
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Oregon. I have been actively involved in the behavioral health field for over 20 years, within various capacities. I have been practicing as a psychotherapist since 2008.
I currently live and practice in Portland, Oregon, the homeland to the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Mollala, and many other tribes and bands of the Columbia and Willamette regions.
I hold a Master of Arts in Art Therapy/Counseling from Marylhurst University as well as a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Post-Baccalaureate in Women’s Studies from Portland State University. Major areas of study include development across the human life span, ethics, clinical assessment and treatment, the counseling process and uses of art in the therapeutic process as well as feminist theory, and the intersectional analysis of race, gender, class, culture, disability, power and systems of privilege.
I have worked in a variety of settings, including homeless and domestic violence shelters, programs for at-risk youth, mobile crisis teams, hospital emergency departments and psychiatric inpatient units as well as residential and outpatient mental health & addiction agencies.
I have completed clinical-based internships through Call to Safety- formerly known as the Portland Women’s Crisis Line and the Domestic Violence Resource Center in Washington County. For a number of years, I provided individual counseling and art therapy-based groups to those seeking assistance at the Gateway Center for Domestic Violence Services through the City of Portland, while being an active professional member of the Tri-County Domestic & Sexual Violence Intervention Network and the Multnomah County Family Violence Coordinating Council. During this time, I was also actively involved in a program called New Options for Women (NOW), offering clinical support and counseling for those escaping sex trafficking. I have given talks and have led a number of workshops regarding the topic of domestic violence to various community and governmental agencies. I have also provided expert testimony in a number of domestic violence court cases in Multnomah County.
I have specialized training and experience not only in working with issues pertaining to domestic violence, but also spirituality, addiction, mood disorders, anxiety, attachment and trauma recovery.
I take part in ongoing post-masters education and intensive training around evidenced-based therapeutic practices, expressive arts therapies, mindfulness and mind/body modalities, and I continue to expand my awareness for gender, religious/spiritual, socioeconomic, racial and cultural differences.
I have completed trainings in Eye Movement Densentization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy EMDRIA-approved Basic Training (50 hours: Parts I and II and 10 hr. consultation) with Phillip Mansfield, PhD; Primary Attachment Psychotherapy with Donna Roy, CHT, LPC and Jessica Montgomery, CHT, MSW; Recreation of the Self (R-CS) with Jon Eisman, CHT; Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy with Donna Roy, CHT, Jon Eisman, CHT, Deah Baird, ND, LPC and Selin Strait, LPCMindful Self-Compassion at the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion with Helle Laursen, PhD.
In addition, I hold professional affiliations with the American Counseling Association (ACA), Oregon Counseling Association (ORCA) and EMDR International Association (EMDRIA).
In my personal world, I love being in forests and by bodies of water, spending time with my family, engaging in painting & mixed media collage, and reading.
