Therapists in Portland, OR

I am a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. I'm honored to sit as co-navigator on your journey and support you unconditionally through overwhelming times of change and struggle. Healing is hard and let's face it - it hurts. I believe having intentional support for the healing process is essential and that's why I'm here. I focus primarily on resolution and recovery from PTSD, complex PTSD, and intergenerational trauma patterns, targeting the many ways that hurts and betrayals leave their mark on our hearts and nervous systems, interrupting connection to self and others. If you're ready I'll be there with you, step by step.

If you're sensing traits of Autism/ADHD, let's examine them together – from the joy of weekend research rabbit holes and regulating routines to annoying sensory sensitivities, social misunderstandings, and masking, to the overwhelming disconnect from your body. The exhaustion and emotional challenges you're facing deserve attention. I'm here to equip you with information and strategies. In our journey, we'll not only understand these facets but also celebrate your strengths. This safe space is dedicated to understanding the remarkable individual you are... weirdos, misfits, loners, rebels, and rigid rule-followers are all welcome.

Currently accepting clients for telehealth Mondays & Tuesday afternoons - - Ursa Major Counseling is for my fellow highly sensitive stargazers feeling less-than-stellar in this insensitive world. Being a highly sensitive person (HSP) is kinda like The Force: very lightside/darkside. Lightside: you're perma-sentimential, people’s vibes write you novels, you have the kind of intense emotional connections that they write songs about. Darkside: you're exhausted from hustling to please everyone & get it perfect. You somehow feel both never enough & too much. You have the kind of intense emotional connections that they write songs about.

"At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want" Lao Tzu Power comes from being open to exploring your inner strength as a means of gaining insight and knowledge. I strive to provide a safe, nonjudgmental, compassionate space for self-discovery. Through the Empowerment Model I use an eclectic, client centered, and strength based approach to finding healing and growth in the midst of challenges. By exploring the origin of symptoms and how they influence thoughts and behaviors we can overcome obstacles to feeling genuine health and wellness.

I strongly value clients’ unique identities and seek to nurture individuals' expression of sexuality, gender, culture, and spirituality. I strive to provide deeply present, compassionate, and holistic care. My therapeutic interests include, but are not limited to, relationship issues, depression, anxiety, sexual shame and dissatisfaction, racial/ethnic identity, self-harming, chronic illness and disability, trauma and PTSD. In our sessions, I will ask you thought-provoking questions to bring your own internal wisdom forward, gently challenge you to consider new possibilities, and offer strategies for coping with distress.

Are you seeking to improve communication and connection with your partner? I know you're doing the best you can with the relationship tools you have. Some of those tools may not be effective; maybe your parents didn't model a great relationship, or your perceptions and judgments of your partner are flawed, or it's just hard to understand what they want. This leads to feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. What you want is relief from turmoil and strength to overcome challenges to gain a better understanding of yourself and your partner. I am here to provide a safe environment for you to say the hard things and hear your needs.

You're here, looking for a therapist licensed/registered in Oregon, Washington or New Jersey to help you with challenging feelings and situations. There's so many therapists that can help alleviate anxiety, depression, self-esteem and relationship issues, and trauma. How do you choose? How do you choose when you're already feeling overwhelmed by life? We offer you what we would want: Experience, education, convenience, connection, and lasting healing.

I offer a non-judgmental and empathic approach to therapy which centers you. I encourage folks to tap into existing strengths while deconstructing limiting narratives and beliefs. I am dedicated to practicing from anti-oppressive and trauma-informed frameworks which promote choice and autonomy while addressing power dynamics and socio-cultural barriers.

As a therapist, I help people connect to their inner strength to meet life’s challenges with creativity and compassion for the self and others using a mindfulness-based approach. My practice is rooted in understanding how our emotions show up in our relationships and inner world as well as somatically in our bodies. And how experience is shaped by the family, community and larger systems we’re a part of. Whether you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, anxious — or simply stuck — I offer a warm, nonjudgmental space to explore difficult emotions and challenging life issues.

**NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS**. I utilize insight and action oriented approaches to support increased understanding of and empathy towards yourself, while also working to implement realistic changes that lead to increased quality of life and relationships. I work largely with clients around identity challenges, centering care for Black, brown, trans/nonbinary and LGBQIA individuals.

I love supporting teens, young adults, and adults as they work to grow their self-acceptance, trust their own intuition, and get "unstuck" from past experiences and big losses.

I help adults of all ages who are tired of chasing perfection. Despite being ambitious, intelligent, and devoted to their relationships, my clients do not feel calm inside. When they first come in, they feel compelled to present an outside image that is more attractive, more accomplished, and happier than the next person. Underneath, they carry the secret that they don’t actually feel that great. They struggle with staying present in the moment and often feel exhausted. They avoid reaching out to people, because it might make them look needy or insecure. Their fears get in the way of the life they want in so many ways.

We are an innovative community of unconventional, yet comprehensively trained, psychotherapists providing practical, non-reductive, and in-depth support to help you overcome adversities, resolve outdated patterns, craft more fulfilling relationships, achieve your mental health goals—and address the traumas, stressors, burdens, and conflicts that hold you back from enjoying what your life and relationships have to offer. In general, we foster a holistic and integrative approach to mental health care that focuses on what works and is not limited to what has traditionally been practiced.

Are struggling with burnout and disconnection in your work and relationships? Maybe you have had a major life change and are having difficulty adjusting. Are you experiencing anxiety and depression and searching for help in making positive sustainable change?

The human experience presents unique challenges, opportunities, victories, and struggles for us all; we experience life and our feelings on various spectrums in shared systems: Sometimes the universal feelings of sadness become clinical depression. Sometimes the universal feeling of nervousness can become clinical anxiety. We describe difficulties in processing life events in terms of trauma. We look at compounding impact of transitions as stress. Therapy presents a unique opportunity to join with a trained helper in a safe environment for growth, healing, and change: both in feeling differently and exploring life changes.

‍‍I really am a child at heart. This is why I love creating connections with children and teens. I see individuals as part of a larger system, via family, community and culture. I believe that the therapeutic alliance I make with my clients is really the heart of therapy and I have seen positive outcomes for my clients when they live confident, happy and healthy lives. In addition to my work with children and teens, much of my practice concentrates on counseling women who have recently separated from their partners, empowering women of all ages to be the best version of themselves. I strive to be the kindest human I can be.

As we navigate transitions and answer our inner call for change, we often need additional support. I am an interpersonal-focused therapist that works with you to create an empowering space in which you are free to be yourself, discover blind spots that may be getting in your way, and reclaim ownership of your life and what you want to do with it. My particular areas of work include shame, self-doubt, depression, anxiety, adjusting to life transitions, and adjusting to the effects of disabilities, as well as facilitating self-exploration and authentic identity development.

I am Dr. Kathy Marshack, psychologist and author. My credentials go back decades including a Master’s Degree in Social Work and a Doctorate in Psychology. I've trained with the best too. But as valuable as my education, training and experience are, I also know that each one of you is as unique and special as your fingerprints. I want to help you, so I'm offering Online Therapy for Oregon and Washington residents and Online Education appointments for various topics. Check my clinical website to make an appointment with me: www.kmarshack.com. I am not currrently taking new clinical clients at this time.

As a seasoned psychoanalyst, my job is make therapy comfortable for you to discuss your concerns. I work with you to find out what you desire from life and to help you to achieve that. Issues may be specific or there may be a general sense of un-ease. Together, we explore and understand the obstacles that inhibit knowing and attaining what is desired, or obstacles that get in the way of connection with others. PRESENTLY, I am interested in talking with those who are interested in GROUP therapy; preferably those who have had some therapy experience, and/or are presently in therapy. I'm not accepting new individual referrals.