Parent-Child Interaction (PCIT) Therapists in Tigard, OR

Hi! Thanks for stopping by. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist I am passionate about helping individuals, couples, and families work toward their personal goals. Whether your goal is to build a healthier relationship with yourself and/or others; move through “stuckness”; find healing from past traumas; adjust to life changes; manage anxiety, stress, or depression; decrease behavioral concerns for your little(s); or even just to feel seen and heard through your unique life experiences; I aim to create a warm and judgement free space.

Raising healthy and happy children with ADHD can be a big job, but the good news is that you do not have to do it alone. There is a lot that can be done to help! ADHD is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that impacts each child differently. ADHD has little to do with how "smart" your child might be, but it has a lot to do with your child's ability to regulate their attention, mood, and behaviors. When symptoms of ADHD lead to lower self-esteem, mental health concerns, behavioral challenges, or academic struggles, it is a good time to seek professional help.

My approach to helping youth and teens overcome the symptoms they are experiencing begins with teaching them how to identify and express emotions. I utilize tools from Violet Oaklander’s work to teach youth how to express themselves, which leads to a greater understanding of what they are feeling in the moment. The follow-on effect is greater emotional regulation and communication of their needs. I help youth regulate their emotions by teaching mindfulness. Through mindfulness and focusing on the present moment, youth and teens feel relief from anticipatory anxiety, and depression from events in the past.

Life is stressful often in ways we do not expect. Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or disconnected is common and can negatively impact our well-being and relationships. Sometimes we get stuck in unhealthy cycles of interaction or ways of coping. Other times, life transitions or changes seem daunting. Or maybe you are just longing to feel connected and be known. Whatever you are going through, know you're not alone and there is hope! People may get hurt through relationships, but they also can heal through them. We are meant for connection, change, and growth.

My counseling approach is all about understanding the connections and systems that shape our lives. Instead of just fixing surface-level issues, we'll dive deep into the emotions that drive our connections, exploring how you feel and relate to others. As we understand our emotions, then we can change our behaviors. Whether you're facing conflicts in your marriage, coping with the loss of a loved one, navigating the joys and challenges of parenthood, or wrestling with overwhelming worries, I'm here to help you through it all.

Accepting daytime clients, waitlist for after school hours. Life is full of transitions and can tug at our strings in search for identity and times of uncertainty that can increase anxiety, depression, and trigger previous trauma. Children can feel changes and try to adapt without the words to express how they feel that can create additional tension. Put this together, it can become a cesspool of emotions for both the parent(s) and child. My personal experience of living abroad for 20 years and raising 5 children, helped me to understand transitions and their complexities.I work with both children and adults, parenting for relief.

I work with clients from a systematic approach. This approach allows clients to identify dysfunctional patterns of communication and other behaviors. This approach also aims to treat the underlying issues rather than solely focusing on the problem itself. I utilize a reality-based approach to treatment by using therapies that help clients establish greater control over their lives while enhancing the ability to build meaningful and effective relationships. My main goal is to provide a therapeutic environment where the clients can learn to focus on thoughts and behaviors as well as learning new adaptive experiences.

An ideal client is anyone who is willing to take part in the therapeutic process with an open and honest heart. Not everyone is ready for extreme change, should the circumstances call for it, but there are positives in having somebody with you during each step who is unbiased and ultimately rooting for YOU. I am here to meet you where you are at, and do what I can to support you through life's struggles. I primarily specialize in adolescence and early adulthood, but I am trained to work with younger and older populations as well, so please do not hesitate to reach out and see if I am the right therapist for you!

Do you feel you don’t know how to manage your child’s behaviors or wish you had a better relationship with them? You are not alone! Many parents experience this and begin to feel lost & hopeless. If you are ready for help, please contact me. No one knows your child better than you & you are a crucial part in helping them build the skills to be successful. As a team we focus on building new skills to understand & manage difficult feelings and behaviors. *****Providing support for a variety of women's issues is also a passion of mine.*****