Clinical Director | Relationship and Individual Therapist
Philosophy and Approach: It is my belief that people are the greatest experts on themselves and (even so) can sometimes become distracted from the truth of their inherent goodness and capability. This occurs when we are exposed to acute and/or prolonged traumatic experiences that result in the formation of beliefs that cause us pain and dissatisfaction in life, and can become the new “truth” of who we are.

Through the therapeutic relationship, together, we work to uncover and transform these beliefs and make way for a more satisfying existence and back to the original truths of our real nature and core selves. I feel a profound sense of honor to be trusted with the life stories and inner world of my clients, and to be a partner in this process.

Fees: I am not currently taking new clients. I am available for professional consultation on issues related to high-demand group involvement, clinic management, business systems, and a variety of industry-specific and general business needs. Please reach out directly to discuss your needs and I will be happy to give you a sense of the cost of consulting on your specific needs.

Bio: I earned my master’s degree from Portland State University in Couples, Marriage and Family Counseling. This does not mean I am not trained to work with individuals. It simply means that my I am trained to counsel individuals and relationships from a systems perspective. That is, I see every client existing in the larger context of
his/her/their family, community, tribe, biome. My degree also requires that I gain experience working with couples and/or families in order to graduate with this
specialization. This is not required for other specializations.

I have a great interest in working with people who have emerged from high-demand group experiences, such as cults, extreme religious, political and spiritual communities. People who have emerged or escaped from cults or other high-demand groups often experience profound feelings of alienation and shame, difficulty trusting others and challenges regulating their emotional states. I have first-hand knowledge of the process and real understanding of what it takes to untangle oneself from the experience.

In addition, during my year long internship at the YWCA Counseling Center in Portland, I gained experience working with a variety of people and issues that include trauma, anxiety, sexual dysfunction in relationships, sexual abuse, rape, etc. I work extensively with queer and transgender relationships and other LGBTQQI+ clients in groups, relationships and individually. Prior to being a counselor, I worked with underprivileged youth in educational/social service settings for over 10 years. My undergraduate degree focused on biology and the interrelationships between living things and their environments, and how changes between and/or among them impact balance. I see this as widely applicable to my work as a therapist as well. I have developed a keen eye for patterns and interrelatedness.

Finally, I am a graduate of post-master’s study in mindful-experiential therapy approaches through the M.E.T.A. and Hakomi Institute of Oregon. My study is a synthesis of Hakomi (a systematic study of experience that provides a detailed model of how to intervene on physical, emotional, and mental levels) and Re-Creation of Self, developed by Jon Eisman (www.hakomiinstitute.com). Please let me know if you’d like to know more about my training.

Licensure: I am currently licensed in the states of Oregon (#T0691) and California (#132856) as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). As a licensee of the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists and the California Board of Behavioral Sciences,  I am bound by their Code of Ethics.

Contact: Please email me at kristi@owlsnestnorth.com (preferred). You may also contact me by phone at 503.281.1166, but please allow up to five business days for me to return your call.

Please be advised that email is not a secure form of communication, and while it is unlikely that your email communications would be of interest to nefarious pursuits, it is your risk to take. Owls’ Nest and I accept no responsibility for misuse or abuse of your communications. In an effort to minimize exposure/risk, we ask that you do not include any sensitive or process-oriented information in email, and utilize it solely for the purpose of logistical issues.