Expressive Arts Therapists in Portland, OR

You are looking for HOPE during challenging times. I offer hope from my heart. Life is full of difficult moments as well as heartbreaks that can bring up lots of tricky emotions and feelings. Sometimes this causes us not to feel our best. I believe counseling is meant to empower you to explore your relationship with yourself and others. I have a passion for working through grief, trauma, and life transitions. I will be a companion and gentle tour guide helping you to know yourself more thoroughly so you can lead a more fulfilling, integrated life. I honor your story and your courage.

Real transformation often begins when you're suffering intensely. The intense suffering breaks through your hesitation to change at a core level. You don't have a choice anymore. Dark material surfaces: emotional and physical trauma, religious trauma, loss, anxiety, spiritual crisis, meaninglessness, depression, and illness. Imagine that the symptoms you're suffering from are calling you home to a new way of living and being. I bring a high level of clinical experience, training, and compassion to my work. I am truly interested in you, how you got to this difficult point, and how to connect you to your authentic self.

I’m here for you and your experience! I welcome your whole self, including the parts that hurt most, have been marginalized by dominant society, and are navigating change. You may be experiencing grief and loss around the death of a loved one, a memory loss diagnosis, the redefining of a role, grief over the climate, or a harm done to a family member. You may find yourself transitioning into caregiving, stepping away from work, or parenting - including grandparents who are returning to raise children. All of this may be resulting in exacerbated stress, depression, anxiety. I'm looking forward to supporting you.

While the focus of my training and experience is children and couples/families, I love working with individuals of all ages. I help my clients overcome and manage mental health challenges, issues associated with ASD, grief/trauma, relationship/family conflict, behavioral difficulties, life change, career planning and issues associated with identity. As a former educator, I am particularly skilled at differentiating therapeutic interventions to fit individuals to suit their needs. And, I can help parents advocate for the educational needs of their children and provide social/emotional skills training to children and adults.

Clients typically work with me on life transitions and/or trauma healing. Life transitions (for example: graduation, divorce, moving, coming out, or social and/or medical gender transition) can be destabilizing but also an opportunity to explore our patterns, values, and goals. Trauma healing can be an intimidating process. Many of the people I work with have tried many things to help shift their patterns, change their narratives about themselves and the world, feel safer, and develop a sense of belonging in this world.

I provide therapy to adults experiencing a wide range of strengths and challenges. I integrate expressive arts with Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help you process feelings and experiences, reduce inner conflict, and improve relationships. I use a multi-arts, or intermodal, approach, which means I use movement, visual art, music and sound, writing, and mindfulness as therapeutic tools to initiate healing and change. Since this work is based on the creative process and not the resulting product, no background or training in the arts is required to benefit.

The fact that you are here, browsing for a potential counselor, is a brave step in the direction of growth, and I would be honored to accompany you on this most heartfelt journey. I work with clients who are struggling with anxiety, depression, difficult life transitions, parenting issues, divorce, and feelings of low self-worth, as well as with those who are sober curious, in recovery, or who want to explore behavioral addictions.

Are you hungry for a change, but not sure how to achieve it? Perhaps you are feeling lost, or stuck. Maybe you are looking for the tools to process a traumatic event, or tools to move past a negative thought pattern. Or maybe you are new at putting your needs first, and wanting to learn how to establish boundaries with others. We all have points in our lives when we could use someone in our corner to help us navigate through the muddy waters.

I'm really glad you're here. It's a big deal to look for a therapist, especially when you're having a hard time. I want to make it as easy as possible for you to feel out whether reaching out to me makes sense for you. + Here are some facts: I've been in the field for about 12 years. That means I have solid experience. I've worked in all sorts of settings, including with people who are in crisis, have survived trauma and abuse, are immigrants, are college students, are unhoused, are really young. I'm unlikely to be overwhelmed by what you're dealing with. I will be your ally. I care deeply and sincerely about the people I work with.

Seeking therapy is an act of courage when your life is not working, when you are feeling overwhelming emotions, or are ready to grow. With over 35 years of experience, I work skillfully with adults, children, families & couples. I am here to compassionately facilitate your learning to live your life with emotional freedom, purpose, creativity, passion & joy! Get in touch with the strength & beauty of your Inner Self & develop more satisfying relationships. Examine your thinking & beliefs & develop mindfulness, transforming your moods & your life. I use a gentle therapeutic style which is an eclectic, psychodynamic, humanistic, transpersonal & holistic wellness approach.

Counseling for Lasting Positive Change: I offer counseling for individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, identity development, trauma, life transitions (parenting, divorce, and empty nest) and for those wanting to work on relationships. If you want to change your role in how you handle current life circumstances, the clearest path is by making positive changes in your own life. Let me help you navigate this path to your change.

As an LGBTQIA empath, intuitive, or artist, you experience this world in a deeper, more complex, intuitive way - including painful experiences of trauma. With so much pain in the world, it's hard to care for your own feelings and needs, let alone heal from your experiences of trauma. I specialize in supporting LGBTQIA empaths, artists, and magic makers to heal from the trauma of oppression, abuse, and sexual violence and reclaim their gifts and voice. To embody their own sacred needs and ways of being. And to find sustainable, empowered ways to integrate empathy, spirituality, community, creativity, and nourished activism.

You have ADHD, and it's getting in the way of your life. You've tried different ways to cope with all your symptoms, but you're still being held captive by issues with stress, overwhelm, self-sabotage, and self-confidence. My clients seek the tools to help manage their ADHD and resolve what's keeping them from thriving personally, professionally, and in their relationships. You're grappling with staying on task and dealing with procrastination at school or work. You've found yourself struggling in your relationships. You're overwhelmed by life and looking for more peace, self-acceptance, connection, and joy.

My approach to counseling is integrative, where I pull from different modalities and therapeutic approaches to meet the individual needs of each client. I want to make sure I am adhering to what the client wants and needs, which informs how I practice. I am grounded in a trauma informed person centered model. I believe each client is the expert.

I specialize in disordered eating, body-focused concerns, anxiety disorders, complex trauma, and identity exploration (i.e. gender, sexuality, etc). I work from a trauma-informed lens, with a holistic and person-centered approach. I aim to create an affirming space that encourages personal reflection, growth, and self-empowerment through curiosity and compassion. I strongly believe that the mind and body work symbiotically, and that when we become more attuned to our bodies, there is much potential for new insight and a deeper connection to our innate Self.

I view my role to be that of a listener, supporter, encourager, and advocate. With me, you can expect to be heard and validated, while also challenged as we work to create new patterns and beliefs. ​

It goes without saying these past few years have been an uphill battle. With the stress of a pandemic, the economic hardships facing many, and political divides deepening: it's no wonder anxiety is high. Or depression feels magnified. Or you find yourself falling back into bad habits.  But you don't have to struggle through this time alone. Empathic Counseling can help you cope during this difficult time and empower you to thrive. I work closely with clients across Oregon to help them find freedom from Anxiety, Depression, Addiction, Trauma, or that harsh voice inside you that tells you you're not enough.

It feels like nothing you do is good enough, sapping your energy and joy from life. The critical inner voice as at a volume 10, and things just don’t feel worth attempting to do anymore. You are worn out, and tired of repeating the same patterns. You feel alone.

Currently Accepting Clients for July 2024. As your therapist, I strive to create a safe space to process, set goals, and work on making meaningful change in your life. Right now you may feel "stuck" and unsure of how to move forward. You are dealing with unresolved trauma, depression, anxiety or other complications that are making life difficult and make your feel disconnected from yourself and others. I believe that together we can work towards helping you feel more joy, motivation, and empowerment in your life.