Borderline Personality (BPD) Therapists in Tigard, OR

Please Note: Practice is currently full I approach therapy from a practical perspective: part of our work together will be to help you determine what changes you want to make, and get started with some practical actions (yes, homework!). Most of my clients can expect to start seeing improvement within 2-3 sessions, and sometimes even after the first session. My work is collaborative with you, in other words, we are a team toward the goal of finding the wellness within you.

If you are looking to improve your mood, friendships and relationships, ease tensions in work and family life, and resolve long-running issues that may be holding you back, I would look forward to working with you. This work takes attachment, co-regulation and the social neurobiology of emotions seriously as foundations of mental health. With the help of other trauma-specific techniques, we can also work towards peace and fulfillment in the aftermath of trauma, whether single-incident or chronic and complex.

I believe that everyone’s journey is unique, and that’s why my therapeutic process begins by meeting my clients where they are at. I utilize a strength-based approach, tapping into my client’s inherent strengths and resilience to empower them to navigate life’s changes. Throughout our sessions, I strive to create a safe and empathic space where active listening and mindfulness are key. By actively listening to my clients and practicing mindfulness together, we can explore their thoughts and emotions with compassion and curiosity, working towards lasting healing and growth.

I am a bilingual (English/Spanish) and bi-cultural licensed clinical social worker in Tigard, Oregon. I have many years of experience working with children and families. My areas of expertise include: sexual abuse cases, early childhood mental health, working with children and families exposed to traumatic events and family therapy. I like to facilitate groups for trauma survivors and also to work with adult survivors of sexual abuse. I particularly enjoy working with Latino families. I am very interested in reunification cases particularly working with children and families involved in the child welfare system.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Oregon and I have more than 15 years of clinical experience. The majority of my clinical work was for the Oregon State Hospital and the Department of Corrections. I believe that each individual has the potential to change and move toward a healthy and satisfying lifestyle. In therapy, I draw on client strengths and provide opportunities to explore client thoughts, feelings and behaviors to assist with client insight and awareness. I utilize a variety of therapeutic approaches and I am committed to providing the best practice clinical services to my clients.

In my work as a therapist, I believe each person’s experience is unique; therefore I take a strengths based and person centered approach to effectively build rapport and trust. My focus is on being approachable, empathetic, non-judgmental, supportive and authentic. Collaboration is imperative and through our work together, I help guide clients and their families to learn techniques and strategies in order to live better quality lives.

Challenges we encounter in our lives are indicators of being "stuck" in our personal and relational growth. Psychotherapy can help us get "unstuck".... My approach is process and relationally oriented - "solutions" can come from changing our relationships with ourselves and others in our lives, and restructuring ourselves as we work with our life challenges. Depression, anxiety, trauma, men's issues, relationship strain, addictions -substances/alcohol, gambling, shopping, pornography, gaming. My experience can be helpful - psychotherapist, crisis worker, clinical supervisor, administrator, manager, policy analyst and educator.

“Loving ourselves through the process of owning our story is the bravest thing we'll ever do." This quote by Brene Brown describes therapy well, particularly when the focus is healing from trauma. Therapy is a place to explore and embrace your story more fully, and my highest value is establishing an authentic, safe, compassionate, and accepting space where you can process what is keeping you "stuck." Whether you desire to develop skills to improve your relationships; process recent grief, divorce, childhood trauma, or cancer diagnosis; or alter core beliefs and lifelong behavior patterns; I would be honored to work with you.

I believe each of us were designed for deep relationship and long for a sense of acceptance and belonging. So often however, we seem unable to experience authentic connection or intimacy with others. Though we reach out, we may feel unseen and unheard, eventually withdrawing, questioning our worth, and losing our ability to know and share our true self. The loneliness at times may feel overwhelming, as if there is no one to help us carry our confusion, hurts, or fears. It is in these times we may need someone with whom we can share our burdens, someone who will hear our brokenness and accept us as we are.

Welcome! I know change is hard, but it is necessary if you want something in your life to be different. I will try my best to help you conquer your negative thoughts, gain understanding, help build your sense of self, and improve your relationships with others.

Does life feel overwhelming like being trapped in a never-ending maze? Having these feelings are perfectly normal. Talking through the life concerns or worries can help but it’s hard to share deep personal concerns with family or friends. The pressure of family, work, or past trauma's can cause anxiety, stress, even depression. Whether dealing with a difficult relationship, career, or life challenges talking with a trained professional, who is caring and compassionate can help you find freedom and start enjoying life. Think about how great it would be living life instead of just making it through each day.

In my practice, I specialize in helping individuals identify and change life patterns that lead to frustration and disappointment. I provide support for a wide range of challenges, including anxiety, depression, experiences of abuse and trauma, issues with shame and self-esteem, life transitions, and complex relationship problems. Addressing these issues in a safe, therapeutic environment can help you build self-esteem, improve your relationships, and rediscover enthusiasm for both work and personal life.

Life, without any major disruptions, is stressful enough; however almost everyone experiences times that are especially difficult. Oftentimes, people find themselves getting lost, anxious, or frustrated during these times, and can develop problematic ways of coping because they don't know what else to do. This is understandable. When a person is in emotional pain, it is hard to be rational and think of a good solution. I'd like to help. Through therapy, you can get caring support and new solutions to problems that will help you build the fulfilling life you deserve- where a sense of peace is possible.

I have had the privilege of witnessing people undergo the slow, extremely subtle and remarkable journey of healing and self-transformation. This process of psychological growth is astoundingly complex, multilayered, circular and even mysteriously numinous in its unfolding. My philosophy as a therapist is primarily on core transformation rather than merely symptom management and needless to say, I strongly believe in the centrality of the therapeutic relationship as a significant healing agent. Moving towards our wholeness necessitates the courage to first move into the wounded parts that we all have as members of the human species.

My role is to support you in creating your own understanding of self, explore your personal truths, and identify your strengths. You have a story and deserve a safe space to share it. My top priority as a therapist is to create a safe, non-judgmental, and non-pathologizing environment to support you in telling your story and working through the process of positive change. My goal is to engage collaboratively and compassionately with each of my clients throughout their therapeutic journey. I find special value in working with all clients on finding new ways to care for self on a deeper and more intimate level.

Having worked with Virtual Therapy (phone and video) since 2004 and Virtual EMDR since 2017, I can serve you now. Fitting my training and style, EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) is a comprehensive and gently compassionate approach to adversity and trauma including anxiety, depression, couple and family issues. I work with diverse adults across the life spectrum. Licensed in both Oregon and Illinois, I am committed to life change and am on a personal adventure as well. Any questions, please ask? There are answers and I have help.

Seeking the assistance of a professional counselor is an important decision. Reaching out for help can be difficult, but once the decision has been made, most people, in my experience, find the outcome to be extremely rewarding. Stress, relationship difficulties, and career disenchantment are just a few of the normal issues that anyone may encounter over the course of one's life. Seeking an experienced and skilled counselor to help deal with any of these concerns is a demonstration of personal strength and healthy coping.

With a previous career in health and wellness and over 10 years working in the mental health field, I work to provide care from a wholistic perspective and a primary focus on patterns of how we relate with ourselves and others as we navigate our days. I work with adults struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, suicidal thoughts, etc. I consider it a tremendous honor to join each of my clients in their life journey.

No one is spared the trauma of life itself. But, life can also be full of unspeakable beauty, joy, and genuine love. While life can be unforgiving, there are ways of being that can deal much more effectively with what surrounds us. By reorienting ourselves and processing that which haunts us, true change can take place and we can begin to see and enjoy beauty in the midst of suffering, grow in gratitude for life itself despite its harshness, and live virtuously even during trials. These fruits are not born out of naivety but are born out of genuine wrestling with our existence.