Trauma and PTSD Therapists in Eugene, OR

Do you avoid or sabotage your potential to create a fulfilling life? Is the contemplation of change overwhelming? Witnessing positive change continues to be the most rewarding part of my twenty eight years in clinical practice. I prioritize the development of an emotionally safe, strong and trusting therapeutic relationship. Our work will focus on recognizing and changing the patterns and beliefs that limit your ability to achieve an enriched and fulfilling life. I will assist you in developing the skills to better manage emotions, improve interpersonal relationships, modify unhelpful thinking, and enhance personal wellness.

If you need to find or regain a sense of joy, purpose, or flow in your daily life, I want to help. Whether you struggle with grief, depression, anxiety, trauma or a difficult relationship or situation, I am ready to help you find your path forward. I have some specialized skills and knowledge working with elders and their family members around issues that arise in the golden years from a decade spent working on a geriatric hospital unit. I also have years of experience working with dually diagnosed clients. One is never too old or too sick to aspire.

I strive to create a warm, compassionate, and authentic space to help individuals explore and grow. I am passionate about helping people heal from trauma and face anxiety disorders. Witnessing the resilience of my clients continues to be my greatest reward in this work. I use a person-centered, strengths-based approach to therapy, drawing from several modalities to tailor a unique experience for each client. I use aspects of Acceptance and commitment therapy, DBT, CBT, and solution focused therapies

Have you experienced a traumatic event in your past that is affecting your current life? Are you struggling with anxiety, depression, or grief? My goal is to create a safe space for you to heal from unresolved trauma or loss, establish healthy coping strategies, identify patterns, thoughts, or beliefs that are keeping you stuck, and create new patterns to help you achieve an optimum state of health and well-being in your life. Asking for help can be scary and overwhelming, and I admire your courage in taking this first step. We all need support as we navigate life’s challenges, and I would love to accompany you on your journey.

My primary focus is to provide a nonjudgmental, strength based, person-center, and trauma informed approach to treatment. I believe overcoming difficulties can seem complex, especially when overwhelmed by multiple struggles. I utilize evidence based therapeutic modalities that work to address your concerns. I apply active listening and together, discover what approach and strategies will work best for you to feel empowered to move forward in a positive direction. I apply the type of therapy that will fit best for your circumstances and discuss the findings with you throughout the process.

You are not alone. No one goes through life without facing challenges or without suffering. Everyday life often spurs mental health challenges which can weigh us down and make us feel stuck. Chronic anxiety, depression, problematic reactions to trauma, issues in relationships, self-criticism, issues with substances/food, and a host of other common mental health related challenges indicate a need for help. Life transitions and experiences of loss/grief are also times when help is often needed. While no one can escape challenges or suffering, wounds can be healed, and a life centered in solid mental health is possible for everyone.

I strive to bring strengths and resiliency to all clients. Being human is hard and my wish is to help all people feel more empowered navigating it. Working with individuals, couples and families, I find myself learning from each. I enjoy the opportunities I am allowed in teaching each person skills and alternative coping mechanisms to deal with their past, present, or future. My only goal is that you acquire from me the skills and tools needed to change your yesterdays and make new tomorrows. If you are ready and willing to trust the process, I promise to guide you along the way.

Many of my clients come to me with emotional wounds. They often felt invisible, rejected, devalued, or deeply hurt by others. They learned to adapt to the unsupportive environment by judging themselves, tensing up, trying to control everything, disconnecting from themselves, numbing their feelings, not trusting others, hiding, or trying to please everyone. As time goes by, these strategies stop working and become symptoms we label as depression, anxiety, disordered eating, substance use, PTSD, self-harm, etc. I work with clients to break free from the past and live life in the way they want.

When life is overwhelming asking for help is the first step. I am a licensed clinical social worker and certified alcohol and drug counselor with over 25 years of experience. I enjoy helping people make positive changes in their lives, incorporating positive psychology with traditional psychodynamic, solution focused and cognitive-behavioral methods.

I work with people who are coping with transitions in all stages of life. These are times when we feel vulnerable. We may need extra support and a safe place to explore what is happening and how we are responding. Negative experiences and traumas from the past may be reawakened and our self worth is challenged. I am experienced working with clients of diverse backgrounds, ages and customs with a range of concerns from relationships, anxiety, depression, grief, perinatal & parenting issues and trauma. I am passionate about this work and what can be accomplished in a collaborative, non-judgmental, respectful and intentional alliance.

I am accepting new clients. I help clients who seek to increase their strengths, awareness, openness, flexibility, intelligence (IQ and EQ), resiliency, create empowering processes and solutions leading to meaningful life engagement, and improving quality of life. I have worked with all ages, backgrounds and issues, individuals, couples and families. I have found the best predictor of effective therapy is how well the client connects with the therapist. I am open to working with all people, cultures and conditions.

My office has 5 therapists accepting Pacific Source (OHP and Commercial) clients. We have immediate openings for adults and a waitlist for children and teens. We work with individuals, families, and couples of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds. We have training and experience working with individuals with ADHD, grief and loss, DID, psychosis, on the autism spectrum, in foster care, co-parenting, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, PTSD, parenting skills, school problems, defiant behaviors and family reintegration. We have a clinician fluent in Spanish with much experience conducting therapy in Spanish.

Are you struggling with unresolved trauma that is now affecting you in ways you can’t ignore? You may notice that your past trauma is affecting your current life. You may notice that your personal identity, family system, mood, and traumatic experiences all interact. If you're navigating the ways trauma can interact with addiction, mood, relationships, and the corresponding reckless behavior and identity deconstruction that can arise along the journey, I would love to help. I have extensive experience working with addiction and complex trauma and would love to walk alongside you as we take that first step toward healing together.

Accepting wait list clients- Feeling anxious, sad, lost, afraid, confused? Grappling with inner conflict, self image, compulsive behaviors, intrusive memories, change, loss? I am a psychotherapist with a breadth of work and lived experience working with a variety of issues, including depression, anxiety, grief, loss, stress-related symptoms, communication problems, relationship difficulties, professional challenges, gambling and other process addictions, substance abuse, trauma, life transitions and more. I see my role as a therapist as a sacred privilege to journey along side of a person toward true and lasting change

However you are feeling at this moment, you have deep, natural sources of resilience inside you. My job as a therapist is to help you tap into the resources of your mind, body, and spirit, so that you can take charge of your own healing and growth. Often, the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors causing us the most difficulty right now have their roots in old coping strategies that once helped us to survive and care for ourselves. If you are struggling or stuck now, it may be because you are ready to let go of these old patterns and find new ways of being.

NOTE: Areas of Expertise: I practice a wide variety of techniques and modalities based on each individual. Therapies utilized: DBT (certified DBT Therapist), CBT, EMDR (EMDR Trained), Motivational Interviewing, ACT, Person-Centered Therapy, Attachment-Based Family Therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Family Systems Therapy, Gottman Method, Strength Based Therapy, Trauma Focused CBT, Solution-Based Therapy, Mindfulness for Self-Compassion, Attachment-Based Family Therapy.

Ayla specializes in treating trauma, loss, and grief. Grief can arise when a relationship ends, a loved one or pet passes, or when you receive news of a terminally ill diagnosis. Subtle forms of grief can present with aging, Empty Nesting, or even grieving the loss of a happy childhood you never experienced. Many people continue to grieve the loss of their pre-pandemic lives without the awareness that this is still impacting them. New grief often reactivates old losses. Ayla creates a safe space for you to unpack your source(s) of emotional pain, adding new insights and perspectives, helping you to move forward in life.

My clients seek me out for many different reasons, including (but not limited to) mood, anxiety, and stress disorders; adjustment difficulties; and relationship and family-of-origin concerns. Sometimes, they just know they're stuck or lost and need help. I use evidence-based approaches (i.e., what we know to be effective with certain concerns) to help clients gain awareness of the interactions between their thoughts, feelings, and behavior; recognize the influences that have shaped these patterns; and develop the knowledge and skills to respond, rather than react, to them.

**We now take OHP through Pacificsource.** Alive Holistic Counseling is an integrative counseling clinic that uses client-centered, strengths-based therapies to help people achieve their personal goals and cultivate authenticity in their relationships. Our therapists are specially trained in holistic therapies such as EMDR, Neurofeedback, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Hakomi and Certified Body Talk that enable clients to go deeper into their healing journey. Our focus on evidence-based approaches that integrate the body with the busy mind allow for work to go beyond what keeps us trapped in old patterns of being.