Therapy and Consultation
Helping people to heal and grow in their lives.
Are you struggling with anxiety, depression, or relationship problems that won't go away? You've likely tried to address your pain before—through talk therapy, medication, or sheer willpower—but found only partial relief or none at all. In my practice, I work differently. I help you address the underlying trauma and attachment wounds that fuel your symptoms, using proven approaches like EMDR therapy to create lasting change. If you're ready to finally feel unstuck, I invite you to explore how we might work together.
Anxiety, depression, and relationship problems can significantly impact every aspect of your life—disrupting your career and social connections while fueling worry, fear, panic, and sleepless nights.
You may be feeling sad and lonely, or worthless and unfulfilled. Perhaps you're struggling with low self-esteem or a lack of confidence. Fear of rejection or disappointment from ongoing relationship challenges may leave you feeling hopeless and stuck. In short, anxiety, depression, and relationship struggles can erode your capacity to feel happy and fulfilled.
Perhaps you've tried to avoid your pain through overworking, alcohol or substance use, relationship addiction, or other compulsive behaviors. Maybe you've done traditional talk therapy or used prescription medications, but only experienced partial relief or no relief at all—leaving you even more discouraged.
"I've found in my practice that when anxiety, depression, and relationship problems persist despite your best efforts, it's usually because there's something deeper that hasn't been addressed—unresolved trauma."
Unresolved disturbing experiences—what we call "trauma"—are among the most common sources of anxiety, depression, and painful relationship patterns. Trauma isn't just about major life-threatening events. It includes any experience that left you feeling helpless, powerless, overwhelmed, or threatened.
The types of experiences that often underlie anxiety, depression, and relationship problems include death of a loved one, physical or emotional abuse, peer or school trauma, significant separations, experiencing or witnessing violence, serious accidents or medical conditions, and any life experience that left you feeling helpless or powerless.
Even seemingly minor events can cause traumatic responses if you experienced a pattern of subtle but painful experiences, or if you tend to be sensitive by nature—such as infidelity or betrayal, public embarrassment, constant criticism by an authority figure, painful family relationships, or never "measuring up" to a parent's expectations.
One of the main reasons that anxiety, depression, and relationship problems can be so difficult to overcome is because the memory of a traumatic experience can get "stuck" in your brain. Even well after a traumatic event has ended, the trauma can remain alive and active, creating painful symptoms that are highly sensitive to getting re-activated or "triggered" by current situations.
For example, if you were painfully criticized by a parent in the past, you may notice those same painful feelings from childhood getting re-activated when you're criticized by your spouse or your boss.
→ Learn more about trauma and how it affects you
A specific type of trauma, known as an "attachment wound," can significantly contribute to anxiety, depression, and painful relationship patterns. As a child, it was essential that your attachment needs—such as safety, security, protection, nurture, affection, loving connection, positive attention, acceptance, and support—were met by your parents or caregivers to help you mature into an emotionally healthy adult.
When these essential qualities are missing from childhood, it creates deficits—or gaps—in your emotional development. Unfortunately, these unmet needs tend to carry over into adulthood and can result in present-day anxiety, depression, and relationship struggles.
Common forms of attachment trauma include feeling shunned, rejected, or neglected by a parent; being invalidated or dismissed; having a parent who was unavailable, distracted, or self-absorbed; having a parent who put their wants ahead of your needs; or experiencing a general lack of support in childhood.
Just like trauma, unresolved attachment wounds are easily and intensely triggered in the present, resulting in painful emotional reactions—anger, jealousy, shame, humiliation, sadness, hopelessness, fear, and panic. Thus, emotional pain that surfaces from feeling invalidated by a close friend or rejected by your partner is likely connected to not getting key attachment needs met in childhood.
→ Learn more about attachment trauma and how it affects relationships
Research indicates that counseling is most effective when it incorporates both the left and right sides of the brain. Trauma and attachment wounds are stored on the right side of the brain. Traditional talk therapy typically accesses only the left side and isn't necessarily designed for processing trauma.
In my Portland counseling practice, I use an approach designed to engage both sides of the brain. I specialize in EMDR therapy and other effective trauma-focused techniques tailored to your individual needs.
"After working with hundreds of clients over the past two decades, I've seen firsthand that it's never too late to make positive changes in your life."
If you've been struggling with anxiety, depression, and relationship problems, you've probably wondered countless times: "Is there some way to finally address this pain?"
The answer is a resounding YES.
Imagine how it would feel to finally get unstuck and move your life forward. The goal of therapy for anxiety, depression, and relationship struggles is to help you:
If you're curious about how we can work together to specifically treat your anxiety, depression, or relationship problems—or if you're interested in learning more about how trauma and attachment wounds may be fueling the symptoms you're struggling with—I invite you to contact me.
I offer a free consultation so we can discuss your concerns and determine if we're a good fit to work together.
Phone: (503) 887-3309
Email: Contact form
Office Location: NE Portland, Oregon
Serving: Portland metro area, including Beaverton, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, Tigard, West Linn, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Tualatin, Gresham, and Vancouver, WA.
Telehealth available for clients throughout Oregon.
