Couples Counseling Therapists in Portland, OR

Hi! I love working with individuals, families and human beings in all types of relationship structures. Many clients have worked with me on anxiety, healing from trauma, navigating relationships, family conflict, parenting challenges, LGBTQ+ issues, depression and improving their relationships with themselves. My counseling is about supporting you in the way that you need to be supported while empowering you to deeply tune into your authentic self. In my practice, I strive to co-create a compassionate, non-judgmental, open space in which we can collaborate to clarify goals, build healing, strengthen skills and cultivate resilience.

In my work with couples, I start from the reality that relationships are hard. Whether you are baffled by your single-hood, or in the throws of trying to make it work, relationships can feel impossible and essential at the same time. In spite of the challenge, I know we all have the capacity for connected, secure relationships. I especially love working with folks who have never been in relationship, or who have a difficult time moving from dating into commitment. My relational work is also a good fit for sexual issues like low libido, sexual avoidance, erectile dysfunction, high conflict counples, and painful sex.

Feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, anger, sadness, fear, trauma, or confusion is tough. Seeking support is a brave first step towards a more fulfilling life. Therapy provides a compassionate space to explore your thoughts, emotions, and gain deep insights. Whether facing stress, trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, or aiming for personal growth, therapy is transformative. It helps you understand yourself, build resilience, and pursue fulfillment. You're not alone—support, understanding, and hope are here for you.

My approach as a therapist is to assist you in creating a felt sense of internal connectedness and strength, as well as connectedness to others, and to help reauthor narratives that help you feel embodied and authentic. I work primarily with queer, trans, neurodivergent, and non-monogamous individuals and couples. My work often focuses on healing trauma, gender identity exploration, navigating the intricacies of polycules or exploring non-monogamy, finding empowerment/healing through sex therapy, and how to find space for joy and connection while living under systems of oppression.

Why not feel better, understand more, find avenues of communication in your relationships, improve your sex life, get rid of your depression and anxiety? Real change often takes courage, time and trust but it's not as hard as you think. My clients find I understand them quickly and we seek insight and solutions together. Clients want to be unstuck, to be more conscious, to be more content and to be more mindful. Clarity, problem solving, finding one's authentic path, having more intimacy and being happy are some of the results of therapy. SEE A VIDIO OF JANE. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojWA9NFKoNk

Are you feeling unhappy, lost or stuck? You can feel better! "In a dark time, the eye begins to see." The poet, Theodore Roethke, recognized the opportunities available even in our most troubled moments. Therapy offers the chance to get a new perspective on both our internal landscape as well as our relationships. With enhanced vision, therapy can help you discover and embody a new story for yourself. As a therapist with over thirty years of clinical experience, I believe in each person's innate wisdom and ability to change. No matter how lost you might feel, I know that healing is possible.

I’m Dr. Sara Aslan, PhD, I am a licensed Psychologist, I have been providing therapeutic services to individuals, couples, and families since 2010. I am currently providing virtual sessions to adults and adolescents residing in Oregon, Washington, and PSYPACT states; and in-person sessions in the Portland, Oregon area. I began working with Eating Disorders in 2010 and quickly realized that I was also seeing experiences of trauma interfere with my client’s healing processes. I knew learning to adequately treat trauma was something that was imperative to the overall wellbeing of my clients. I began providing trauma

There aren’t many things in life that are as satisfying as feeling “at home” with your partner. You feel safe, comfortable, and connected. You feel like when you express yourself, you’re being heard, and you’re being given the benefit of the doubt. Alternatively, there aren’t many things in life that can feel as miserable as feeling disconnected from your partner. You constantly feel uncared for, misunderstood, unheard, defensive, angry, and resentful. And it feels like there’s no escape.

I have deep respect for the ways our lived and inherited experiences show up in our relationships and sexuality, and how both of these are impacted by larger systems. It's an honor to work with clients who have curiosity about their experiences and a desire to overcome the obstacles that are preventing them from experiencing joy and belonging in their lives and their relationships. I’m particularly drawn to working with relationship systems: friends, families, partnerships, polyamorous/non-monogamous relationships, and kink/BDSM relationships.

Welcome! As a therapist, I invest wholeheartedly in my clients to build a nurturing relationship where clients can feel safe, supported and valued. I am passionate about helping people overcome their challenges to arrive at a place of peace and empowerment. I deeply care about my clients and their process, thus prioritize building safe and strong relationships with each person I work with. I see therapy as an adventure where we will be going through the trenches side by side. This journey is not a straight path and each turn will take you exactly where you need to be.

You are not alone. Rather than being an obstacle, our bodies and our sensual nature can be integral to personal and spiritual liberation. My work is grounded, respectful and authentic. In confidential, online sessions, men gain mastery of how to generate, contain and transform sexual energy and cultivate deep presence. Women remember how to heal and reclaim their sexual power and become radiant in their ability to be love. Profound levels of respect and joy emerge within couples. As a result, we learn to relax deeply and access our life potential in a profound and powerful way.

I view therapy as a collaborative, unfolding process that considers clients holistically. I draw from feminist and somatic approaches, using IFS to help you reconnect with your centered-self, those around you, and broader structures of support and thriving. You can expect a safe and nonjudgmental space - I strive to incorporate anti-oppressive frameworks into my practice, attending to your social and cultural context. I believe that many challenges are related to structural violence and that we hold this trauma in our bodies. I enjoy helping clients tune into their embodied experience to release pain and find understanding.

Thank you for exploring your options for support. People who seek out therapy want something in their lives to change or are adjusting to a change that they never wanted. Therapy can be incredibly helpful and healing. Therapy can also be about getting to know yourself and supporting your growth. Your goals are valid and I look forward to supporting you.

Does your romantic relationship need a life line? I'll help you and your partner create lasting change in your relationship. We'll work through the rupture of disconnection, infidelity, parenting, physical intimacy and sex and get to the connection you desire. I work with individual clients on tackling the unmanageable, in their relationships with others and self. We'll explore what's kept you stuck for so long and uncover deep meaning and happiness in your relationships and in your personal story.

*CURRENTLY WELCOMING NEW CLIENTS* Are you experiencing distress, anxiety, depression, shame, disconnection, loss, reactivity? Are you experiencing life transitions, seeking meaning, or having trouble In relationships? Are you in recovery from gaslighting, shunning, cults, having trouble finding your place in the world?

Are you coping with overwhelming life changes? Do you feel exhausted by your relationship with yourself and/or others? Are you struggling with existential dread caused by the unstable world around us? Well, together we can build a safe space to explore these thoughts and feelings, whatever that may look like for us. Each person is seeking a different outcome in regard to therapy and there is no right or wrong answer. With your guidance, I will support you on the journey to self-compassion and deeper understanding of yourself. I am here to support you in accessing external and internal resources to help you tackle life's challenges.

Trans and Queer folks deserve affirming care from counselors with lived experience. I am passionate about holding a collaborative and empowering space for folks who are in LGBTQIA+ community, and their families. I have experience with various identities, backgrounds, and difficulties including depression, anxiety, trauma, autism (and the unmasking process), ADHD, non-traditional relationships, people coping with chronic pain, or really anyone who seeks help understanding themselves or discovering more fulfilling ways to live.

accepting new clients! My areas of expertise include anxiety, depression, and relationship issues. Are you self-aware, but needing some extra support around understanding your experience and making necessary changes in order to thrive? Are you navigating a challenging relationship, situation or transition? Do you need new tools for self-regulating? My primary objective as a therapist is to establish a nonjudgmental and nurturing environment where I can help you recognize and address the thought patterns and behaviors that may be impeding your progress towards realizing your highest potential.

I am both a physician and a marriage, couple and family therapist intern. My training gives me a unique awareness of the interconnectedness of neuroscience and the tender yet resilient human psyche.