Men's Issues Therapists in 97232

I work with patients from all walks of lives and backgrounds with a wide variety of concerns including: Anxiety, Depression, Identity Concerns, Men's issues, Life Transitions, and ADHD. I am an ADHD certified clinical services provider (ADHD-CCSP) and a Health Service Psychologist (HSP). See my website for more information. I do not provide ADHD evaluations or do HRT letters.

Get better, heal, and integrate. My role is to help you become your fullest version of yourself. My ideal clients are ready to look at new ways of encountering old problems. I enjoy working with many identities, including my own LGBTQIA+ and Latinx communities. Relationships, sexuality, identity, trauma, anxiety, kink, and neurodiversity are recurrent therapy themes. At times in our lives it is key to have the competent support of an advocate to walk through tough life experiences. I see individuals, relationships, and groups.

I specialize in working with men, and understand the ways that masculinity can complicate mental health and treatment. I also provide neurodiversity-affirming care to adults with ADHD or other neurodivergence, and identify as neurodivergent myself. I take an eclectic, client-centered, evidence-based approach that focuses on combining the best available research with your individual preferences and learning/interaction styles. Our time in therapy will focus on teaching you skills to help you relate to yourself, your emotions, and your thoughts in more effective ways, while also exploring and validating how those patterns formed.

Do you feel alone in your relationships, or are you having difficulty connecting with others at all? Are you wanting to live a life of meaning and purpose, but don't know how to find it? If you are wanting better connections with those around you, and want to step into living a whole, healthy life, you don't need to suffer. I'd love to work with you. I especially enjoy working with male-identified clients who are highly motivated to take a risk and make a change in their lives. (Note: I am best reached via email.)

I strive to provide a safety net in therapy, free from judgment and shame, so that my clients feel safe to explore their relational and erotic desires, practice articulating their needs and boundaries in relationships, and touch on any shadowy parts that need attention and grace. As well as being able to provide general individual and couples support in therapy, I have specialized education and training in working with sexual concerns related to sexual dysfunctions, painful sex, shame or anxiety around sex, and improvement in pleasure. I bring a calm, knowledgeable, and sex positive presence to our exploration of sexual intimacy.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the weight of past trauma, the challenges of life transitions, or the deep sorrow of grief? Life's journey can be filled with unexpected twists and turns, leaving us struggling to find our way. If you are seeking a compassionate and experienced guide to help you navigate these difficult moments, I am here to support you on your path to healing and growth.

To seek help means acknowledging that toughing it out alone isn't working. Whether you are a seasoned recipient of counseling, or this is your first time, I commend you for taking this step and look forward to working with you. My approach to counseling is trauma-informed and integrative, drawing on my knowledge of a variety of therapeutic models while being rooted in humanistic, psychodynamic, and emotionally-focused psychotherapies. We'll work well together if you're looking to change relationship patterns, free yourself from feelings of sadness and fear, or work through old traumas.

*Sorry, not accepting new clients* The choice to engage in counseling can be difficult yet beneficial. If you choose to engage in this process you will be treated with the respect, care and dignity you deserve. I provide individual, couple and family counseling central to Black people and Black communities. Exploring racial trauma can be a huge part of this work. Counseling allows a safe platform to explore issues that need to be addressed in a healthy and positive manner.

***Currently available for in-person and Teletherapy appointments*** I am passionate about people leading empowered, connected, and purposeful lives. I provide counseling services to diverse clients as they learn, change, grow, and function in increasingly inspired, creative, healthy, and adaptive ways. I work collaboratively with clients in identifying needs, making changes, and practicing new skills in a safe and supportive setting. I am experienced in working with adults, couples, families, as well as adolescent clients, on issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, anger, identity, and unwanted thoughts or emotions.

While I may have a waitlist, please don't hesitate to reach out! I hold high value in your journey and acknowledge that healing isn’t linear. The human experience is complex, and my goal is to create a space that allows you to explore your story. Maybe your pain comes from childhood trauma, family or social stressors, work pressure, partner wounding in relationships, or a specific incident impacting your life right now. Together, we will unpack intergenerational legacies passed through family that impact intimacy, closeness, and how you relate to those around you.

Does your romantic relationship need a life line? I'll help you and your partner create lasting change in your relationship. We'll work through the rupture of disconnection, infidelity, parenting, physical intimacy and sex and get to the connection you desire. I work with individual clients on tackling the unmanageable, in their relationships with others and self. We'll explore what's kept you stuck for so long and uncover deep meaning and happiness in your relationships and in your personal story.

I am accepting in-office clients only at this time, though I use telehealth when necessary. I work most often with people struggling with the course of their life: its direction, its quality, or their traveling companions. You may arrive at therapy when the problems of living have become too painful, scattered, depressing, frightening, or paralyzing to bear. Reaching an emotional breaking point isn't necessary to seek therapy, however: instead, you may be frustrated at not having "figured out" how to build a rich life that includes satisfying relationships and work that doesn't demean them.

We may feel ready for a new direction and unsure how to make meaningful change. Our habits may seem increasingly inadequate to meet our daily challenges. We may experience patterns of venting and withdrawing, or feel ashamed of our thoughts or desires. Your therapy can focus on providing the means for you to renegotiate your relationships. We also focus on bringing to light the implicit stories, narratives, and beliefs that form the foundation of your self-understanding and relationship with yourself, others, and the world.

I specialize in issues important to teenagers and young adults/families, including issues related to family dynamics, depression, anxiety, bipolar/schizophrenia, substance abuse concerns, transracial adoptions, grief, LGBTQ dynamics, racial identity, gender transitioning process, and abandonment trauma. My relational approach to therapy can help you gain awareness of your road blocks and provide you with the tools (skills/coping strategies) you have for your own growth.

What do you want to change? At the shorter end of things, it's possible to make positive changes in a handful of sessions. This is often the case for issues related to specific events. For more serious and/or chronic problems, longer-term work is appropriate, especially when a sufficiently safe therapeutic relationship takes more time to build.

I enjoy working with motivated individuals who want to see change. I work with both individuals and couples/Poly/CNM who are navigating challenges in their lives or their relationships. Maybe you've found yourself feeling disconnected from your partner(s) or having the same fight over and over again. Or maybe you feel like something isn't working in your life but you just can't put your finger on it. I love helping clients explore where they're stuck and collaborate with them to find creative solutions.

Let's take the time to talk about what gets in your way. Together we will identify roadblocks, examine patterns, and reauthor a story that aligns with a new vision. Change creation does not have to be limited by your past experiences or future fears. Change happens with compassion and support. Using connection as a foundation for courage. We will have an open, honest, empathic, and nonjudgmental exchange of stories.

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.

Welcome! My name is Lauren. I am a Marriage and Family Therapist Associate who provides integrative telemental health care to Oregon residents.