Therapists in Alameda, Portland, OR

A comfortable alliance with a skilled therapist can help you to bring greater awareness and agency to choices you make. Perhaps fulfillment comes from having looked into yourself with curiosity, compassion and support. Bringing yourself forward in your own way and expressing yourself can be challenging in many ways... cultural, political and social inequities, childhood injuries, confusing relationships, difficulties that began with your ancestors, stressful current circumstances. Sometimes being present in yourself as well as in the world with compassion is the most poignant challenge of all. License in OR & CA

I believe that human connection begins with exploring our own vulnerabilities. My human experience has led me to process moments of disappointment and pain. I experienced challenges and I experienced successes. Everything from difficult breakups to investing in healthy relationships. I continue to learn and transform from all of this because life has its ebbs and flows which I use to find inner balance.

Hi, my name is Matthew Block and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Oregon. I typically work with teens, adults, couples and families. I enjoy helping people work through identity development, ADHD, depression, anxiety, trauma, parenting support, and spiritual concerns. I believe people are influenced by their biological temperament, life experiences, past and present relationships with significant people, and their core values.

I work with individuals, couples and partnered adults to create a collaborative relationship in which we come to a clear understanding of your Self in relationship and what is happening for you in the present. In a safe holding, we explore the nature of the context in which you came to know yourself and understand your current situation and what you experience now. This process provides for flexibility, resilience, whole presence, agency and efficacy. When you know who you are and can be compassionate and accepting of yourself, resourcing and negotiating your needs in the world becomes both more peaceful and more satisfying.

Life is both beauty and pain. You don't have to bear it alone. I specialize in trauma and women's issues. I help my clients as they navigate difficulties with the patriarchy, pregnancy, postpartum, relationships, depression, grief, anxiety and trauma. Together we work to process and release emotions, increase self awareness, and gain insight for change. My hope is to help clients move from survival to growth, find new meaning in life, and to help them find empowerment as they experience themselves as the strong, beautiful, amazing humans they are!

Either working with an individual, couple or family, I come from the perspective that every person is wired for connection and seeks growth to embody their wisdom and wholeness. Individuals can heal from past experiences, move through difficult transitions, and learn to tolerate the stresses of modern life. When we are disconnected from our natural capacity, we can experience life as intolerable and forget our inherent worth. I believe in a collaborative approach to not only find relief from problems, but also to restore health and a sense of internal wholeness.

Appointments Available updated August 2023- The transition to parenthood can bring out emotions that are surprising, new, and difficult to cope with. Dr. Block specializes in recognizing these emotions and has treatment options to help decrease the intensity of the emotions. Dr. Block provides healing tools and practical ideas to help calm and heal from anxiety.

Do you long for a more joyful relationship to your body, sexuality and intimacy? I support people of all genders and orientations in moving toward the embodied happiness, fulfilled relationships and empowered pleasure they desire. I integrate approaches that meet both body and mind to support you in connecting with your most vibrant sexual well-being. I specialize in supporting people healing from sexual and developmental trauma and neglect, relationship and intimacy work, gender exploration and affirmation and cultivating body acceptance, embodied pleasure and sexual confidence.

I work with people ages 15 and older on a myriad of topics. I am especially interested in working with interracial couples, first/second generation immigrants, queer folx, BIPOCs, men, and sex workers. Areas of specialities include mindfulness, BDSM, gender, non-monogamy, social justice, anxiety, depression, neurodivergence, bp.d, sex therapy, and trauma. I place you at the center of your own story. I incorporate mind-body connection, emotional experiences, and relationships of all kinds into the therapy space. I truly believe that you deserve to live your best life, and I am here to offer whatever help I may toward that end.

My passion is helping individuals move through challenges and toward living life as their most authentic self through exploring and utilizing the personal energy and wisdom they already possess. This may include navigating significant transitions while maintaining a sense of self, finding strength and meaning in dark times, or facilitating present moment awareness and joy. Each of us has unique, complex stories which, at times, can create internal conflict, blocking us from moving forward. I work with you to accept and integrate conflictual parts of your experience and self so that you can move forward with increased self-awareness, self-appreciation and openness to experience.

While the focus of my training and experience is children and couples/families, I love working with individuals of all ages. I help my clients overcome and manage mental health challenges, issues associated with ASD, grief/trauma, relationship/family conflict, behavioral difficulties, life change, career planning and issues associated with identity. As a former educator, I am particularly skilled at differentiating therapeutic interventions to fit individuals to suit their needs. And, I can help parents advocate for the educational needs of their children and provide social/emotional skills training to children and adults.

*Practice and waitlist currently full* If you have been considering couples therapy, I encourage you to reach out. The problems you face can seem overwhelming, but the type of couples therapy I practice (Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy) is very effective at helping you achieve the loving, trusting relationship you deserve. Therapy with me is nonjudgmental, compassionate and practical. I look for destructive patterns in your relationship and help you find your way back to one another.

I'm board certified in Family Medicine and have worked in the urgent care setting in Portland, Oregon until pivoting my practice to working with individuals experiencing problems in their lives and relationships from substance use, opioids alcohol and stimulants. I have close family members who have experienced substance use problems so I feel like I can work with clients in a calm, nonjudgmental and non-confrontational way.