Therapists in Old Town, Portland, OR

Seeking therapy is an act of courage when your life is not working, when you are feeling overwhelming emotions, or are ready to grow. With over 35 years of experience, I work skillfully with adults, children, families & couples. I am here to compassionately facilitate your learning to live your life with emotional freedom, purpose, creativity, passion & joy! Get in touch with the strength & beauty of your Inner Self & develop more satisfying relationships. Examine your thinking & beliefs & develop mindfulness, transforming your moods & your life. I use a gentle therapeutic style which is an eclectic, psychodynamic, humanistic, transpersonal & holistic wellness approach.

Sexual Addictions & Trauma affects everyone in the Family. Betrayal Trauma is a natural response to secrets & lying. It must be treated as primary for the relationship to heal. Many families experience Multiple Generations of Addictions, Abuse & Neglect. Family participation is strongly encouraged but not required. Couples & Families are often in crisis from a lack of support during discovery & disclosure of Sexual Addictions. Full Disclosure is encouraged in a safe, structured process with support. Accountability is the Cornerstone of Restoring Trust & Intimacy for couples & families recovering from Sexual Addictions. Recovery from Sexual Addictions involves restoration of Healthy Sexual Balance.

Everybody deserves a space where they can feel truly seen, heard, and understood without judgment. As a clinical psychologist, I strive to provide therapy that is collaborative, effective, and uniquely tailored to every client. I have extensive training and clinical experience working with clients from all walks of life on a wide range of issues including (but not limited to): depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, family-of-origin, cultural identity, codependency, relationships, etc. I also enjoy working with couples (monogamous or non-monogamous) and families.

Currently I work with people struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, life transitions, addictions, and grief. While I have received training in a number of approaches, my goal is to offer you interventions and tools that best fit for you. I am most influenced by IFS, DBT, EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Mindfulness, and Expressive Art Therapy. I look through the lens of trauma, and I take a behaviorally specific approach to support experiences of transformation into long term change and growth. You can expect to have tools and skills to practice in between session to support your work.

I value being real and supportive at the same time. I love what I do as a therapist and believe in being safe, trusting and accepting, no matter what may come! My office is (ever so slightly) cluttered and often gets the term "homey & comfortable" Dogs are welcome as well, due to their positive therapeutic benefit for their people (owners, minders & guardians). I value humor (when appropriate...granted, that's open to interpretation, right??!!) and use it as the situation arises, as in a give-and-take dynamic relationship. Life-long gamer & D&D geek, btw. :)

Hello there. I have been in practice providing psychotherapy to adults and adolescents since 1994. Some clients see me briefly for focused concerns such as life transitions or work/school issues. Others who seek my help have been struggling with longer term depression/anxiety, effects of past trauma, or problematic relationship patterns, for many years. In either case I work from a psychoanalytic framework, using the power of the here and now therapy relationship to explore how peoples' unconscious thoughts color their experience of themselves and others. Over time this work often leads to deep, lasting life changes.

Everyone eventually comes upon a life situation that confuses or distresses them. I believe that is part of the human condition. Whether it be situational anxiety or depression, trauma, mental illness or addiction, nobody gets through life without experiencing something. These life events serve as wake up calls to help us make changes and live a more fulfilling life. It is helpful to have someone to navigate new territory with, someone who has been there themselves, to help find a better way. And that's what I am here to help you do, find a better way that leads to a more fulfilling life.

Depression, anxiety, and relational stress can keep you from living your life to its full potential. While difficult and stressful experiences are unavoidable in life, there is a way for you to find joy, purpose, and passion again with the right support. With the help of mindfulness-based counseling, I can help you heal and thrive again! Some of the issues I can help you with include depression, anxiety, grief and loss, couple's work, co-dependency, historical trauma, Men's Issues, cultural oppression, life purpose/career, parenting issues, creative blocks, and Climate anxiety and grief.

Not Taking New Clients At This Time. Whatever your reasons for seeking therapy or counseling, I assure you when you step into my office, you will be treated with respect, compassion, & validation. I believe everyone is doing the best they can with what they know. And that is typically where we start the therapy process - with acceptance of where you are now. The work I do with my clients is collaborative - we create a treatment plan together, with goals you want to work on. We achieve these goals by building skills, improving understanding of how these behaviors got started in the first place, & increasing resources in your life.

Sorry, not taking new clients at this time. If you are reading this you have found the courage to consider trusting someone you have never met with your fears, frustrations and hopes. I honor this trust and the individual needs that each person brings to counseling. My practice is focused on assisting those who have met a challenge in life such as the loss of a loved one, chronic or acute illness, relationship conflict, job stress or traumatic events. Although these may be common experiences that many of us share they can also cause symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger or PTSD if lived in isolation.

Asking for help can feel daunting and may also be your window to healing. My goal is to offer a safe space for you to ask the scary questions, feel the unwanted pain, get to know your emotions and reacquaint yourself with your strength and resilience that may feel so distant. A counseling relationship can offer you reflection and insight to what is making you feel stuck. With you, I will help you discover the obstacles blocking your path, rediscover your personal assets and help you grow your skill set to work through these obstacles.

My approach to treatment includes a combination of both Cognitive-Behavioral and Narrative theories. These two approaches aim to look at how thoughts and ideas influence emotions and effect behaviors and decisions. In addition, this approach attempts to separate the problem from the individual and often uses homework assignments, journaling, and mindfulness exercises as therapeutic interventions. I believe that the counseling experience is a sacred one. You, as the client, have the power to make healthy and helpful choices in your life. It is my role to assist you in this journey.

Please feel free to look me up on past patient rating/review sites like healthgrades.com, kudzu.com, OregonLive.com, EverydayHealth.com, Alltherapist.com, bestoftheweb.com, superpages.com. My focus is on direct, short term therapy that helps you resolve the problems you bring in as quickly but thoroughly as possible. I specialize in the treatment of anxiety disorders, panics, depression, PTSD, relationship and sexual problems and gender specific problems.50% of my patient referrals come from past patients, 40% come from physicians and other therapists and 10% come from online reviews from past patients.