- Copyright © 2007 Samaritan Counseling Center. All Rights Reserved.
- Blog | Legal | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Portland, Oregon
Westminster Presbyterian Church 1817 NE 17th Avenue Portland, OR 97212 Get Directions
I have been working with children, teens, families and couples for over 15 years; in a variety of settings including community counseling centers, school-based programs, residential treatment and a wilderness therapy program.
I respect the strength and vulnerability that people bring when they choose to address an issue in therapy. Therefore, it is my goal to make the process feel as safe as possible. I work collaboratively with clients to identify their goals, their strengths, and to develop effective communication and coping skills in order to live the life they desire and deserve. I believe in a mind, body and spirit connection and my hope is to address concerns as holistically as possible. I also believe that connection with others is a basic need and it is crucial to identify how our connections are impacting us and to identify which connections can help support our goals and growth.
I incorporate multiple theoretical approaches and techniques within a broad humanistic and family systems framework. I have come to recognize that individuals differ in their needs and comfort level within the therapeutic process. Therefore, it is important to me that clients assist in identifying the type of approach we use to address their concern.
I hold a Master of Arts degree in Marital and Family Therapy with an emphasis in Art Therapy from Notre Dame de Namur. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC I).
I have worked extensively with teens and young adults struggling with relationships and responsibilities often as a result of emotional and behavioral issues or substance abuse. I have also worked extensively with families and children. As a result of this work, I have come to believe that the foundation for a healthy family starts with the health and well-being of the adults in the family. Therefore, I am very interested in individual and couples counseling with adults. I have pursued additional training in couples counseling and education. I am trained to facilitate classes in PREP (Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program), PAIRS (Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills) and STEP (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting). My therapy approach with couples is drawn from research-based models (Gottman, EFT, PREP) and contributes to my belief that we can all learn the skills necessary to have healthy and satisfying relationships with our children and intimate partners.
