Family Therapy in Portland, OR

I work with growth-oriented people striving for better ways to: grow as individuals, manage stress, connect more fully with others and achieve better balance in daily life. Common therapy focuses include acute and long-term concerns with feeling overwhelmed with anxiety, struggling to tame an overly self-critical internal voice, being unable to process sadness with confidence and ease, feeling stuck in grief and feeling unable to work through conflicts in important relationships.

Covid-19 has brought many challenges for all of us. If you are struggling with relationships in your life, maybe with your intimate partner/spouse or family members, or perhaps at work, you might feel the need to talk with someone. I am a psychotherapist in Oregon and Washington, and I enjoy assisting people in the exploration of new ways to manage challenges that invariably arise in life. If you struggle with anxiety or depression, or if you are experiencing activation related to past traumatic events I can help you learn new ways of relating to yourself and to others.

As your therapist, I am here to listen, support and work collaboratively with you through your journey as you discover your strengths and develop a sense of hope and motivation to take action to improve your life situation, utilizing the resources within and around you. My experience, education and knowledge has afforded me the opportunity to work with you who have experienced trauma, depression, anxiety, domestic violence, family conflict, couples counseling, relationship issues, etc.. I will use various treatment models that will help you to reach your desired goals.

My approach to therapy is collaborative and strengths based, rooted in anti-racism and anti-oppression. I see therapy as a place to build and reclaim your power, nourishing your strengths, needs, vision, and contributions, and tending with care to pain or challenges. I use many approaches: EFT with couples, narrative, solution-focused, systemic, transpersonal approaches & the arts. I have a trauma-informed lens, guided by your choices and experiences as the compass for our work. I also bring an embodied neuroscience lens, with somatic strategies for restoring our nervous system with intention, through anxiety, grief or trauma.

We serve a wide range of clients, individuals, couples families who present with a wide range of issues including trauma, depression, anxiety, addictions, sexual issues, body symptoms. Our staff is trained to work with the whole person, mind, body and spirit, believing that within each person is the power to grow and heal from their issues if we can follow their process and within our issues lies the potential solution. We respect and support diversity and deep democracy within the person and in the world and are especially good with helping with issues around body symptoms and relationship problems.

My focus as a therapist is cultivating an environment of acceptance and warmth so that my clients may feel empowered to engage in self-exploration and develop additional ways of coping. I facilitate self-exploration aimed towards increasing client's sense of joy, creativity, self-forgiveness, perspective, confidence, warmth, compassion, and desire to heal. I have experience providing therapy for clients experiencing postpartum depression and anxiety, infertility, and mental health issues in pregnancy. I also have experience with generalized anxiety, depression, stressful life transitions, grief, trauma, and relationship issues.

As an experienced adolescent therapist, I am passionate about helping teens and young adults figure out who they are, who they want to be, and the barriers keeping them from realizing these goals. I have assisted hundreds of adolescents through academic challenges, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, substance use, ADHD, traumatic experiences, social anxiety and divorce. We work together to develop healthy ways to manage our emotional life, identify strengths which can support self-confidence and motivation, and learn to trust we are worthy of the love and connection we want in our relationships.

I believe therapy has the power to transform people's lives and improve their relationships. My approach is collaborative and relational. In therapy, I work with clients to develop concrete goals and tools to increase confidence in themselves and in their relationships. I also assist clients in processing how past experiences may contribute to insecurities, unhelpful patterns in relationships, and professional dissatisfaction. Throughout the therapy process I help empower clients to change their life narratives by expressing and pursuing what they want in their lives.

NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS For most people, strong relationships are an important indicator of health and well-being. When we feel stuck in old patterns that no longer serve us, our connection to others suffers too, which can turn up as depression, anxiety, or simply feeling alone and disconnected. By reconnecting with our essential gifts and strengths through the therapy process, we in turn can offer more to family , friends, and community.

It is my belief that even though people seem to differ in their inborn ability to handle life's stresses, their resiliency and sense of mastery can be cultivated. My therapeutic approach is to help my clients live a more hopeful and meaningful life. Being the oldest child of a Dutch family of Holocaust survivors, I "learned" how trauma and resiliency gets transmitted from one generation to the next. My fascination of learning how the body keeps the score, my interest in helping people be securely attached and engaged with each other all brought me to this exciting calling.

I offer psychotherapy for individuals. I am a licensed marriage and family therapist practicing in Northwest Portland, Oregon. I have over twenty years of experience providing psychodynamic psychotherapy to children, adults and families. Often people first come to therapy because of a life crisis or with relationship struggles or conflicts. Changes will come through our developing a relationship in which patterns and experiences can be examined and worked through. These changes can lead to a more satisfying, fulfilling and joyful life.

I provide behavioral therapy and parent training for young children demonstrating challenging behaviors at home or at school. I also provide therapy services for children, adolescents, and young adults experiencing significant difficulties with anxiety, ADHD, and/or depression. A primary speciality of mine is working with parents to better understand their children and their children's unique parenting needs. Starting in March 2023 I will open up spots in my practice to work specifically with parents experiencing perinatal mental health disorders such as perinatal anxiety or depression.

We are all experts on our own lives, but you weren't meant to do this alone. Therapy offers a space to show up authentically, explore our inner world, and build greater awareness and self-acceptance. I work with teens and adults going through life transitions, exploring family dynamics, experiencing grief and loss, and working through past trauma. I empower clients to become aware of their inner guidance, honor their values, and take action to improve their mental health.

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