I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 20 years of experience working in mental health for non-profit agencies, the VA, and other organizations. Through my own experiences in the military, I experienced first-hand Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, and depression. After leaving the Navy, I sought therapy to help process what I experienced. While completing my education, I worked at Veterans' Affairs, helping combat Veterans who experienced PTSD and other challenges, including dru...
Many of the people I see are feeling overwhelmed as they navigate work, relationships, friendships, figuring out who they want to be, recovering from trauma, overcoming depression or anxiety, or beating an addiction, all while trying to keep their grades up and focus on school. Emerging adulthood is a challenging time full of different kinds of transitions and challenges, and it can be stressful to try to keep on top of everything when it feels like life is pulling you a million different direct...
My work is based on Mindfulness, Buddhist Psychology, and Gestalt Therapy. All are adept approaches to increasing awareness of our embodied experience and discovering more authentic ways of living a fulfilling life. My approach works to help clients develop resiliency, emotional flexibility, and explore the careful balance between acceptance and change. I support clients’ process of deepening into a more compassionate and loving relationship with themselves and the world by accepting who they t...
Life can be tricky at times...and for those who are also navigating all of life while being a student, it's even trickier. I look forward to working with students who are interesting in learning healthy coping skills to effectively support juggling all life has to offer. I hope we can explore together ways in which to reduce some of your stress and anxiety and/or other issues you might be facing....
My practice is guided by the belief that every person strives to do the best they can. The individual or family system may need assistance in developing necessary skills and guidance in solving problems. Working collaboratively with clients I help them to narrate new ways of interacting with their environment. I work with several young adults / young professionals as they navigate major life transitions (college, grad school, careers, families and parenting) and the accompanying challenges (ie:...
I have a passion for working with college students and people in the midst of life transitions. I utilize a holistic approach by taking into account your presenting concern as well as your strengths, your community, and your environmental context. I enjoy the collaborative process of building awareness and understanding as we explore the impact of cultural, familial, societal, physical, social, and spiritual factors on your psychological concerns. I am honored to work with people as they channel...
I strive to offer a space where marginalized voices have a say in their healing. My heart lies with those who feel disconnected from the people around them; who don't typically see identities like theirs accepted in society; and who are navigating cultural integration. Whether you’re feeling heavy and void of motivation, caught in relational and personal distress, or wondering what makes you “you” I want to listen and support you every step of the way. I work with individuals experiencing life t...
Do you worry constantly, have a persistent fear of failure or judgement and feel on edge with just about anything? Feeling like you’re not good enough, not living the life you want to live, or that you’ve lost touch with the things that bring you happiness with little hope that you can live life in a fulfilling way? Have you had a traumatic experience that left you feeling disconnected and having a hard time trusting people, with the need to protect and numb yourself? These things can impact our...
I specialize in work with adult survivors of abuse, as well as anxiety and adjustment issues. I offer compassion and tools to help meet your goals. I offer both in person and telehealth appointments. If you're struggling and need help, reach out so you're not alone. I respond to all contacts within 24 hours....
As your therapist, my job is to work together with you to figure out struggles and patterns that are holding you back, and develop new skills towards living a more joyful, authentic, and fulfilling life. My style is warm, playful, and down-to-earth. I believe in the power of relationship and creativity to create positive change. I try to offer a space in therapy where you can explore new ways of being, and feel seen and supported for who you truly are. I think it is a sign of true bravery to see...
I help adults, couples, and families who feel trapped in a cycle of loneliness and disconnection, cut off from themselves, and unhappy with the trajectory of their relationships and life goals. I have also been an instructor and lecturer at various universities and colleges for over 12 years and understand the unique stress students face in situations such as navigating relationships within student cohort communities, dealing with out-of-touch professors and administration, facing non-exclus...
After working in the mental health field for nearly 15 years, specifically in crisis intervention, I set out on a new path to work with people before life becomes unbearable. Most recently, I served as a high school mental health counselor. Flexibility and openness are two of my core values. Do you know what you value? Understanding what we care about most and what brings meaning to our lives is essential to living with intention and living well. I believe therapy is about exploring these...
Each member of our collaborative practice operates through a trauma-informed, intersectional lens. We bring different specialties to our work that can help you process trauma, anxiety, depression, life transitions, and offer the support you need in a way that helps you move toward living the life you want....
Do you often feel misunderstood and hurt? Do you feel as though your emotions are controlling you and you don’t know what to do to change that? Does it leave you feeling anxious and depressed? I know what that feels like and I can help with that. My Approach to Helping I believe that people are doing the best they can with the information and skills they currently have. I also believe that they can grow and create better lives for themselves with the appropriate support. My approach to helpi...
We provide individual and group therapy. We have offices in Tigard and SE Portland. We also provide telehealth service throughout the state of Oregon. We have providers licensed in Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. We also provide Psychological Assessments in our Tigard office....
I use relationship building as the foundation of my therapy practice. I believe feeling seen, held, and safe are vital components of being able to grow. My hope is to create an atmosphere where the people I meet with feel met and known which will allow us to walk together through vulnerability. With all my clients I take a Neurobiological approach, which is a fancy way to say I think a lot about nervous systems and how to regulate them. Our nervous systems need co-regulation before they can lear...
At North Star Therapy Collective our team is committed to our individual growth, learning and self-care. We work to take genuine care of ourselves in deep and meaningful ways so we can show up as the best version of ourselves in our communities, our families, and for YOU - our clients. Each one of us struggles with our own perfectionism. At times, we burn ourselves out, overcommit, or overwork. It's in these moments we turn to self-compassion and to the support of one another so that we can p...
I see therapy as a collaborative process. I try to help clients find what isn’t working in their lives and help them “try on” different ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. In a sense, therapy can at times be a “trial and error” where I provide coping skills for my clients and check in to see if what I provided is useful to them. I believe that the client is the one who can ultimately tell me what does and does not work for them. Although I make it a point to use evidence-based practices, I ...
I believe healing and growth occur in psychotherapy when you first establish a supportive, collaborative therapeutic relationship. That is why I offer a safe, nurturing space where you can speak and be listened to with empathy and free from judgement. Past experiences, and how you attempt to understand them, can affect numerous areas of your life and sometimes lead you to feel stuck in certain patterns of behavior. In therapy, we will work together to help you better understand your behaviors, o...
We often become stuck in a pattern of viewing our world through a certain lens. Many of us do not realize that we can become empowered to view our world in a different way. I seek to help my clients create meaning in their lives through an accepting, unconditional counseling relationship. I use Cognitive Behavioral and Existential Humanistic approaches to help my clients uncover their genuine “truth” and to help them live a more fulfilling and authentic life. While we can't always change diff...