Adoption Therapists in Old Town-Chinatown, Portland, OR

I am experienced helping people with eating disorders, mood disorders (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder), trauma, and PTSD. Adoption and blended family problems are also close to my heart and I enjoy helping others in these areas. I am Star Behavioral Health Tier 2 trained and have lived the military life as a spouse of a career Marine. I work with those aged 5 and older. If you need someone who can really listen to you and help you figure out how to change your life for the better, I can help you.

Have you struggled during pregnancy or postpartum? Do you love parenting but find that anxiety, depression, and/or shame get in the way of truly enjoying your children? Are you struggling to co-parent effectively and peacefully with your co-parent(s)? In the process of becoming a parent and wanting to identify and explore what raising a child means to you? Let's sit down and explore these big things together.

All families experience transitions, and even positive change can cause stress. I employ an eclectic approach with a strong emphasis on attachment, structural, and solution-focused family therapies. I work with young children and their caregivers to form secure attachments early on. This leads to more effective communication and problem solving patterns and a higher level of resilience down the road. My work tends to be short term and builds on the existing strengths of your family. My work with couples is attachment informed as we look at past and current relationships to elucidate our most fulfilling ways of connecting.

I am passionate about assisting individuals & families on their journey through challenges to findings fulfillment, engagement & empowerment in their life. While our past experiences & connections have led us to where we are this does not have to be where we stay; we can choose what will define us moving forward, our pain or our strength. I work to assist clients in developing their own unique path toward growth & healing while honoring & creating understanding around the role their past has played in shaping them. My clinical styles utilize psychodynamic, attachment theory, cognitive behavioral, & strength based approaches focused on creating engagement through individualized therapeutic relationships.

Pacific Northwest Behavioral Health, LLC has a team of providers with a wide variety of specialties that include medication management, marital, individual, family and group counseling. Our goal is to bring a sense of vitality and wellness to your life through compassion, wisdom and humor!

I’m similar to the clients I work with in a lot of ways. Before becoming a psychologist, I held numerous jobs as a warehouse worker, a cook, a salesman, a teacher, and a nurse. I began working in mental health in the 1983 first as an assistant for hospitalized persons suffering with mental illness. I then became a psychiatric nurse where I helped clients with their medications the psychiatrist prescribed them. For the last 24 years I have provided psychotherapy to hundreds of clients. I think my long time working as a therapist and my down to earth nature is what makes me different.

My approach is collaborative with a focus on building awareness and flexibility in coping styles, with the goal of decreasing symptoms as quickly as possible. My training and approach include cognitive behavioral therapy, gestalt therapy, developmental theories, dialectical behavior therapy, and crisis/trauma-informed theories. Additionally, I am dedicated to working with first responders, healthcare workers, and other mental health providers.

As a marriage and family therapist, my ideal client is an individual or family seeking to strengthen their bonds, enhanced communication, and overcome obstacles together. Whether they’re facing transitions, conflicts, or are simply aiming to deepen their connections, my therapeutic space is open to you. I welcome individuals of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds, ready to embrace positive change and create of a nurturing environment where every member feels heard, valued, and supported. Let's embark on this transformative journey together, one step at a time.

PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT CURRENTLY TAKING NEW CLIENTS. I am an experienced psychotherapist specializing in treating individuals with relationship problems; depression; anxiety; trauma; and grief. I can provide you with a safe space and a trusting relationship with a caring mental health professional to resolve emotional pain, depression, worry or sadness. Our first step is to identify the core issues affecting your life; then we'll focus on making key changes to improve your life and relationships. You will find me to be caring, supportive, knowledgeable, and effective.

***NOT ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS*** I work with adults and couples from diverse backgrounds. Using a collaborative, relational approach I help you with your struggles with anxiety, grief, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties, multicultural identity concerns, and life transitions. The foundation of my approach focuses on developing a shared understanding of your current struggles and how personal, relational, familial, and cultural experiences help shape your unique life circumstances. While doing this I help you expand and enrich your ability to cope so that you may be more empowered to generate change in your life.

Sorry, not taking new clients at this time. If you are reading this you have found the courage to consider trusting someone you have never met with your fears, frustrations and hopes. I honor this trust and the individual needs that each person brings to counseling. My practice is focused on assisting those who have met a challenge in life such as the loss of a loved one, chronic or acute illness, relationship conflict, job stress or traumatic events. Although these may be common experiences that many of us share they can also cause symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger or PTSD if lived in isolation.

For most individuals it is difficult to know where to turn when seeking help for depression, anxiety, self-harm, or interpersonal relationships. It is important to find someone who understands and above all someone to trust this change with. It is my belief that it is through this relationship and the will to find the real person underneath the hurt that we grow. By incorporating awareness of the mind, body and spirit there is little an individual cannot overcome. But this requires support and guidance.