Therapists for college students near Portland State University

Are you caught in an unending cycle of feeling insufficient, regardless of your achievements or efforts? As you navigate various roles in your life – partner, friend, caregiver, parent/child, coworker, or manager do you constantly feel like you're falling short, despite your best efforts? Anxiety, depression, grief, burnout, and fear can be an overwhelming experience. You are “fine” and you’re waiting for that other shoe to drop. I specialize in helping adults struggling with trauma, grief, and life transitions by navigating intense emotions, finding peace, and rebuilding connections with themselves and others. As a multiracial therapist, I am deeply committed to supporting BIPOC individuals, particularly in addressing family of origin and ethnic identity/cultural concerns. I also enjoy working with military families. My approach is grounded in scientific principles, tailored to help you break free from a cycle that keeps you from the life you want. Whether stemming from past trauma, intricate learning histories, or the pressures of daily life, these challenges may make you feel like you're merely existing rather than truly living. If you're ready to move beyond survival mode and embrace a life that aligns with your true self, I'm here to support you every step of the way.

Hi, I’m Kate (she/her) and I’m all about creating a space where you feel safe, supported, and free to be yourself. I specialize in supporting young adults, helping them navigate life’s ups and downs. My approach is LGBTQ+ affirming and grounded in anti-oppressive practices, so you can show up as your true self. Whether you’re exploring who you are, how to feel stronger, or how to deal with adversity, I’m here to help you figure it out in a way that works for you.

I am informal, goofy, sometimes loud, curious, imperfect, and you get all that and more when we start working together. Therapy with me commonly looks like laughing together, sometimes until we cry; actually crying together; laying on the ground; understanding that dark humor is often a necessary coping strategy for whatever life throws at us; talking with my hands; and my facial expressions being apart of the conversation (AKA having real reactions to real shit). Growing up between worlds can get messy, that weird in-between of always trying to fit in. As a transracial/international adoptee, I know how frustrating that pull between cultures and identities can be. Whether you're a fellow adoptee, mixed raced, or 1st gen, we’ll explore those layers - the deep identity stuff, aka the “laugh so you don’t cry” stuff, and find your way back home within the complexity. As a relational, trauma-informed therapist, I believe healing happens through connection. I focus on how your relationships, past and present, shape how you move through the world. My work blends somatic awareness with curiosity and compassion to help you build relationships that feel nourishing, real, and aligned with who you are. Finding the right fit may be time consuming, but shouldn’t be draining. Consults are a brief window into what the therapeutic relationship will look like - like a vibe-check. And if the vibes are right, the hard stuff will come naturally and not feel forced. This is why I offer 25-min consults. Reach out for a consult and let’s take it from there!

Feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected from yourself or others? We’re here to help. We offer warm, trauma-informed therapy for to help you navigate anxiety, stress, emotional ups and downs, identity questions, or the impact of past experiences. Our work focuses on helping you better understand what’s happening in your body and emotions, build coping skills that actually work, and feel more confident in relationships and everyday life. We believe healing happens through connection. Therapy with us is collaborative, respectful, and grounded in helping you feel safe, supported, and understood — not judged or “fixed.” Whether you’re feeling burnt out, reactive, numb, or unsure of what you need, we’ll meet you where you are and move at your pace. We offer telehealth services in Oregon and in-person sessions in Portland.

We here at Brave Acorn help people in the greater Portland area align body, mind, and emotions in their daily lives. We are trauma-trained, take a Health at Every Size approach to food and weight issues, and encourage people to work with their body and emotions as allies (rather than enemies) on their journey towards growth and healing.

Hello, We can start with what is your immediate concern. That is likely to open the possibility of changes within you, that can open new possibilities for satisfaction and broader changes. Our goals will include more satisfying and close relationships for you.

Hi, I'm Matthew. Starting therapy can feel like a big step, and finding the right person to work with matters. I believe therapy is a collaborative process where you can feel heard, understood, and supported without judgment. My goal is to create a welcoming space where you can slow down, explore what you're experiencing, and develop tools that help you move forward. I don't believe therapy is about "fixing" you. It's about creating space to understand yourself more deeply, strengthen your relationship with yourself and others, and move toward a life that feels more aligned with who you are and what matters to you.

At North Star Therapy Collective our team is committed to our individual growth, learning and self-care. We work to take genuine care of ourselves in deep and meaningful ways so we can show up as the best version of ourselves in our communities, our families, and for YOU - our clients. Each one of us struggles with our own perfectionism. At times, we burn ourselves out, overcommit, or overwork. It's in these moments we turn to self-compassion and to the support of one another so that we can pause, rest, and reset.

College can be a lot to juggle, not only are you balancing your classes and course work, but also relationships and expectations. All while trying to figure out what you actually want for yourself. As a first-generation child of immigrants, I understand the pressure that can come with balancing your own goals while staying connected to where you come from. I work with college students who are dealing with anxiety, burnout, identity questions, and major life transitions. You might notice overthinking, procrastination, people pleasing, or feeling like you have to show up differently depending on the space you’re in. A lot of my clients are used to pushing through, even when they feel overwhelmed or unsure of themselves. My approach is trauma-informed, relational, and culturally responsive. I help you make sense of your emotions, understand patterns that may be keeping you stuck, and build tools that actually work in your everyday life. Whether we’re talking through stress, working on anxiety, or exploring identity and relationships, we’ll go at a pace that feels right for you.

Often our first response to misfortune is to fight against it. While we may have skillful ways of doing this, our efforts nevertheless become futile and disconnect us from others. Our energy gets bound up, we get stuck in elusive cycles. However, our truths are complex and deserve to be recognized. I provide a focused and understanding space that supports you opening to your own aliveness and your voice. I bring my full attention, my honest feeling, and I will share what I see will help you. In a setting of mutual respect and trust, and with your active participation, I will encourage and challenge you to take risks to be more honest and vulnerable with yourself and in your relationships. The result is often a more comfortable, effective and empowered sense of self from which one can thrive. I offer individual therapy to adults who are interested in exploring one's relationship with oneself, including through dreams and creative process. I have a special interest in working with anxiety, depression, grief and self-esteem.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 20 years of experience working in mental health for non-profit agencies, the VA, and other organizations. Through my own experiences in the military, I experienced first-hand Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, and depression. After leaving the Navy, I sought therapy to help process what I experienced. While completing my education, I worked at Veterans' Affairs, helping combat Veterans who experienced PTSD and other challenges, including drug and alcohol addiction. I bring this experience to working with you in processing trauma and other issues you may be experiencing. During our therapeutic sessions I primarily utilize CBT, DBT, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) but will also use other approaches as needed. I work from a client centered, integrative approach and believe in working collaboratively with clients to help them achieve their goals, improve coping, and reduce symptoms. Finding a path to live the life you want to lead is a goal of the work I do. I practice a resilience-based approach while working primarily with adults, veterans and their families in individual and couples counseling sessions. I also bring, Kayleigh, a therapy dog in sessions.

I work with queer and trans clients and offer individual counseling and gender support groups. I love supporting clients in their process of transition– into new identities, relationships, careers, and ways of relating to themselves and others. Everyone’s path of healing and growth is unique; I work together with my clients to find an approach that feels right for them, honoring their wisdom, strengths, and preferences. My style is integrative– drawing from narrative therapy, IFS, mindfulness, and self-compassion practices. I meet my clients with deep respect for their process and approach our work together with creativity, curiosity, warmth and an open heart.

I specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), an evidence based treatment for specific challenges like OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, and depression. This requires a collaborative and supportive process tailored to each individual. With the right treatment it is possible to see significant changes in symptoms so you can spend more time pursing what is most important to you. I am offering primarily telehealth based appointments within Oregon and in-person appointments within the Portland area as needed. Treatment is focused on creating behavioral changes, starting with areas where symptoms have had the most significant, and negative life-impacts. Focusing on one small change at a time can lead to greater freedom from symptoms, and more time spent actively pursuing what is most important in your life.

Do you worry constantly, have a persistent fear of failure or judgement and feel on edge with just about anything? Feeling like you’re not good enough, not living the life you want to live, or that you’ve lost touch with the things that bring you happiness with little hope that you can live life in a fulfilling way? Have you had a traumatic experience that left you feeling disconnected and having a hard time trusting people, with the need to protect and numb yourself? These things can impact our physical and mental wellbeing, keep us up at night, make us feel disconnected from the people closest to us and reduce our ability to achieve what we want in life. I may be able to help. I have experience guiding people with these concerns to make meaningful changes to increase their satisfaction with life. A sense of safety, confidence, hope, fulfillment and loving connections with your important people is what I work to achieve with you and it can be done. Research shows that 75% of people experience positive results after seeing a therapist. One of the most important predictors of positive outcomes in therapy is the therapeutic alliance, or the partnership between therapist and client. Therapeutic alliance means shared decision-making, mutual respect, non-judgement, empathy and understanding in the therapy room. I focus heavily on these elements so we can work smarter and not harder and to create an alliance that produces the results you want in therapy.

If you woke up tomorrow and your life was exactly how you wanted it to be, what would be different? Maybe you’re feeling stuck and weighed down by the past, and you want to be unburdened and able to move forward with your life. Perhaps you want to manage stress better, improve relationships, or feel less depressed and worried. You may want support around uncertainty, grief, anxiety, or fear related to the world around you, with concerns related to discrimination, politics, or the future of our country and world. Whatever you are facing right now, therapy can be a powerful tool for creating meaningful and lasting change. I support clients in healing from past pain and lessening its impact on life now using EMDR and other modalities. My approach is integrative and personalized. With warmth and authenticity, I collaboratively work with clients to put the past in the past, create healthier patterns, live more fully, and move forward with greater freedom.

If you’re looking for a supportive and easy-to-talk-to therapist, to help you achieve your goals, we may be a good fit. I help adults and adolescents that are struggling with depression, anxiety, ADHD and relationship issues. I help students trying to find their place in life. I also help men overcome anger issues that may negatively impact their quality of life. I practice CBT, ACT, and DBT. I work with business owners, creatives, students, athletes, musicians, writers, therapists, teenagers and more. Together, we will find solutions to your struggles so you live your rich and meaningful life. I do telehealth and walk-and-talk therapy, aka ecotherapy. We'll either meet online or at a park in Portland and walk for 50 minutes. Ecotherapy gives you exercise, forest bathing and talk therapy. Couples, men and trauma survivors often prefer ecotherapy since walking often increases vulnerability. Together, we'll help you feel better and get better. I owned two businesses before I became a therapist. One appeared on The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan. I’m also a father, husband, friend, animal lover, mistake-maker, Little League coach, ex-D 1 athlete and (hopefully) down-to-earth. I strive to bring trust and transparency to my relationships. I believe humility is a superpower. Call or email me and let’s connect!

Please visit my profile to learn more about my services.

Therapy can help us discover new parts of ourselves, challenge barriers to growth, and develop new skills to create our own paths. We as individuals hold these strengths within us already, but at times life can lead us to believe we are lacking. My hope is to help you discover these strengths! My style is direct yet gentle and I speak from an honest heart. I will often bring humor into the session, as life can funny at times or we may just need a bit of laughter to get through the challenges. I pull from various models but most often utilize Narrative Therapy, CBT, and mindfulness based techniques. Through a combination of these modalities, I work to help clients re-write unhealthy narratives and adjust patterns or ways of thinking that reinforce these inaccurate self-views. I believe in assisting clients in better understanding their own emotions and how their bodies can communicate these emotions. Once we are able to understand this, we can slow down and create new habits that are more effective in meeting our needs and managing symptoms.

Hi, I’m Amanda (she/her) I identify as white, cis gendered, middle-class woman. As someone with a great deal of privilege, I believe it is my job to make sure I understand my privilege through active learning, unlearning and holding space for others. I believe that we all have access to an inner knowledge that helps us overcome our challenges. I use several tools to help clients access this knowledge including talk therapy, art therapy, and regulation strategies, mindfulness and meditation practices based off client need and comfort level. My approach is relational, trauma-informed and strength-based. I work with clients where they are at on any given day. From there, we collaborate to build skills and resiliency. I work with teens, adults and families to help find resources within themselves. I work with many clients who have experienced trauma, anxiety, depression and or difficulty in transition.

Life comes with a lot of challenges and unexpected twists and turns. I enjoy helping people work through discovering themselves and exploring identity, as well as learning skills to cope with areas impacting everyday life. I provide a welcoming and low-pressure environment with a focus on building a good therapeutic relationship.