Individual and Relationship Therapist
Philosophy and Approach: I view therapy as an opportunity to explore the unique, complex ways our bodies and minds have adapted to the world around us. Often we find ourselves in therapy when our familiar ways of acting, thinking, being, and surviving present new challenges, whether in relationship with others or in relationship with ourselves, and no longer align with our values or desires. This can leave us feeling stuck, powerless, overwhelmed, drained, like we are holding ourselves back or putting the needs of others first. I hope to offer a therapeutic relationship in which clients feel supported in listening to their own innate wisdom, healing at their own pace while using the strategies or skills that fit them best, making meaningful changes, and overall living more authentically.

I am strongly influenced by the existential and experiential. I believe we work together in the therapy space, collaboratively and relationally, to investigate and try out new ways of being ourselves. Drawing from humanistic, attachment, and trauma-informed theories, I tend to focus on what is emerging in the present and what is being co-created, reenacted, or evoked between us. Additionally, I find it helpful to examine the core beliefs, value systems, and narratives that often live unquestioned within us through the lens of cognitive-behavioral therapy modalities. I may also use mindfulness, strengths-based, and somatic strategies in our explorations of your experiences, with connection and compassion always at the forefront of our work.

Sliding Scale Fee Structure: Owls’ Nest North is committed to making services accessible to everyone regardless of ability to pay. We seek to catch those who fall through the cracks of care in our current system. My sliding scale is determined by the current fee schedule of Owls’ Nest North. If you are un- or under-insured and therefore forced to pay out-of-pocket, please let me know prior to our first session, so we can determine your eligibility for a sliding scale fee. If you are experiencing difficulty navigating the new healthcare system, we are also happy to support and advocate for you in becoming insured.

At this time, I am only available to see OHP subscribers and cash/out-of-pocket payers. My fees with a cash-pay discount are: $100 for individuals and $120 for couples/families.

Cancellations: Occasionally life intervenes and prevents us from following through with our commitments. I trust our mutual respect of one another’s time. As such, it is our policy to collect my full session fee for no-shows and sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours notice.

If you are an OHP client, our contract does not allow us to charge for missed appointments and we would not want to, but we are unable to hold a regular appointment space after two missed/late cancelled appointments. You can, however, schedule into cancellation spots on your clinician’s schedule.

Bio: I received my Master’s Degree in Professional Mental Health Counseling, with a specialization in Addictions, from Lewis & Clark College. There, I learned how to incorporate critical examination of the broader systems we all move within into individualized, research-based counseling interventions and practices. This means that our work together will naturally include your cultural identities and social locations as well as the broader contexts of your lived experience and impacts of ancestral, biological, socio-cultural, and political forces.

Additionally, I received training in providing addictions-focused services during my clinical internship at the Men’s Residential Center through the Volunteers of America, a substance use treatment facility for those identifying as men in recovery and on probation/parole. While there, I learned how to work alongside collateral community providers, such as primary care physicians and probation/parole officers, as well as how to navigate the intricate and often confusing systems related to mental health care. I gained valuable experience working with a wide array of folks individually and in groups on mindfulness, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, trauma, anger management, and relapse prevention skills. Addiction tends to make us feel small and ashamed; if you struggle or have struggled with substance use or addictive behaviors, or come from a family struggling with these issues, I welcome you to discuss them with me and hope to help you feel empowered and emboldened in your life.

Before beginning my career as a therapist, I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and English Literature from Pacific University and worked in various student service roles in higher education, such as an academic adviser to new students, an auxiliary aide and advocate for students with disabilities, and a financial aid counselor. I believe all of these roles guided me towards the counseling profession by honing my knowledge of how broader systems operate and how to situate and prioritize the individual within those systems. I have always had a soft spot for working closely with students, and this extended to serving as a Teaching Assistant at the Lewis & Clark Community Counseling Clinic, where I observed and offered feedback to counseling students in their practicum training.

From my personal and professional experiences, I try to bring an attitude of humility, playful curiosity, and openheartedness into my relationships with those working through issues such as anxiety, depression, grief/loss, codependency and attachment-related issues, addiction, adjustment to chronic illness and/or disability, and trauma.

Licensure: I am registered as a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Oregon (License #C8069). As a Licensee of the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists, I am bound by its code of ethics. To maintain my license, I am required to participate in continuing education, which includes taking classes on subjects relevant to this profession.

Contact: scout@owlsnestnorth.com * 503.281.1166

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.