Please scroll all the way down for the bottom line about fees & insurance.
A bit about me: My name is Greta, and I'm a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of Oregon.
Seeking my own path to healing led me to the field of psychotherapy. In my training years I worked as a crisis hotline counselor, taking calls from people in suicidal crisis, survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, military veterans, and other callers in their worst and most frightening moments. Post graduate trainings I have pursued include somatic psychotherapy (Hakomi), EMDR, Gestalt, Lifespan Integration and currently relational psychodynamic therapy (RPT). I opened my private practice in 2020, just as the pandemic was getting underway.
My style is collaborative, deeply intuitive, and incorporates methods that are research- and sicence-based. I tend toward depth work, or, getting to the root of the trouble (rather than, for example, only working on changing cognitive structures such as a CBT or DBT approach). Purely cognitive ways of working are excellent for helping people get from severe lows or danger zones up to a baseline of positive functioning, but they only go so far because they don't engage our bodies, experiences, affects, memories, and ultimately are shown to provide limited benefit over time.
My philosophy is imbued with the egalitarian principles of feminism, social justice, humility and curiosity about (rather than fear of) our many individual, social and cultural differences. I strive to create a safe and healing space for clients from all genders, races, ethnicities and spiritual (or not) paths. I work with adults ages 18 and up.
The people I work with seek help with a range of problems like panic, anxiety, depression, feeling like an exile in life, loneliness/disconnection, unwanted obsessive thoughts, low self-esteem, being ambushed by post-traumatic stress and other struggles. Some want support during big life transition moments. Others seek help while grappling with questions of purpose and personhood, like "What is the ruling passion of my soul?" ... "What will it take for my life to be meaningful?" ... "What are my moral obligations?"
I believe therapy should be life-changing. I am certain it takes a great deal of courage. Entering therapy can feel vulnerable and profoundly challenging, yet the potential rewards can include learning who you are when you're free, among other astonishing discoveries. Very often, interpersonal problems are a main source of human trouble; lucky folks with secure, ideal childhoods tend not to seek out depth therapy. The research is clear that therapy helps, and that *the therapy relationship itself* is the primary agent of lasting change. For this reason, I strongly encourage you to talk to and "feel out" as many therapists as you can before getting started with one.
Trauma is *any* experience that is too overwhelming for us to process at the time. The nature of the event itself is not what matters; rather it is how your mind-body system processes or fails to process the experience. The after-effects of a trauma range widely. Some people experience flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive thoughts. Others can have strong emotional states that feel out of control and like vast overreactions to the present situation. Some people report feeling "blank," or numb. With EMDR, we harness the brain's natural healing ability. EMDR is helpful in addressing a variety of issues such as core negative beliefs, phobias, and more.
Lifespan Integration (LI) is a gentle cousin of EMDR created by former EMDR therapist Peggy Pace in 2002. LI also uses the natural healing capacities of the brain-body system. Similar to EMDR, with LI, we can help you make sense of your story, heal old wounds and strengthen your inner resources. How it differs: LI is a more gentle approach than EMDR, and while it offers a powerful healing experience, the immediate impacts tend to be less intense. An aspect of LI that I deeply appreciate is how it offers direct help and repair to what you might call your "inner child(ren)," or in the IFS model your "child part(s)" or "exile(s)." As a rule, children need help making sense of and understanding their life stories. Children who missed out on the attuned, compassionate and competent care that all kids need are forced to make meanings for themselves, unmediated by a compassionate, wise adult. The meanings that traumatized children make -- especially when the source of the trauma is the caregiver -- tend to be of the "it was my fault," or "I must be bad" variety. These meanings in turn can be the secret drivers in our lives. By having you sit in a mindful, quiet state as we go through the time line of your life, we tell, and then re-tell, and tell again, the story of your life to your whole mind-body system. As we do so, your autobiographical narrative becomes more cohesive, and includes more adaptive, self-supporting interpretations of events. This process leads to a natural, spontaneous increase in compassion and self-love -- the foundation for healthy relationships. For more about this remarkable healing process, please see the introduction video below.
Based in mindfulness and nonviolence, Hakomi Psychology assumes we each have an Organic Self with an innate drive toward wholeness and health. This underlying principle is shared with almost all other therapy modalities. Similar to IFS, Hakomi has a primary focus on helping you cultivate a friendly, nonjudgmental relationship with your whole self. With this approach, we help you get deeply curious about your inner world; here, your body acts as a doorway to a deeper understanding of core beliefs, assumptions and attitudes about yourself and your world. As we bring these elements more into your conscious awareness, you get more choice, and leverage to transform old patterns of thought that may be keeping you small. One of my clients described Hakomi therapy as "facilitated meditation," and most clients are surprised by how powerful the experience of turning inward feels, using this method.
Anxiety and depression can be mild, daily visitors set on a low hum, or they can be debilitating and extreme. Both can feel a lot like you're living with an enemy on the inside. Driving on the freeway, being in a social environment with others, and any number of other daily activities can become infused with out-of-control panic or anxiety. Depression symptoms may leave you feeling hopeless, unmotivated, fatigued, or flattened by shame and self-doubt. Avoidance becomes a problematic go-to behavior: avoidance of going places or being with people, avoidance of setting needed boundaries or having difficult but necessary conversations, even avoidance of being with your own emotions. Whether your symptoms are mild or severe, adding a professional perspective can help. I find that the clients I work with do best with a tailored, integrative approach--meaning we pull from a variety of techniques to address your specific situation. We can build you a toolkit and perhaps explore root causes/beliefs that keep you stuck. Please take heart; even though it may seem impossible to you now, this truly can change and you can feel better. Our time is short; you deserve to live a life in which you feel a sense of belonging, freedom, calm and connection. Let's find out together who you are when you're truly free.
Introduction to EMDR (about 10 minutes)
Introduction to Lifespan Integration (about 20 minutes)
Cost of therapy - Out of Pocket
Individual therapy, 50-minute session: $175 with sliding scale options for financial hardship.
Insurances Accepted
Aetna
Care Oregon/Health Share OHP
Regence Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Oregon
Logistics
I am offering Tele-health (online) therapy only at this time.