Therapists for college students near Portland State University

I have lived in Oregon since 2006. As an active person and outdoor enthusiast, I enjoy hiking, yoga, kickboxing, cycling, and paddle sports. I spend my time relaxing with my husband, friends, family, and 7-year-old adorable black Labrador mix. I enjoy traveling and have been able to explore Africa, Central America, South America, Asia, and Europe. Don’t worry…Australia and Antarctica are on the list! I have been practicing therapy since 2009 and working in mental health services since 2001. I received my Master’s in Applied Psychology in Mental Health Counseling from Southern Oregon University in 2009 and my bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California in Santa Cruz in 2003. I have worked in a variety of therapeutic environments including a sub-acute hospital for adults with severe and persistent mental illness, a residential treatment program for adolescents, treatment foster care for children and youth, community-based services for families in crisis, foster care settings for children, youth, and young adults, outpatient mental health for adults, and in clinical research for youth and young adults struggling with suicidal thoughts and self-harming behaviors. I am a licensed professional counselor in the state of Oregon. My license is registered under my maiden name: Kristen Semelsberger. License number is C5039.

你说中文吗？可以点开看我的中文简介哦！ As a 1st generation Asian Immigrant and a relational therapist for almost a decade, I have been providing culturally sensitive care to clients from all walks of lives. With a training from the Northwestern University , I enjoys assisting individuals and couples working through pains to a deeply connected, authentic, and satisfying life for themselves and with each other. Using my knowledge in attachment theory, mindfulness and interpersonal neurology, I enjoy helping people slow down & attune to their wants, needs & desires. I help people sit with their emotions in a way that feels okay then help them become clear on what they truly need deep down & feels good about getting what they need. As a therapist with visible and invisible social-cultural identities, I uses my intersectionality in the therapy room to reflect, be with and gently challenge people coming through my door who are impacted by the bigger social political context towards personal exploration and transformation I became a therapist to help people reconnect with themselves in a kind way, to be happy with who they are, and to build authentic and loving relationships that they truly deserve. All are welcome here. 帮助人们找到与自己重新联结的方式，学会温柔地接受自己，喜欢真实的自己让我感到踏实和心安。同时，看见人们建立应得的真诚且充满爱的关系是我成为心理咨询师的动力 作为一名第一代亚裔移民，也是一名从业将近十年的关系治疗师，我喜欢为来自不同文化和背景的客户提供贴心、尊重多样性的支持。我的专业训练来自西北大学，而我最大的热情，是帮助个人和伴侣克服情感中的痛点，找到一个更加真实、深刻且令人满足的生活方式——无论是与自己，还是与彼此在一起。 毕业于全美顶尖家庭婚姻咨询项目(西北大学), 我拥有治疗一系列情绪与精神健康方面问题的专业背景，其中包括，抑郁，焦虑，原生家庭问题， 人生节点转换，以及 自我关爱与接纳。 另外，自身的十年海外求学的经验让我可以深刻体会文化适应、身份认同等议题的错综复杂。如果你目前在被这些问题困扰，我愿与您一起用智慧的，幽默的，以及关爱的方式去探索 理解与接纳。 在工作中，通过我对依恋关系，正念疗法以及神经科学的专业训练，我会陪伴你学着慢下来，倾听内心真正的想法、需求与愿望。我会帮助你在面对情绪时不再回避，而是找到一种让人安心的方式和他们相处，然后逐步清晰地看见内心深处的渴求，并对追寻自己的需要充满信心与力量。：） 作为一名有着显性和隐性文化身份的治疗师，我深刻理解社会文化背景可能对个体的影响。我喜欢在咨询中与你携手，通过我的多元视角反思你的经历，温和地探索那些可能让你停滞不前的困境，助力你进行深层次的个人成长和改变。在这里，无论你是谁什么样的取向，都将被欢迎、理解和支持。

My ideal client is someone who is ready to engage in reclaiming their personal power. Therapy is just as much about unlearning, as it is learning. I enjoy working with folks who have a history of "people pleasing" and who have experienced emotional abuse. In particular I enjoy working with those who have experienced narcissistic abuse, and are looking to come back into contact with feeling grounded in their own reality again. I have a broad range of experience working with folks from many different walks of life. What I can help you with is finding a way to feel at peace, and guide you towards feeling stronger and more centered. We will do this by processing your lived experiences, how this has impacted you and by implementing new ways of being and thinking. I invite you to reach out to me if any of this resonates with you. Starting therapy can be a daunting endeavor to embark on. The world has been an exceptionally hard place these past few years. You deserve some support, some peace, and the gift of self care. I am here and ready to support you.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Have you been longing for a more fulfilling, meaningful life? If you are feeling paralyzed or trapped by worry or sadness, you may benefit from an in-depth psychotherapy approach that allows you to break old patterns and grow into a deeper understanding of yourself. I offer online (video-based) therapy to treat trauma, grief/loss, anxiety, and depression. I use CBT and Mindfulness based techniques in my work, but the foundation of my therapeutic approach is from an Existential Therapy perspective, which allows us to slow down and look closely at your current experience so that together we can shape the future you want to have. I feel honored to be a part of helping people grow, fulfill their potential, and thrive in areas that correspond to their values. I have lived in several countries and speak English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Both as a therapist and professor, I have served individuals of many cultures as well as marginalized populations which informs my practice & worldview. If you are invested in personal growth toward a life of purpose, I invite you to contact me or visit my website to learn more about how you can find healing & meaning in your life. Take that step and schedule a free consultation!

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

I am of the mindset that equity and trust are essential to working together to find solutions and gain awareness. While I am informed on a wide range of therapeutic approaches and I use what is best for each individual client, I tend to lean towards using Solution-Focused Therapy, Structural Therapy, and Narrative Therapy styles. I like for our work together to be interactive and empowering with the understanding that there are systems we may have to work with, in, or around.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

My approach is warm and collaborative, creating a space where you feel truly seen and supported. I specialize in working with women who are navigating anxiety, relational challenges, and the lasting effects of trauma. Many of my clients struggle with high self-expectations, overthinking, and a constant sense of not doing or being enough. Together, we explore the roots of these patterns and create space for self-trust, balance, and lasting change. Using a combination of EMDR, somatic, and other evidence-based approaches, I tailor each session to your unique needs and goals. This personalized approach allows us to work through your challenges at your own pace. Whether we’re using EMDR or another approach, I stay attuned to what feels most supportive. I trust your innate capacity to heal and see my role as a guide in helping you reconnect with your resilience and sense of self. My goal is lasting, embodied change—so you can feel more grounded, empowered, and at home in your life.

Our practice utilizes evidenced-based treatments, which anchor your care in the best scientific evidence available. The therapeutic approaches we employ are gold standard treatments based on large-scale randomized clinical trials. Our skilled psychotherapists will develop a tailored treatment plan based on current clinical research, as well as your preferences, values, culture, and life experience. This goal-directed and science-backed approach, coupled with your active engagement in the therapeutic process, will guide you along the path toward meaningful change.

Do you feel ready to explore and heal what’s getting in the way of you living your most joyful, creative, connected life? Are depression and anxiety keeping you either feeling weighed down, dull, and purposeless, or else on high alert and living from a place of fear and busyness round the clock? Are habitual thought-loops and tensions in the body keeping you in a perpetual state of mistrust, perfectionism/people-pleasing, and/or judgement towards yourself and others? Often, depression and anxiety are the result of an impulse getting “stuck” in the system and not being able complete its cycle. In my practice, I use a blend of Somatic Experiencing, Voice Dialogue Parts Work, and mindfulness-based present moment inquiry to create a compassionate and attuned space of inner exploration and healing. My goal is to help you move through "unfinished business" stored in the body and the mind, so that you can live in greater wellbeing and freedom. I am here to help you gently release the shame, fear and mistrust that may be holding you back from delighting in your life and in your connections to humans and to the more-than-human world.

Hello, my name is Sarah Nelson (she/her/hers), I come to my work as a therapist holding tight to the knowledge that all people want to live meaningful lives with deep loving connection to others. Perhaps you are feeling a loss of meaning, a loss of connection, or are in the midst of a life transition and that has led you here. Whatever has led you to seek therapy, I am glad you are here and I welcome you as you are, as you were, and as you would like to be. I approach my work with a desire to connect and to understand, to hold hope, and to guide towards insight. As a counseling psychologist I am trained to work with a wide variety of presenting concerns and within many modalities. My approach to therapy is rooted in warmth and connection and you: who you are, where you come from, and what is meaningful to you. Our work together will be deep and relational. Within this person-centered approach I bring attention to early attachment and current relationships through the lens of feminist liberation psychology. This lens means that I see your context on a historical, local, and cultural scale as inextricable from your current mental health. INDIVIDUAL THERAPY: I provide person-centered, holistic, and contextualized individual counseling that is rooted in attachment, connection, liberation and social justice. I am trained to work with a variety of concerns and using a variety of modalities and most often work with: anxiety, depression, identity development and transitions, grief and loss, relationship concerns, sleep concerns, transgender mental health, sexuality, and existential concerns. COUNSELING FOR TRANSITIONS: The transitions into and out of college and into and out of careers and jobs are frequently moments of fear and anxiety. These transitions can also be seasons of growth in self-understanding and moments for powerful shifts in identity. I have specialized training in career and academic counseling as well as business consultation and leadership development. I offer person-centered, compassionate, and contextualized therapy for these seasons of transformation, whether you are: transitioning from college, moving between jobs, reentering the job-market after family leave, longing for a more balanced work and home life, or developing your ability to lead. PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT: I offer psychosocial affirming evaluations for gender affirming and confirming surgeries and interventions following the WPATH standards of care guidelines. I am able to provide these assessments and letters of support to any resident of Oregon. I am committed to making such assessments accessible. PERINATAL AND PARENTING SUPPORT: The seasons of pregnancy and parenthood are marked by layered, sacred, and complex transitions and changes in identity and relationships. I offer inclusive, holistic, and holding therapy for individuals who are trying to get pregnant, are pregnant, have experienced pregnancy loss or fertility concerns, abortion, miscarriage, or for those who are transitioning to parenthood or have parenting concerns. I am particularly interested in helping individuals build intentional parenting patterns through better understanding of their own relationships and mental health. I have specialized training in life-span development, particularly in prenatal and postpartum counseling and in parenting.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

For many of us, the hardest challenge to overcome is to ask for help. If you're reading this, you've already found the courage to start becoming the best version of yourself. While as an individual you are unique, none of us are perfect and we all experience conflict, hardships, and a variety of emotions. I believe our life experiences as well as cultural background influence the way in which we interact with the world. I am a strong proponent of collaboration and I view the therapeutic relationship as a team. I have daytime availability Monday through Thursday. If you feel overwhelmed with all of the changes in your life and in the world around you, or conversely feel numb and detached, let's talk. I practice with a variety of clients, however I specialize in teens and adults experiencing the effects of life changes and transitions, codependency, relationship issues, and managing work/life balance. I have a gentle approach to building relationships combined with down to earth 'real talk' about what can help you feel better. I often incorporate mindfulness techniques into our work together, and am someone who's open to feedback and learning about your unique perspective on the world.

Are you seeking therapy to better understand yourself—how you think, feel, and move through the world? How you relate to the world, and yourself? Are you curious about the deeper, more elusive questions that live beneath the surface? Are you navigating breaking generational cycles, processing sudden life shifts, grief, trauma, anxiety, or depression? I’m here to support you. We are the cartographers of our inner world—and therapy is the mapmaking. My role is to walk beside you in that discovery, offering a collaborative pace where every part of you is welcome. Grounded in evidence-based practices, and guided by warmth, humor, and deep respect, I create a safe, gently challenging environment where real healing and transformation can begin. Since 2022, I’ve supported individuals from all walks of life in Oregon and Washington through telehealth therapy. Therapy offers relief. It lightens the burden of carrying it all alone—and makes space for clarity, possibility, and change.

I provide individual teletherapy for adults across the state of Oregon. I have a passion for helping people heal from trauma, decrease anxiety, and improve their self-esteem. Before patients come to see me, they “feel bad” almost reflexively and frequently experience high anxiety. They are wracked with feelings of guilt and may be afraid of upsetting people. They often over-extend themselves in the name of service to others. On the outside, my clients look like they have it together but feel internally like they are just treading water. If that sounds familiar, you’ve come to the right place. Counseling may be for you if: You find it easier to focus on other’s emotions and needs than on your own. You like to think and are insightful, but don’t always know how to feel. You have difficulty experiencing emotions beyond an overwhelming sense of guilt or just “feeling bad.” You feel resentful that other people don’t work as hard as you, but are terrified to ask for what you want or need from others. You are often anxious or tense; relaxation and rest feel nearly impossible. You feel trapped by family pressures or relationships that refuse to evolve. I specialize in treating trauma (especially complex or childhood trauma), anxiety, and difficulties with self-esteem.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

I work with people in transition or who are preparing for change. Artists, actors and writers. Those in bereavement. Or who are living with a catastrophic health-related diagnosis, recent or of long duration. Caregivers. Mental health interns who need to explore their own issues in order to practice mindfully. Folks who are using substances more than they want. People who want to decrease their distress but who also have a curiosity about its sources. People who want to talk with someone about the most important thing in the world, perhaps to discover what that is. My specialty is the intuitive analysis of what is most important to you. My experience has shown me that we carry within us the answers we're looking for. My skill is in eliciting these answers and reflecting them back to you so you recognize them. I've been trained in Depth psychology, Narrative psychology and Cognitive Behavior therapy, in dream analysis and evidence-based practices like Seeking Safety. In addition to private practice I've directed multiple community mental health and recovery programs, as well as provided training and clinical supervision to new therapists.