Existential Therapists in Portland, OR

I am accepting in-office clients only at this time, though I use telehealth when necessary. I work most often with people struggling with the course of their life: its direction, its quality, or their traveling companions. You may arrive at therapy when the problems of living have become too painful, scattered, depressing, frightening, or paralyzing to bear. Reaching an emotional breaking point isn't necessary to seek therapy, however: instead, you may be frustrated at not having "figured out" how to build a rich life that includes satisfying relationships and work that doesn't demean them.

Heather is a compassionate guide who listens deeply and accepts you where you’re at. She helps you explore your strengths and limitations within a safe context where your thoughts and emotions can be felt, communicated, and understood. Heather is experienced in working with clients struggling with depression, grief and loss, trauma, anxiety, relationship stress, and personal growth/exploration. She is specialized in helping women who have experienced infertility or loss due to miscarriage & is an Enneagram expert.

My training as a couples, marriage and family therapist leads me to view client functioning in terms of relationships. My goal is to help clients bring forth a self that feels true and real. I help clients learn to ask for and receive what they need from others, embracing life and life's challenges with courage, renewed spirit, and a sense of wholeness. When clients feel supported, validated, and understood they often find that symptoms of depression and anxiety are relieved. Working with me, clients will learn to access their inner resources as we generate solutions together.

I support individuals, couples, and families who want to reconnect to themselves and each other. Many clients come to me to learn how to identify and communicate their needs, understand recurring patterns in their life, process difficult experiences, and connect to their intuition and authenticity. So often in life we have to hide certain parts of ourselves to be accepted. In therapy together you won’t need to filter or mask yourself to be respected or understood. I love working with all types of people and have additional experience working with adults on the spectrum and those in mixed neurotype relationships.

I enjoy working with the full spectrum of development, from personal and relational issues to transpersonal and spiritual growth issues. As relational beings, the power to heal and grow is unlocked through the therapeutic relationship, so this is at the center of the work. Using the relationship and our present moment awareness, we can explore self-limitations, alienation in relationships, lack of fulfillment, and the understandable anxiety and depression that arises from those challenges.

We can sometimes find ourselves journeying through difficult and uncertain times; believing ourselves to be lost and without a clear direction - therapy offers an opportunity to gain tools for that journey with someone who will believe in your potential for change, and help you to witness your narrative through a more objective and empowered lens. A therapist is a mirror, enabling you to see the totality of your being, and all that has contributed to your existence - together we find ways to rearrange, change and rejoin your life.

If you're looking for a therapist who is queer and has over a decade of experience supporting clients with diverse identities and lifestyles, let's schedule an initial 15-minute consult to see if we feel like a good fit. My approach is engaged, curious, open-minded and collaborative. I tailor your therapy to your needs and goals, whether that's overcoming trauma, navigating relationships, decreasing anxiety and/or improving your mood. Together, we'll explore your inner world, and how you relate with others, to increase your awareness of the patterns and stories of your life and transform limitations into resources.

Book with me now by clicking on my website. I’m passionate about finding a pathway for you to be the most authentic and empowered version of yourself. Together, we will explore tools and strategies to overcome roadblocks created by self-limiting beliefs, trauma, oppressive social structures and intergenerational patterns that prevent your full expression as a human being: at times, these roadblocks can even show-up as symptoms of anxiety or depression. Through this work, I will support you in having a more meaningful connection with yourself, with others, and with life as a whole.

I believe individuals have the ability to create change in their life, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. My approach to explore and unravel these aspects of ourselves is through existential-humanistic experiences as well as person centered. My hope is to work together in building a space where one can make way towards healing and personal development.

Welcome! I work with people who may be struggling to understand themselves and find congruence in relationships. In this vein, I will assist you in exploring how your past impacts your present. Together we collaborate on goals that are aligned with your definition of well-being.

I work from a client-centered and strengths-based perspective, which views counseling as a collaborative process and the client as the expert in their own life. I work with each client to foster self-exploration, strengthen their relationships with themselves and others, and to find meaning and purpose in their lives. I specialize in working with ADHD, trauma, anxiety, relationship struggles, and identity issues. I identify as queer and particularly enjoy working with the LGBTQ+ population.

Perhaps you are realizing that compassionate, supportive, non-judgmental support is what will brace you for the next steps in your personal journey. I am here. My collaborative therapeutic approach is rooted in mindful awareness and acceptance, informed by relational and attachment models, and guided by an appreciation of each person’s unique existential search for meaning. I aim to foster a space where you can engage in your present experience, show up as you are, and find awareness, choice, and support in the life that awaits you.

I am honored to walk alongside you on this part of your journey. Seeking help takes courage and I commend each and every client for taking this first step. Those struggling with a harsh inner critic, attachment issues, and existential anxiety would work well with me. I am also interested in how the past is affecting the present. Through various body-centered offerings, I will often bring the experience of therapy into the here and now. I believe therapy is a collaborative process and invite ongoing feedback into the therapy room.

In psychotherapy, we work together to understand the meaning of your symptoms and the sources of your pain. The therapeutic process is in large part a careful encounter with the past in the hope of getting beyond what happened to you and discovering who you are apart from your history. It also includes the exploration of your beliefs, emotions, protective strategies, recurring patterns, and relationship dynamics. From a stance of compassion and curiosity, we put words to your experience and what has been unsayable before.

I consider it a true privilege to sit with folx in the processing of life’s complexities and approach the therapeutic process with the perspective that we are all doing the very best that we can with the tools that we’ve been given. It is my belief that each of us has the capacity to hone new skills, heal from the past, and find greater alignment within our bodies and our lives. I operate from a person-centered lens, utilizing empathic connection and unconditional positive regard to provide a safe space for personal healing.

My clients are mostly adults in individual and couples therapy who are navigating the stressors of relationships, adulthood, life transitions, communication, dating, anxiety, and attachment. You may be someone who is struggling to live in the uncertainty that life often brings, or maybe you're navigating boundaries in your relationships - all things that bring about anxiety and fear for many people. Despite what it may be, I am here to support you and talk through it with you. I can offer support in areas of anxiety, depression, grief, family/relationship/dating challenges, identity formation, sexuality, and personal growth.

I'm William Venturelli and I run Atma Counseling. Do you feel like you can't truly be yourself? Do you feel like something is holding you back? I can help you gain a better understanding of the "why's" in your life. Have you ever asked yourself "why do I keep doing that?" "why am I like this?" or "why do I feel this way?" We can explore these themes and more in a way that honors your uniqueness and without any judgment. Your counseling experience here will not be rigid or preconceived, instead, it will be a process of discovery where you will begin to live with more choice, courage and freedom. It's time to rediscover yourself.

Hello! Thank you for considering me to accompany you on this sacred journey. I believe counseling is a powerful tool for overcoming obstacles to well-being and human flourishing. I treat clients with a range of issues, from existential issues and coping with the demands of life, to mood disorders and anxiety, complex trauma and PTSD, spirituality concerns and religious trauma, and men's and LGBTQi issues. Together, we will examine these problems, trace their origins to childhood and significant adult relationships, and learn new skills and new ways of relating to others and ourselves to rediscover well-being and flourishing in life.

Your willingness to seek help is a courageous step towards healing & change. I believe in the transformative power of a therapeutic relationship and view it as our combined effort. I use LGBTQIA+ affirming, social justice-oriented, trauma-informed, and strengths-based approaches to foster a safe, consistent and curious environment that supports your wisdom while guiding your pursuit of valued and meaningful living. Our partnership will include my extensive education & advanced training working with individuals who have been adversely impacted by relational and attachment disruptions, abuse/neglect and complex traumatic experiences.