Relationship Issues Therapists in Terwilliger, Portland, OR

Are there seemingly "insurmountable" obstacles in your life? Are you feeling sad, lonely, angry, anxious, or empty, but you can't figure out how or even what to change. Whether these struggles have recently developed or have been life-long, together we can work toward changes leading you to a more satisfying, fulfilling, and joyful life. For 30+ years, I've been effectively using talk therapy with couples and individuals helping them to express, feel and sort out their unique struggles. Their clarity, purpose, and coping skills improve, leading to a more vibrant connection with themselves and those around them.

When faced with life's challenges and transitions, we experience a mixture of emotions, ranging from overwhelmed to deep sadness and anxiety. At times like these, it can be especially hard to find the space to pause, breathe fully, and stay connected with what truly matters in one's life. My approach is to offer a safe , compassionate space to stay centered through the various storms of life and the emotions they bring. Using evidence-based practices, I work to bring awareness to the values you hold dear and to stay grounded in those values while moving forward in life.

I am currently accepting new patients -

Welcome! I am a licensed psychologist who specializes in working with adults and adolescents who are experiencing a wide variety of mental health issues including but not limited to depression, anxiety disorders, behavioral problems, relationship conflict, and trauma recovery. In addition to individual work, I also provide family therapy and parenting consultation, when indicated, to support parents and promote healthy communication and interactions.

Taking the first step to get help and support can be confusing and hard to navigate. This is particularly difficult when we are struggling. I understand this and want to support you in feeling better and getting more out of your life. I believe that the most important way I can support you in counseling is by helping us build a trusting, collaborative relationship where you feel seen, heard and understood.

Our relationships can provide us feelings of connection and safety, and give our lives meaning and purpose. They can also bring us pain and disappointment. Is your relationship in trouble? I specialize with issues that can result within relationships, from premarital to divorce, as well as blended family concerns. Whether communication issues, unresolvable conflict, infidelity/affair, addiction, abuse or mental health issues have affected your connection and attunement, I can give you the tools to turn things around in the present and the techniques to provide consistent connection in the future.

My style in working with clients is positive and direct. I believe wholeheartedly in the possibility of change, and that the deepest, most powerful change starts on the inside. As our core beliefs, patterns and awareness shifts, life on the outside begins to reflect those internal changes, resulting in greater satisfaction and meaning. My approach involves working in partnership with clients, using the counseling relationship as a catalist on the journey to healing and growth, both individually and in relationships.

My work involves helping you find what is most valuable to you and how you can live more in tune with your values and goals. By helping explore your feelings and relationships, we can discover together what patterns and obstacles can be shifted to bring you into the life you want. I am experienced in helping people improve their relationships, professional lives and sense of personal identity.

I work with adults using the lens of complex trauma to help bring awareness into how one’s past may have shaped maladaptive behaviors of their present that could be causing life to be stressful and overwhelming. At the core of my work, I promote improving the relationship with oneself to maintain long-term healing. Patients who are motivated to improve their relationships, assertive communication and boundary setting skills, and develop a deeper understanding of themselves would be a good fit for the treatments I provide. I use CBT, attachment theory, inner-child work, some components of IFS, and EFT in my work.

Therapy can offer hope in the midst of depression, anxiety, trauma, stressful challenges in work, relationships, health, or other arenas of life. It can also help us respond thoughtfully and creatively rather than anxiously or destructively. I am a firm believer in learning to be open towards yourself, your relationships, and life transitions. This is a more powerful motivator than mentally beating yourself up. We'll work together to identify strengths you can use towards making important life changes, and to build coping skills to deal with difficult emotions, trust, relationship issues, and negative thoughts you might have about yourself.

Coming to therapy is a brave choice that takes vulnerability, courage, and energy. You may be experiencing pain, anxiety, anger, dissatisfaction, or numbness, and looking to experience your life differently. I prioritize the therapeutic relationship, and bring a warm, steady, and grounded presence into the therapy space. I empower, and encourage my clients toward exploring their emotions, body experiences, thoughts, memories and desires. I support clients in navigating their internal and relational worlds toward fullness, freedom and agency. I am a holder of hope and offer my clients deep compassion along with direct guidance.

I utilize a wide range of clinical skills to help clients reduce their distress and increase their overall well being. I aspire to create a unique therapeutic approach for each client, based on their needs, personal struggles and goals. Core tenets of my practice are empathy, validation, support and interpersonal feedback. Additionally, I strive to provide culturally competent care. I regularly attend professional seminars to increase my awareness regarding issues related to systems of oppression and privilege.

I'm passionate about helping my clients break toxic patterns and set healthier boundaries. I specialize in working with the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic personality disorders in my practice. Additionally, I love to work with clients who are struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and OCD. My style is supportive, honest, and direct with a bit of humor sprinkled in. I love being a therapist, but I'm definitely not the perfect therapist for everyone. I'm straightforward, bubbly, and have been known to use profanity on occasion to emphasize a point!

Life is not simple. It can be really challenging to navigate, especially on our own. I work with clients all across Oregon to help them heal from abusive relationships, toxic family dynamics, narcissistic parents, partners, bosses, and/or religious groups. I offer therapy focused on self-rebuilding, relationship struggles, developing healthy boundaries, and discovering your healthier way to move forward as your most authentic self. I am committed to creating the opportunity for you to have a non-judgmental, trauma-informed, inclusive & affirming space to empower your life.

Life can leave you feeling lonely, anxious, and depressed. But you don’t need to stay there. I invite you to inquire within. It's time to reconnect with the wisdom within you. Your body carries information that you haven't tapped into or perhaps don't yet have access to. I'm here to help you realize that the answers are already there. We might just need to shine some light on the shadows (things that have been to hard to look at). Acknowledging and integrating those parts that have been ignored or tucked away can lead to more authentic ways of showing up in your relationships with yourself, with others, and with the planet.

Discovering your spouse's infidelity has left you reeling. You find yourself looking at your spouse and wondering who they are. You’re filled with anger, hurt, and judgment about their actions. But upon reflection, you’ve realized that — between work responsibilities, caring for your children, and life in general — you and your spouse have both been running on auto-pilot in your marriage, and you've undeniably grown apart. You can see now that there have been major problems in the relationship before the infidelity happened. You want to work it out, but conversations at home turn into fights full of blame and defensiveness.

You can overcome anxiety and past difficult experiences, including the results of trauma. Often anxiety gets in the way of engaging with relationships or our careers in the way that we want to. Past traumas may come to surface when we find ourselves feeling guarded, overwhelmed, or reliving our childhood experiences, even when we don't want to. If you're seeking a sense of empowerment for your life and tools for managing anxiety or trauma, you've come to the right place.

Holding space for people to experience connection and support as they grow, heal, or transition is what I love about this work. Whether it is a couple/relationship stuck in a pattern or longing for deeper connection, or an individual ready to make sense of things or move forward toward something new

If you're looking for a safe and supportive place to explore possibilities for change, growth, and healing in your life or in a relationship, I can help. Whether you face increasingly stressful life circumstances - feel disconnected from work, family, friends, life dreams - stuck in self-defeating patterns or challenging relationship dynamics - or struggling with self-esteem, chronic pain, or residual trauma - this very moment can be a turning point in a new direction. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or to talk about therapy, counseling, or herbal consultations.