Therapists in Salem, OR

Accepting therapy and eval clients. 12+ for therapy, 7+ years of age for testing, currently providing ADHD & learning disability evals. Taking autism evals starting Jan 9th, 2024. I am glad you are here! My name is Dr. Alisha Wenger and I believe every person is both unique and also part of a larger system. I take a collaborative approach to therapy and feel honored to walk alongside clients on their journey in life. I strive to provide a safe and open space for clients to feel heard and grow. I have worked in a variety of settings throughout my training and career.

I provide individual, couples, and family counseling. I believe in a collaborative relationship exploring issues and creating ways to improve personal growth. I have a Person Centered approach to reflect, validate, and support each client as they journey through their counseling experience. I enjoy working with Client to identify their goals and support them as they heal.

I believe that every person, regardless of diagnosis or past experiences, can lead purposeful and fulfilling lives with the proper support. We do the best with what we have, and too often life presents significant challenges we are forced to adapt to. Sometimes the patterns that were helpful to get through our childhood present major challenges later in life. Our symptoms do not make us abnormal and are not part of a fundamental flaw that needs fixing, they are a normal response to extraordinary circumstances. Problems do not exist within one person but are the result of a person’s context, family patterns, and learned behaviors.

I have had the privilege of supporting individuals through a wide spectrum of mental health concerns. With specialized expertise in substance use counseling, anxiety, depression, ADHD, grief, and adjustment disorders, I have worked with clients navigating various challenges in their lives.

Over the past 32 years, I have had the amazing opportunity to collaboratively work with clients, being supportive and providing gentle guidance as they learned to identify, clarify, and develop effective coping skills to manage and resolve the stress in their lives. Whether you are experiencing depression, anxiety, trying to cope with parenting concerns, Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, marital stress/conflict, self-esteem challenges, or a variety of life struggles; I believe that my client-centered therapeutic approach will assist you in gaining greater self-awareness and emotional growth.

Possibilities. Isn’t that what every good fairy tale is made of? Inviting you to imagine the impossible. The truth about personal change is that it requires you to participate in making it happen. With over 30 years of experience, I am passionate about helping others find their own possibilities and providing them the skills to begin making changes in their lives to Move Forward.

I believe in the importance of using my skills and voice to help empower my clients. I look forward to a long career in the mental health field where my community members, especially people of color, veterans, women, and individuals needing a cheerleader and advocate in their corner, can receive the care that they deserve. I want to understand the whole person and hope that everyone will soon be able to see themselves for who they are and not by what society or their diagnosis tells them. Seeking mental health treatment is a big step and I want to celebrate each person’s journey.

My practice focuses on people who want to enjoy greater peace and more satisfying relationships. I’m pleased to serve children, adolescents, and adults. The emphasis of my work includes treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, interpersonal difficulties, psycho-spiritual issues, ADHD, and child/adolescent behavior problems.

Life is all about relationships! I seek to help others find the hope, healing, strength and grace needed to face the many challenges of life. My passion is assisting adults and couples to increase in resilience, coping and stress management skills and in the ability to encourage and appreciate themselves and others.

Looking for a therapist can be complicated, so let's keep it simple: I treat individual clients and couples. I primarily treat anxiety, depression, and trauma. I have a long history of supporting Autistic and ADHD folks - neurodivergency of all kinds is welcome here! I believe that most problems have their roots in the past, have the opportunity to be changed in the present, and can provide us the key for a hopeful future. If you are looking for a quiet and accepting place that can help you create thoughtful and sustainable changes, my office is a great place to be.

You already possess the ability to reach your full potential. My job as your therapist is to listen, walk alongside you, and help you move toward this potential. People seek therapy because they desire happiness. Let's begin by discovering what happiness looks like for you. Do you feel unheard, dismissed and over-ridden by a parent or partner even though you are an adult? Do you feel as though attempting to set new boundaries for yourself is next to impossible because important others will simply disregard them? Therapy can help you learn to fully validate within yourself what it is you feel and believe, and what it is you consider to be important. Peace, authenticity, and balance are springboards to happiness. My goal is to offer you individualized help in overcoming the obstacles that are blocking that happiness. Taking a step, reaching out for some help, will lead you to the change and growth you are hoping for. And whether you are seeking thriving relationships or simply greater contentment, I will help you tap into your own innate strengths to bring about a fuller, happier life.

As a professional counselor, I enjoy working with children, adolescents and adults. I can treat a wide range of mental health disorders. I can also offer support with parent-child conflicts, anger management, grief, past or present suicidal ideation, and conflict resolution skills. I am also familiar with issues and concerns related to marriage and long term relationships, parenting, substance use and recovery, divorce, and changes in phase of life. I prefer a Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) approach, while working with clients.

Over 29 years experience as a licensed counselor. Are you looking for a positive change in your life? I can help you. I believe that growth is an essential ingredient for a fulfilling life. I specialize in treating children, adolescents, adults and families. My training and experience is extensive. It includes being certified as a DEH@ practitioner, individual, couple, family therapy, Play/Sand/Art Therapy, hypnosis, and Spiritual Direction/life path exploration. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Oregon, trained in Spiritual direction, and certified in delivery of Tele Mental Health services.

Not taking new clients until Sept 2023. Therapy is an inherently collaborative process. Effective therapy begins by building a foundation of trust, understanding, and compassion. I see my clients as experts on their experience, their values, and their goals. My role is to work with individuals to identify and develop creative strategies, tools, insights, etc., to support their growth and healing. As an integrative therapist, my work is primarily based in Gestalt, CBT/DBT, Mindfulness-based therapies, and is neuropsychologically informed. My work is grounded in feminist/intersectional frameworks with an emphasis on cultural humility.

At this time I am seeing clients remotely and doing video sessions; I do not do text or email therapy. I help clients navigate anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, and relationship stress using evidence based modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Informed Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. My goal is to help you build skills to navigate the stressors you face.

I support relationships where one or both partners are Autistic or ADHD, and I from a neurodivegent-affirming framework. I also support those recovering from religious trauma, working with clients from a variety of religious backgrounds. I also provide Safe & Sound Protocol for trauma healing.

Do you identify as transgender, non-binary, gender-fluid or gender-nonconforming? Are you neurodivergent (such as ADHD or autism), or have a disability? Do you work in social justice or in the sex industry? I bring experience in these areas to support you in your healing process. Whether you are addressing PTSD, chronic PTSD, suicidal thoughts and feelings, anxiety, stress or depression, or want to improve your self-esteem, I can help.

I specialize in working with adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families as they pursue lifelong goals. I count it a privilege to assist people as they seek to grow towards their best quality of life. I provide a value-based approach to decision making and behavioral interventions while assisting people to experience positive change through the therapy process. I work with them to help recognize and develop a growth mindset focused on personal strengths. I acknowledge the need for human dignity and promote mental, emotional and spiritual well being.

I am autistic, and a neurodiversity-affirming professional. This means I do not seek to change others, but focus on strength and adaptation, not assimilation. We can dig into life's fundamental questions: Who am I, what do I want, why am I here, and who should journey with me? I am not a therapist, but instead, I specialize in consulting and coaching those who want to develop healthier relationships with themselves and others. Our work together might focus on recovering from past mistakes, understanding how we came to those mistakes, and learning to make different choices and decisions in the future. It might be learning to say no.