW
Position at the Hallowell Todaro Center:
Intake Provider and Therapist
How long have you been working at the Hallowell Todaro ADHD center?
A little over a month!
Where did you grow up?
Born and raised in Auburn, WA moved to Tacoma for undergrad and then kept making my way North through Grad school and the past few years my husband, daughter, and I have been living in Sultan, WA!
What are your favorite books / TV shows / movies?
Fave Books: The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya is my all time favorite. The Hobbit was my favorite growing up and now I’d say it’s a tie between The Only One Left by Riley Sager or The Women by Kristin Hannah. I also just finished the Throne of Glass series by SJM!
TV Shows: The Office (seen it all the way through probably 10+ times now), I also love Ru Paul’s Drag Race, Widow’s Bay, Severance, Abbott Elementary, and so many more! It’s hard to choose!
Movies: Mac and Me, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Princess Bride, LOTR, Harry Potter, and I religiously watch any and all true crime docs good or bad.
What is your favorite sport and/or sports team?
Does quilting count as a sport? If I had to choose a favorite it would probably be football. I grew up rooting for the Seahawks and the Raiders, and I’m also a fan of Fernando Mendoza, so I’m extra pumped he got drafted to the Raiders this year!
Complete the following sentences:
When I’m not at work, you can find me....
quilting, at the park with my daughter, listening to true crime podcasts, or frequenting my local trivia nights with my husband.
When I want to de-stress, I...
turn on my favorite podcast (Morbid), sew, crochet, play guitar, sing karaoke, read, go on a walk, listen to music, take a shower, talk with a friend.
My favorite time of year is...
spring!
My favorite thing to cook is...
Pupusas and Curtido
The best gift I ever received was...
a personalized rendition of “When I’m 64” by the Beatles. My best friend and I were band nerds growing up, and I’ve always loved the Beatles. One year for my birthday, she transposed about five different clarinet parts to play for the song, had her dad play the drums, and spent months practicing and recording it all. I will forever cherish that gift.
If I could travel anywhere in the world, I’d go to...
Slovenia!
What led you to pursue a career helping others?
I’ve heard many colleagues share similar stories, but I grew up in a pretty unstable environment with not a lot of resources or support so I think I naturally fell into social work because I wanted to be the support I didn’t have growing up.
I was especially drawn to social work because of its connection to social justice and advocacy. I value being able to advocate alongside clients and help them feel less alone as they navigate difficult experiences. I want clients to know that their experiences matter and that they deserve to take up space and have their voices heard.
What education, skills, and expertise do you bring to your role?
I have a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work and am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW). I have about eight years of experience supporting children, adolescents, and families across school, community, residential, and private practice settings. My primary area of expertise is adolescent suicide prevention, including suicide risk assessment, safety planning, crisis intervention, and connecting teens and families to appropriate levels of care and ongoing services. I also have experience working with immigrant and refugee foster youth, LGBTQIA+ teens, families involved with CPS, and gifted and twice-exceptional (2e) children.
Who/what inspires you?
One of my main inspirations has been my mom. She was a single mom of five who worked multiple jobs to support our family, and despite how exhausted she must have been, she always made a point of making things feel special and making me feel seen. She’s compassionate, resilient, and has taught me the importance of showing up for people. She’s been a huge example for me and how I show up in my work and I hope to be someone who can sit with people through difficult things, help them feel understood, and remind them of their own strengths.
What’s your personal philosophy/approach toward the work you do?
I take a strengths-based, person-centered approach to therapy while integrating evidence-based modalities such as CBT, ACT, DBT, solution-focused therapy, and motivational interviewing.
My work is grounded in clinical expertise and a deep respect for each person’s unique story. I believe people are the experts in their own lives, and my role is to meet clients where they are with compassion and without judgment. I want clients to feel like they can show up as they are without editing or minimizing their experiences. I value creating space for curiosity and honest conversations while helping clients trust their own voice and perspective.
What is one small thing people can do to improve their lives / increase their happiness?
I saw a quote somewhere that said, “It’s punk to rest in a world that profits from your exhaustion,” and it’s been top of mind lately for me. I recently moved from an intensive, crisis-focused social work role into a more balanced, but still fulfilling, role here at Hallowell Todaro. I’m still deeply passionate about the work I do, but the transition made me realize how much of my identity had become wrapped up in my work and how little space I was giving to other parts of my life.
This may be a simple way of thinking about it, but I love thinking about slowing down as a sign of self-respect rather than something we have to earn. I think it’s important to have honest check-ins with ourselves and remember that we don’t have to sacrifice ourselves to be good at what we do. Our work can be an important part of who we are without having to be all of who we are.
We provide a range of support for people with ADHD and other behavioral health conditions.
