Therapists in Portland, OR

Welcome. Are you or your child struggling with anxiety, worry or anger? Do your thoughts and feelings sometimes overwhelm you or make you feel out of control? As a licensed mental health therapist and CCATP-CA my goal is to help you find kindness for the parts of you that are struggling, create understanding around your individual experience, and empower you through skills-based practices that can help you stay in control of your emotions instead of feeling like they are controlling you.

People come to me usually for one of two reasons: (1) things are going well but they want to grow and evolve, (2) things are hard because of a past traumatic experience or a current situation, and healing and change is needed. Symptoms often include anxiety, depression, issues related to trauma, anger, grief and relationship issues. I work from a depth psychological perspective which means that I address the cause of symptoms as much as the symptoms themselves.

Welcome! I'm glad you're here and seeking support - we all deserve it. I work with adult individuals, and also adult sibling pairs. My way of assisting in your process is to help you have a different and better relationship with yourself by truly getting to know all of you - yes, even the parts of you who scare or embarrass you. Together we can work toward a more integrated whole, where you can exist with yourself in harmony. The results tend to be less shame and self-criticism, less internal and external avoidance, more self-compassion, and more manageable moods and behaviors.

Are you ready to live a better you? You are taking the first step in attaining peace-of-mind, I respect and applaud you for doing so. I have a Masters degree in Social Work from Portland State University and over 40 years of experience working as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I began my private practice, Pathways to Peace Therapy, over 20 years ago, while also working in community mental health and E.R. crisis intervention for over 15 years. In 2014, I also began working with OCD patients. Working in various mental health settings has been invaluable in providing tools to bring to my clients individual needs and goals.

I am passionate about supporting individuals, couples and adult families in their quest for clarity and healing. We will work together to identify and achieve key counseling goals to transform your life and relationships. I strive to bring a warm and open atmosphere that encourages compassion and collaboration. Areas of expertise include rebuilding trust, healthy communication skills to manage anger and decrease conflict, creating sexual intimacy, cultivating healthy romantic relationships, managing parenting challenges and addressing climate anxiety. All are welcome: LGTBQ clients, nontraditional couples and adult families.

I work with people who may be struggling to feel present in their life, or feel unable to enact their values for immediate and long term goals. Often, these struggles stem from things outside our control like past traumatic experiences and systematic oppression. In my collaborative approach to therapy, we will refocus on the experiences, decisions, and actions within your control to move your life in the direction you want it to go. My experiences includes working with symptoms of depression, anxiety, grief, PTSD, anger, addictions, and life transitions.

People typically come to see me because they are experiencing psychological distress and/or interpersonal difficulties. The in-depth look at these issues not only leads to symptom relief but to longterm change of dysfunctional and painful (sometimes unconscious) ways we may perceive and judge ourselves and to recognize and build on strengths. I enjoy being a psychotherapist in part because it is satisfying and exciting to see people become more insightful, effective and confident in each of the important areas of their lives. II have been doing this work for 35+ years and plan to continue for many years.

I have over 10 years of experience helping people change. Change can be scary, challenging, exhilarating, and fulfilling. I help facilitate change by developing a close therapeutic relationship with clients and by utilizing evidence based therapies, and my well developed intuition to identify the source of your problem and the best pathway forward. I specialize in treating motivational difficulties, depression, anxiety, and self defeating behaviors. I also help with existential issues, such as finding meaning, discovering passions, and developing and sustaining close relationships.

I specialize with individuals and couples who desire to heal emotional problems associated with lack of trust, intimacy difficulties, ineffective communication, anger, silence and distance, sexual matters/addictions or infidelity. My services help people deal, heal, and grow through the inevitable seasons of change inherent to our lives. My approach is collaborative with the client, helping you reveal who you are, what you seek, supporting you in critical examination of the challenges you face. Together we create goals, develop strategies, and engage in ongoing interaction that moves you toward meaningful paths of change.

My deepest professional aspiration is to enable others to discover their own motivations for change and to find within themselves the ability to take responsibility for their thought life and thus find the power to take actions and thereby make dramatic and transformative changes in their lives. In working with individuals, couples, and groups, my aim is to foster self-esteem, coping skills and encourage building positive and supportive relationships. I work with individual clients, couples, and lead weekly therapy groups. Deep lasting change that is already beginning iswithin your grasp. Reach out, I'd be honored to work with you.

I am deeply passionate about what I do with children and their families. It's a privilege to sit in a room or play with another human being and have them share with you their suffering, their joy, their anger, their confusion, their sorrow, and their successes. I strongly believe that mental health is essential to a person’s well-being, a healthy family, interpersonal relationships, and the ability and possibility to live a full and productive life.

My name is Karim (he/him) and I’m a Professional Counseling Associate located in Portland, Oregon. I help individuals heal their trauma, increase awareness and work toward cultivating meaningful connections in their most important relationships. I am passionate about helping you live your life with more authenticity and freedom. I believe in understanding the parts of yourself that make you who you are, rather than removing them. I specialize in working with refugees, immigrants, and multicultural backgrounds. I am also experienced in helping self esteem, navigating body image, and working on the importance of boundaries.

I incorporate several therapeutic modalities into my work including Gestalt therapy, Internal Family Systems therapy, humanistic and existential theories, and somatic psychotherapy. The process of therapy is not one-size-fits-all. Together, we will explore which approaches feel most resonant for you. Therapy is a process of co-creation between client and therapist. I will bring my most present, grounded, authentic, and compassionate self to session. I am skilled in listening deeply and embodying what Carl Rogers called ‘unconditional positive regard’, a profound acceptance of you, however you are, in this moment.

I've been a therapist since 2004 and I still feel truly blessed to do the work that I love. I believe that people have the capability to create change, adjust to adverse experiences, and overcome hardships. I also believe in the resiliency, hope, and power in people to learn from mistakes, build skills, formulate positive perceptions, create healthy relationships, develop a sense of security, heal, grow, and be happy. In our work together, you can expect a safe and supportive therapeutic space and process. My style is open, strengths-based, and collaborative. I am also direct with humor and compassion.

Tired of looping through "coping skills," and ready to heal? If you (or a loved one) continues to struggle with anxiety, depression, dissociation, grief, parenting, relationships, trauma, or other stressful life transitions, it may be time to talk. Clients who often do well in this type of work have already worked on stability (ie safe housing, distress tolerance, "coping skills"), so a consistent focus on mental health can be a priority for the next step. Everyone is unique, but with right brained protocols and EMDR, we often see significant results in a shorter time period than talk therapy alone. Consistency is key.

Do you feel as though you are your own worst enemy? When in the midst of a problem or stressful situation, does it seem like you make matters worse by being self-critical or saying self-defeating things to yourself? When we are going through something painful or difficult to accept, our internal dialogue sometimes becomes judgmental and self-critical, causing us to feel overwhelmed and doubt our ability to manage things on our own. Often we do not notice how the relationship we have with ourselves affects our ability to cope, solve problems, and live the life we want.

Neuroscience has taught us that "the mind" is encapsulated not only in the head; it exists throughout the whole body. As a holistic practitioner, I am interested in how you can learn to listen to the wisdom and cues of your inner knowing, beyond just what your thoughts tell you, and mend the relationship between mind/body. We all have the ability to grow and transcend from our past and present wounds and turn them into sources of empowerment and healing. I greet identity work, life transitions, and LGBTQ+ issues with positive psychology and feminist therapy frameworks to aim towards your sense of liberation.

I believe the role of a therapist is to be more than a reflective and empathetic companion in the client’s journey and must also incorporate directive approaches in order to alternate between being a companion and being a leader on that journey. Inherent in this belief is that clients are coming to therapy because they want something different than what they currently have. This can be as simple as a new perspective on a past or current struggle or as complex as a new skill set for managing and overcoming emotional, behavioral, cognitive, relational, or somatic patterns that have arisen in response to emotional distress.

If navigating your personal and/or professional roles involved putting your challenges "on mute", you may at some point sense how unspoken stress will find its way to be seen. Is your physical body overwhelmed with unresolved psychological distress ? If it doesn't feel right that exhaustion/emotional disconnection from who/what you care about become your "normal", your individualized counseling can be your "mini retreat"- a venue to shift away from unhelpful vicious cycles, address origins of imbalance, integrate your strengths and move towards aliveness and true presence.