What I Do & Who I Work Well With
I'm a relational and experiential art therapist, licensed in both art therapy and professional counseling, who works one-on-one with adults in Portland, Oregon. I see clients both in person and virtually. My office is located at 2505 SE 11th Ave, Portland, OR
Art Therapy
My job is to support your creativity. Whether you already consider yourself an artist, or are the kind of person to say "I'm not creative!" all are welcome. I will never judge or critique what you make, and no prior experience is needed for art therapy to be helpful.
Creating art is a great way to take the intangible (feelings, thought, parts of self, ideas, relationship dynamics) and touch it, interact with it, hold it, cover it, contain it, love it, tear it, or even simply look directly at it. Sometimes I give prompts, or even demonstrations if that is helpful, but what I encourage most is to follow your intuition and see where that leads.
Art is also a great way to stay regulated while facing hard things. Maybe you want something tactile like using a needle to agitate (poke) wool, or to use the muscles in your hands to squeeze clay. Or maybe you want something that feels tidy and controllable, like untangling and re-rolling a soft ball of yarn, or sharpening and organizing the colored pencils. In these situations perhaps you end up making something that feels meaningful to you, or perhaps it is simply helpful to direct your energy into something outside of yourself.
Sometimes it is not about creating art in session (although that is always welcomed and encouraged), but maybe it is about supporting your creative practice outside of session; exploring your blocks, motivations, and what you made throughout the week.
Whether it's a way to understand yourself better or a way to regulate your energy, and whether it opens you up or contains you, there are many ways that creativity can not only be a part of therapy, but be the therapy itself.
Specialties
While these are not the only things I treat, they are some of what I have the most experience with. Additional to these, grief, depression, and life transitions are common reasons folks work with me. Please note that I do not have training or adequate experience with substance use disorders or eating disorders
Relational trauma, co-dependency, and creating healthy relationships
Maybe it was abuse, and maybe it was someone unskilled or burdened by their own Stuff, but either way, it impacted you, and now relationships are hard. I love supporting recovery from past dysfunctional relationships, ranging from abusive to unhealthy (from childhood or adulthood) as you rebuild your sense of safety, identity, and eventually, self-trust. ​
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Note: if you are currently unsafe in your relationship, call the domestic violence hotline at 800-799-7233
Highly Sensitive People & Neurodiversity
There is nothing to be “fixed” about having ADHD, Autism (diagnosed or not), or from being a Highly Sensitive Person. But I can support you in managing possible by-products of these, such as anxiety, burnout, and overwhelm. I am also neurodiverse, and come from an affirming perspective.
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Note that if you are seeking a diagnosis, I cannot provide assessments for autism.
Psychedelic Integration
You can’t control what you get with psychedelics, even with the most thoughtful set and setting. Maybe your experience was transformational. Maybe it was emotionally evocative or insightful. Or maybe it was overwhelming, disorienting, unexpected or even hurtful. No matter what kind of experience you've had, I'd love to support you making sense of it, and either weaving the benefits of that experience into your daily life, or supporting grounding and stabilization.
Note: I will never provide substances nor directly encourage any use of psychedelics.
Anxiety
I find that anxiety is often a result of something else and does not exist in a vacuum, such as an understandable response to trauma, burnout, grief, shaky self-esteem, masked autism, or avoidance of feelings. But regardless of the source, I enjoy supporting movement towards more grounding, self-compassion, acceptance and/or life changes, and confidence. Maybe we can also better understand where it's coming from in the first place.
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Note: Take a deep breath, at your own pace, but see if you can slow down the exhale to be longer than the inhale
Core Components of My Approach
Connection and Compassion
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Growth comes from discomfort, but not from overwhelm, and a safe relationship can make discomfort tolerable. Foundational in my work is compassion, acceptance, and space for you to be the complex human you are. I want you to be able to express, in your own words and images, how you feel, without needing to tend to my feelings or justify yourself, and know that you are seen, understood, and okay. When someone attunes to us, over time, we learn how to attune to ourselves. When someone gives us compassion, it challenges our beliefs about being undeserving, and we learn to be compassionate towards ourselves. Feelings can be felt, insight can be had, skills can be learned, and creative risks can be taken in a non-threatening environment.
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Informed by: Mindful Self-Compassion, attachment (Emotions-Focused Individual Treatment), strengths/abilities-based approach, Interpersonal Neurobiology, and Person-Centered and Humanistic theories
Experiential Engagement
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Talking can be productive, but sometimes, we understand the problem entirely and still feel stuck. In this case, I may invite you to use art materials in an expressive, containing, or sensory way. I may support you in being with strong feelings that come up, which is different than thinking about feelings or being overwhelmed by them. I may invite you to tune in to your feelings or body sensations, and try noticing, validating, and accepting what you find there. We may take that a step further, and practice getting to know different parts of yourself, and building compassionate (or at least neutral) relationships with them. I may ask you something like, “is there anything that feeling is wanting you to do or say, or any movements it wants you to make right now?” Everything is always at your pace and with permission - I give suggestions, not orders, and I always welcome you to say no.
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Informed by: Art Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Focusing, Somatic practices, Emotions Focused Individual Therapy, Mindfulness
Acknowledging the Big Picture and Systems
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The limit of individual therapy is that you live in a series of existing systems, from familial, to cultural, to global. I am mindful to not help you adjust to a situation that is actually harming you, but instead explore how the external is shaping the internal. Sometimes this means understanding and accepting that something isn’t wrong with you, but what you’re experiencing is an understandable response to a dysfunctional system. Sometimes this means exploring power dynamics in relationships or groups. Sometimes this means we spend time looking up affinity groups, learning how to build healthy relationships, or exploring barriers to engaging in community. I will never tell you what choices to make (whether to quit your job or stay; whether to stop talking to a family member or reconcile; whether to break up with a partner or try again, etc). I’ll create a space to explore how you feel impacted by your surroundings, leading you to make decisions that you feel benefit you.
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Informed by: Liberation Psychology, Wheel of Power and Control, social constructivism theories, narrative therapy
Skill Support
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While not my primary mode of working, sometimes sharing information, problem solving, and skill building is incredibly helpful. Some examples of what this may look like: Demoing a new art technique or medium so you have more freedom to express yourself. Learning about how trauma impacts your nervous system, so you are empowered with understanding and awareness of how to respond. Learning about ADHD or Autism to better understand yourself, modify expectations of yourself, or advocate for accommodations. Exploring sensory needs and brainstorming creative ways to reduce (or increase) stimulation when needed. Supporting communication skills and healthy relationships.
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Informed by: Art therapy, Neurodiversity affirming and trauma-informed theories, nonviolent communication