Therapists for college students near Portland State University
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Online and in-person therapy for making beautiful things happen in hard times. So, what might make me a helpful person to hear your story? First, I love building relationships. I’ve worked with teens and young adults in so many places over the last 16 years: backpacking trips, schools, therapy offices, beaches, camps. Specifically, I’ve worked mostly with adolescents and young adults who were also: immigrants, refugees, dreamers, queer, trans, non-binary, BIPOC, LGBTQ+. We can talk about who you’re becoming, relationships, dreams, and the hard stuff that keeps you up at night. I’m here because I genuinely like what I do and I’m excited to meet you. Second, I take the time to get to know more about your world and our world. I’m a queer person with a disability, and I’ve had to learn the power of believing in my own value, even when other people don’t see it. Maybe you have a similar experience. It helps to learn about how the world around us affects us so we can work to let go of things that aren’t our fault and change what we can. Third, I never stop training to be a more helpful therapist. One of my favorite methods is called Accelerated Resolution Therapy. It has some similarities to EMDR, but does not involve talking about trauma in great detail, unless of course that feels helpful! It often provides great relief!
Starting therapy can be hard. It can take some looking to find the right fit. Let's see if I am the right person to help you sort through your concerns or challenges. I do a free consultation with all new patients and encourage you to reach out to me with questions. I have worked with students throughout my nearly 10 years of clinical experience. I was a university counselor at 2 college counseling centers (University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor). I have helped students face some of the following challenges: school stress (imposter syndrome, procrastination, falling short of potential, and perfectionism), family issues, relationship challenges, break ups, identity changes and challenges. I also have helped people with anxiety, depression, trauma, COVID-adjustment related stress, and other a variety of other reasons people come to therapy).
We all deserve lives full of joy, opportunity and love. Too often though, we find ourselves in places or periods where these basic needs feel scarce. They may even feel blocked all together, sometimes in ways or for reasons that are outside of our control. Working from a stance of curiosity, compassion, and non-judgment, my hope is to partner with you in building the skills and tools to navigate whatever life throws at you. Through our work together, I will aim to support you in fostering the vulnerability to love yourself and others, the strength to approach pain, and the flexibility to touch meaning and passion even on your hardest days. I ground my practice in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and other mindfulness-based practices. While I’m excited to work with clients navigating a wide variety of issues, I specialize in supporting clients who are navigating experiences of hopelessness or powerlessness to build out lives with more meaning, space, and joy. This includes those struggling with self-harm and suicidality, trauma, anxiety, and depression, as well as those looking to increase self-compassion. If it sounds like I might be a good fit for you, give me a call or a text! We can schedule a consultation and talk through what you’re looking for. Alternatively, if you would like to know more about me, my background, or training before reaching out, feel free to check out my website.
Do you feel ready to explore and heal what’s getting in the way of you living your most joyful, creative, connected life? Are depression and anxiety keeping you either feeling weighed down, dull, and purposeless, or else on high alert and living from a place of fear and busyness round the clock? Are habitual thought-loops and tensions in the body keeping you in a perpetual state of mistrust, perfectionism/people-pleasing, and/or judgement towards yourself and others? Often, depression and anxiety are the result of an impulse getting “stuck” in the system and not being able complete its cycle. In my practice, I use a blend of Somatic Experiencing, Voice Dialogue Parts Work, and mindfulness-based present moment inquiry to create a compassionate and attuned space of inner exploration and healing. My goal is to help you move through "unfinished business" stored in the body and the mind, so that you can live in greater wellbeing and freedom. I am here to help you gently release the shame, fear and mistrust that may be holding you back from delighting in your life and in your connections to humans and to the more-than-human world.
My clinical practice is trauma informed and person centered. I enjoy working with people who are navigating difficulties related to major life transitions, sexual and gender identity development, conflicts within their family of origin, relationship issues and surviving and healing from trauma. I also value and strive to work effectively across cultural, ethnic and racial identities. I am EMDR trained, Internal Family Systems informed and believe strongly in the power of relationships to both form who we are and to heal. I received my MSW degree in 2010 from Smith School for Social Work in Northampton, MA. I have over 13 years of experience providing mental health care in different settings, including Portland State University Counseling Services. 15 minutes free phone consultations available and encouraged. New client slots available starting September 5th, 2023. Currently only offering Telehealth, with potential in-person appointments in the future.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
My work is to support you in realizing your most authentic, integrated self. I offer holistic, mindful somatic psychotherapy (Hakomi method), to create deep and lasting growth and change. In our work together we'll turn towards your physical sensations and emotions, for the sake of the information, and to allow integration and wholeness, and a future that does not look like your past. A respect for the intelligence of nature, Jungian archetypes, Eastern Philosophies (having spent 20 years as an acupuncturist), and a love for writing and creative practices is woven into my work. I love supporting women in life change. Relationship loss and grief, career shift or desire to shift, perimenopause, empty-nest, or partnering - these are times ripe for discovery and exploration. Therapy can support your evolution - find deeper connection with yourself and others, heal unresolved hurts, embody your strengths, develop a stronger identity and self-worth, and discover direction or post-traumatic growth. Anxiety, depression, issues of self-worth and relational issues - through this process of witnessed self-reflection, you'll develop greater insight, capacity to interrupt self-defeating patterns, and opportunity to create more aligned choices and preferred experiences in your life. I love supporting women in life change. Relationship loss and grief, career shift or desire to shift, perimenopause, empty-nest, or partnering - these are times ripe for discovery and exploration. Therapy can support your evolution - find deeper connection with yourself and others, heal unresolved hurts, embody your strengths, develop a stronger identity and self-worth, and discover direction.
I accompany people on their journey to a more grounded and liberated life by exploring how our intersecting identities and cultural experiences have led to the ways we are hurt, but also hold the keys to how we heal. For my clients, these layers of oppression may result in anxiety, depression, trauma, and racial identity concerns. We'll work together to process your experience, draw out your strengths, and support your goals. I love working with Asian American adults, and other People of Color, to connect the impacts of history, oppression, and culture on mental health and wellbeing.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.
Each person we meet in life experiences things differently and has struggles that are unique to them. Because of this, we believe that effective therapy is never one-size fits all. We strive to understand the unique needs of every person as we walk with them on their journey. Our training and experience enables us to offer specialized care for a variety of mental health disorders. Our goal is to bring comfort to each client by utilizing an eclectic therapeutic approach with an empathic, person-centered focus being at the core of everything we do. Our facility serves clients in Utah and Oregon via telehealth services.
Understand yourself, grow, and develop capacities for sustainable symptom relief. Mental healthcare is a collaborative effort. Depending on your unique needs, we may focus on how you experience your thoughts, feelings, actions, relationships, identity, and sense of meaning. We also consider available internal and environment supports to facilitate healing; for some this may include the support of medication. You have the capacity for growth and healing. We can help you discover and build pathways toward symptom relief, healthier living, and generally feeling more alive. This can include developing greater freedom from distressing patterns of behavior and choosing new ones as you see fit. We use evidence based practices that focus on the unfolding process of discovery, growth, self-exploration, examining emotional blind spots, and understanding relationship patterns.
I provide individual teletherapy for adults across the state of Oregon. I have a passion for helping people heal from trauma, decrease anxiety, and improve their self-esteem. Before patients come to see me, they “feel bad” almost reflexively and frequently experience high anxiety. They are wracked with feelings of guilt and may be afraid of upsetting people. They often over-extend themselves in the name of service to others. On the outside, my clients look like they have it together but feel internally like they are just treading water. If that sounds familiar, you’ve come to the right place. Counseling may be for you if: You find it easier to focus on other’s emotions and needs than on your own. You like to think and are insightful, but don’t always know how to feel. You have difficulty experiencing emotions beyond an overwhelming sense of guilt or just “feeling bad.” You feel resentful that other people don’t work as hard as you, but are terrified to ask for what you want or need from others. You are often anxious or tense; relaxation and rest feel nearly impossible. You feel trapped by family pressures or relationships that refuse to evolve. I specialize in treating trauma (especially complex or childhood trauma), anxiety, and difficulties with self-esteem.
I believe the role of a therapist is to be more than a reflective and empathetic companion in the client’s journey and must also incorporate directive approaches in order to alternate between being a companion and being a leader on that journey. Inherent in this belief is that clients are coming to therapy because they want something different than what they currently have. This can be as simple as a new perspective on a past or current struggle or as complex as a new skill set for managing and overcoming emotional, behavioral, cognitive, relational, or somatic patterns that have arisen in response to emotional distress. My theoretical orientation is rooted in Systems Theory and I utilize interventions from Family Systems Therapy, Internal Family Systems, CBT, DBT, Motivational Interviewing, ARC, as well as Somatic and Mindfulness based psychotherapies. I have over 15 years of clinical experience working with adolescents, college students, adults, couples, and families. My experience has shown that change is typically hard work and often requires compassionate and collaborative support in order to build new skills. I see clients in both Oregon and Massachusetts and I offer a 30 minute free video or phone consultation to see if I am the right fit for you.
Have you ever felt like you're either "too much" or "not enough"? This could be a general struggle, or it could be related to a specific trait (i.e. too Asian/not Asian enough or too Queer/not Queer enough). Perhaps you struggle to belong and don't feel like you quite fit anywhere. Or maybe factors such as perfectionism, self-doubt, overthinking, or comparison to others are creating problems. All of these issues are quite common, but can also be extremely nuanced. I understand and I can help. Let's explore your unique identity, coming to a better understanding of who you are. I'd like to help you unconditionally embrace and accept yourself. We can build a therapeutic relationship that supports you in meeting your goals. I hope to accompany you in your growth and healing as you laugh, cry, learn, explore, set goals, and gain skills along the way. Finding a new therapist can be an overwhelming process. I'd really like to support you in finding the right fit, so I offer a free initial phone consultation. I am open to working with all adults, but particularly enjoy helping those in the Asian and LGBTQ+ communities. Reach out to set up a time to chat; I'm here to help.
Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.