Obesity Therapists in Washington County, OR

Welcome to my psychology practice. Are you struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma recovery, relationship stress, or distress due to constant heavy demands in your daily life? In the therapy relationship, I journey alongside my clients as a partner in thought and a companion in healing and recovery, toward empowerment and more confident living and relating. Our struggles invite us to grow. We don't have to be sick to get better. I also have a specialty in treatment of eating disorders, with a focus on understanding how relationships in the real world impact internal relationships with one's body and with food.

The journey of healing is a collaborative process between therapist and patient. I am direct, warm, and respectful in my professional approach and work best with people who are curious and motivated to understand themselves and learn to address current struggles in new and adaptive ways.

Life is just getting too hard. The nightmares, the memories, the sleepless nights, the triggers, what do I do with it all? Will it always be this way for me? Trauma, CPTSD, and PTSD can feel overwhelming, frustrating and isolating. It's possible nobody around you understands, or they are telling you that you should "get over it", or that you should have been able to move on by now, and you want to. You want to be able to connect with people again, to feel safe in your environment and in your body. You want to feel better, and you want to thrive.

Since you are reading this profile, you are likely feeling a need for change. Fortunately, it is unnecessary to live life with fear, confusion, or loneliness. Just because you can't see how to get there doesn't mean it can't be done. I would be honored to walk this path of healing with you. Borrow from my hope and experience that things CAN be different. Whatever block you may be experiencing is simply a signal that your body and mind wants to heal. Together we can interpret those signals and create a healing dialogue.

Clients want problems solved and expect that to occur soon. So I focus on the here and now and am active in making recommendations that bring about change as soon as possible. I use an outcome-focused approach and have over 40 years of professional experience as a counselor and trainer to bring you competent expertise. Treating individuals, couples and children with depression, anxiety, and traumas, are common complaints that respond well to my treatment.

I believe that people entering into a therapeutic relationship have made an empowering decision to invest and promote healthy and meaningful changes in their lives. Successful therapy requires honesty, transparency, trust, and collaboratively working towards goals that promote healthy living and optimal well-being. I employ a variety of evidence-based counseling practices, with the intent of customizing each approach to match the client and their healing journey. I have experience in working with individuals struggling with mood disorders, trauma, anxiety, grief & loss, severe mental illness, stress, life transitions, and addiction

I provide therapy for men and women around life transitions, grief, depression, anxiety, marriage and relationship issues, guilt and shame, recovering from physical or sexual abuse, sexuality, identity and self image, spiritual development, spiritual abuse, church and ministry. 35 years of pastoral ministry has given me great exposure to issues across an adult life span including singleness, finding life direction, finding a life partner, empty-nest, mid-life crisis, retirement and finding fulfillment when life and health is diminished by age.

Have you ever thought: Counseling is helping, but I feel like it’s not quite enough..... I’m not sure if medications are the right fit, and don’t know who to talk to about it..... They say supplements can help with mental health, but how do I know I’m taking the right ones? If so, you’re not alone. It can be difficult to know where to go in the midst of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, fatigue, or unmanaged ADHD symptoms. You just want to feel better!

I help people who seek to increase awareness, strengths, intelligence (IQ and EQ), resiliency, create empowering processes and solutions leading to meaningful life engagement, and improving quality of life. I have worked with all ages, backgrounds and issues, individuals, couples and families. I have found the best predictor of effective therapy is how well the client connects with the therapist. I am open to working with all people, cultures and concerns.

*Note: I am currently taking new clients! It is more important than ever to consider your mental health needs. I have over 10 years experience working in mental health as a therapist, leader, advocate, educator, and researcher. I would love the opportunity to partner with you on your mental health and well-being needs. I am passionate about finding ways to work with individuals, families, teens, and adults in order to have their lives be more fulfilling, productive, motivated, and healthy.

I provide useful and in-depth psychotherapy in Connecticut, New York, Oregon, & California. People are in a constant developmental process, whereby symptoms are signs of ongoing struggles to sort through past experiences while organizing oneself in present living. Depression, anxiety, & personality traits are markers of this process. Therapy with me would seek to aid in your understanding of how & why you live the way you do, and hopefully lead to change. My hope is that we can find a way for you to live more fully and for problems to be comprehensively understood, formulated and articulated, and resolved in a sustained way.

People can live a life that is joyful, peaceful, compassionate, mindful and connected with the love that we all are. As life takes it course, we can lose sight of who we are at our essence. Patterns and habits get established that can interfere with living life to its fullest and in alignment with core values and highest priority intentions. Cognitive decisions get made that form belief systems and ways of acting and behaving in the world that are not always in alignment with our essence. Emotions can get stored in the physical body, which the cognitive mind may not always be able to fully access without support and guidance.

My role is to support you in creating your own understanding of self, explore your personal truths, and identify your strengths. You have a story and deserve a safe space to share it. My top priority as a therapist is to create a safe, non-judgmental, and non-pathologizing environment to support you in telling your story and working through the process of positive change. My goal is to engage collaboratively and compassionately with each of my clients throughout their therapeutic journey. I find special value in working with all clients on finding new ways to care for self on a deeper and more intimate level.

I specialize in helping individuals cope and transcend some of life's most difficult stressors that often cause anxiety and depression. I work with clients who are caregivers, as well as those dealing with loss and grief. I work with clients facing chronic and terminal illness to find meaning and purpose in their lives. I specialize in working with clients suffering with pain, sleep problems, and experiencing insomnia. I also specialize in health behavior change, whether your goals are to improve your physical health via diet, exercise, and adaptive thinking, I will help motivate you to take action and ascend!

Beginning the counseling process can be intimidating. I aim to provide clients with a safe and neutral space to share their story and feel wholly accepted without judgment. I believe that inviting the vulnerable parts of ourselves to be seen, heard, and cared for can lay the groundwork for effective therapy. By exploring past and present experiences, thoughts, and feelings, we can identify and alleviate barriers that are preventing you from living the life you desire.

YOU are the KEY component to your relationships! Experience healing, renew strength & generate peace in your life today. I'm not your stereotypical couch psychologist, sitting in a chair saying 'how does that make you feel, and tell me more.' I'll engage with you to help you improve your life. I'm also not totally removed from the challenges you may be facing. As a husband, father, & business owner I'm out there living life & facing some of those same challenges. There is hope, and there is change available for you. Call me, let's get your life back!

If I were to ask you to describe your life briefly right now, what would come to mind? We might love to say "whole, complete, and living my best life". Yet, when we have a moment to reflect further, it may sound more like "stressed, anxious, or just trying to make it all work out". It is normal to feel avoidant or anxious when going through something hard. Clients find me here when seeking support for security in an uncertain time in order to feel safe and secure inside.

I collaborate with Individuals and Couples on things like communication, using the language of taking responsibility, setting boundaries, talking through conflict without escalating, slowing down communication with partner, learning to use mindfulness and coping skills when triggered. Individuals work on things like depression, anxiety, relationships, disordered eating, social anxiety, trauma responses, co-dependent behaviors, not standing up for self, processing grief, finding your identity again, processing abuse, learning new coping skills.

I help clients explore their authentic selves, enrich their relationships, and embrace life’s transitions.