Relational 

Relational therapy is more of a general approach, rather than a specific therapeutic method. A therapist who takes a relational approach in their therapeutic practice highlights the importance of the way a client relates to others. Many people find themselves in therapy due, in some part, to the status of their relationships and relational therapy seeks to help the client understand that the way they interact with others can be a central motivation. Ultimately, a relational approach can help a client to create and maintain healthier and more fulfilling relationships.

Local experts in Relational 

Megan Bucknum (She/Her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW CADC I

Relationships with others and the world around us significantly impact our experiences. I utilize this overarching approach to help you grow new insights into past experiences and patterns of behavior which may be impacting your experiences of developing healthy and fulfilling relationships.

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Rachel McEwen, LPC (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MS, LPC, NCC

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Laura Wozniak (she/her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW BCD

I work to enhance all relationships since they underpin our mental and physical health as well as our ability to learn and adapt in our relationship with our self. I welcome my clients to bring other people in their lives into the therapy setting.

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Kaysey Crump (she/her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW, PMH-C

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Marcy Irene Jenks (she/they)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MS, RN, LPC, LMHC

Trust, unconditional positive regard and empathy are aspects of the client-counselor relationship essential to therapeutic success. Using the counseling relationship as a way to examine key components of your attachment templates, we can uncover how early or current relationship wounding affects your life. I have completed the Primary Attachment Psychotherapy Module and lean heavily on loving-presence as the root of my counseling practice.

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Michaela Christopher (she/her)

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

M.A. Marriage, Couple, & Family Therapy

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Bree Koenig (she/her/hers)

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

MS Clinical Psychology, San Francisco State University

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Harley Steen (he/him)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MA, LPC

Therapy in my view is most effective and valuable when it is a collaboration. In our work together, we will engage in a partnership, because l believe that you hold within you the power to create happiness, contentment, and peace.

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Graham Borgman (He/him/his)

Licensed Professional Counselor

I include the relational orientation to communicate the fact that as a therapist I participate fully in the therapeutic process. The relationship between therapist and patient is the single most important factor for the effectiveness of psychotherapy.

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Kristine Zappa (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MA, LPC, R-DMT

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Ajay Dheer (He/They)

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

M.S. Marriage and Family Therapy

The primary reason I chose to become a marriage and family therapist is because I believe in the impact of relationships on our lives; therefore, I have spent the past several years consuming current studies on relational therapy.  I bring a curiosity to my practice that invites family dynamics, environments, friendships, and romantic relationships to have a role in one's identity.  I believe relational therapy techniques can be used with anybody - individuals, couples, families, etc.

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Jessica Butler (She/her)

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

M.A MFT

Relational therapy acknowledges that it's not only the things within ourselves causing frustrations, but the presence of others in our lives (friends, family, romantic partner etc.) create an impact as well. Part of how we can work on your relationships is setting/maintaining boundaries and speaking to your needs within relationships.

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Claire Tam (they/them)

Professional Counselor Associate

MA, Professional Counselor Associate

Relational Therapy focuses on understanding your experiences within the context of your relationships with your self and others. I believe the power of therapy is rooted in the healing that occurs within the therapeutic relationship. Using a relational framework, we will explore how past experiences (individual or intergenerational) may be impacting your beliefs about yourself and the world around you.

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Katie Azarow (She/Her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW, CADC I

I believe firmly that the therapeutic environment serves as a microcosm for the life we live outside of session. Thus, I spend a great deal of time working through relational issues in the context of the therapeutic relationship to help individuals develop and maintain healthy, satisfying relationships throughout their lives.

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Valenca Valenzuela (she/her)

Clinical Social Work Associate

MSW, CSWA

I strongly believe in an authentic and collaborative therapeutic approach. Through using our relationship in the present moment, I help clients to reflect upon themselves, feel validated, and offer a safe and healthy connection while helping clients to work on life's challenges.

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Kristin Tebow (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC, LMHC

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Mark Pechovnik

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Fundamental to our work together is the fact that there are two people in a room discussing very personal and intimate information. The reality of the relationship we develop is both acknowledged and worked with not only as natural outcome of the work we do but as a tool to help increase tolerance for intimacy, authenticity and self-confidence.

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Simone Gotter-Nagle (she/her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW

I have been trained in relational therapy and value the idea that satisfying relationships are essential for our emotional well-being. I take social factors of race, class, gender, and culture as well as the power dynamics that develop as a result of these factors, and examine how they have influenced your relationships and how our therapeutic relationship is a parallel process for growth.

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Dr. Michelle Pliske (She/Her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

DSW LCSW RPT-S

Relational-cultural therapy examines the complexity of human relationships, exploring concepts of connection and disconnection as a primary source of stress, as well as recognizing and exploring the social implications of theory and mental health. Culture brings into focus the influence of larger dominate voices and policies and how power differentials impact the quality of daily living, adversity, trauma, and the nature of relationships.

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Brandon Bressi, MA, LPC (He/Him)

Licensed Professional Counselor

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Courtney Watson (She/Her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MA, LPC

The therapeutic relationship has been shown time and time again to be one of the most important factors for sustained change in therapy. Relational therapy can harness this change agent and allow true healing for your clients.

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Becca Flatt (She/Her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

MSW, LCSW

Relational therapy, also known as Relational Cultural Therapy (RCT) posits that human beings thrive on mutually satisfying relationships. RTC utilizes the therapeutic relationship as an example of a healthy relationship and helps clients understand how past relationships, culture, class, gender, and other social factors affect relationships and create power struggles in the life of the client.

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Patrick Welly Jungian Analyst

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

The therapeutic relationship is the primary healing agent in Depth Psychotherapy. Integrating the mind/body/spirit dynamic inside ourselves is essential to wholeness. The work is an inside out process.

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Alyssa Gursky (they/them & she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MA, LPC

A relational therapeutic approach entails looking at how past relational experiences play out in our current relationships. The therapeutic relationship itself becomes an opportunity for healing and insight. Through mindfulness and radical self-reflection, These patterns can be identified. The therapy space becomes a space to take risks and try new ways of relating. Certain traits such as embodied empathy and curious listening can be reparative experiences for clients.

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Sarah Craycraft

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC, NCC

I believe that having a strong and trusting therapeutic relationship is key to experiencing growth.

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Midori Ferris Wayne (she/her)

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

MA

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Aaron Buchholz

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

I will remain present and actively available to help my clients develop an understanding of themselves so that they are better able to experience psychological well being through growth fostering relationships.

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Julie Bloom (she/her)

Professional Counselor Associate

MA, NCC, PCA, LMHC-A

I offer a relational approach which means showing up fully as both a clinician and as a human so that my clients can learn to do the same in the therapy room and outside in all their relationships and connections.

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Gary Alexander (he/him)

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

MFT, CADC III, NCC

Relational Psychodynamic Psychotherapy is a contemporary approach rooted in Freud's original Psychoanalysis. Psychodynamic therapy puts emphases on the psychological cause of emotional pain. Self-reflection and self-examination are its major focus. Relational Therapy (RT) asserts the relationship is in fact what is needed for true reflection, examination, and ultimately change. A few major tenants of RT include therapist’s stance, authenticity, presence, reflection, and full engagement.

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Nancy Pearson, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

There is no dispute that attachment, bonding, and attuned interpersonal relationship forms the foundation for thriving children. When that is achieved the child and the family move together as a working unit. When it is disrupted, all manner of chaos can pursue. Let me help you identify practices to help you strengthen your connections and improve the working ability of your family.

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Kristin Schuchman (she/her)

Professional Counselor

MSW, CSWA

Relational therapy is based on the idea that mutually satisfying relationships are necessary for our emotional well-being. Taking into account social factors, such as race, class, culture, and gender, it examines the power struggles and other issues that develop as a result and how they relate to the relationships in your life. Relational therapy can relieve feelings of distress in personal and professional relationships and help manage subsequent feelings of anxiety, trauma, or stress.

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Polly Harrison (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

C7190

As social animals, relationships are the core of our well being. We learn them first in our caregivers' arms, and then through siblings, friends, & others. I have extensive training in relational therapy, using radical transparency in our therapeutic relationship to highlight & strengthen your relational capacities, assisting you to build healthier, stronger, mutually respectful bonds of your own.

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Dana Fears (she/her/hers)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC, NCC

I believe that humans are social beings and that our interactions with others shape us. I will help you investigate communication and behavior patterns that might contribute to conflict or suffering in your life and relationships.

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Jillyan Medina (she/her)

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

MA, Marriage & Family Therapist Associate

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Kelsey Huber (they/them)

Professional Counselor Associate

LPC-A

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Skyhook Counseling Center

Professional Counselor Associate

PSYD, LPC, LCSW, Professional Counselor Associate

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Donna Prinzmetal (she/her)

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

We all strive for healthy connections in friendship, work and intimate relationships. As a relational therapist, I focus on connection both in the therapeutic relationship and in the outside world. My goal is for my clients to nurture and develop strong, satisfying and empowering connections.

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Quinn Francis (they/them)

Professional Counselor Associate

MA, NCC

I practice relational psychodynamic therapy, which supports clients to investigate how current patterns and symptoms may be related to early life experiences. Sometimes those patterns even show up in therapy room between us, giving us opportunity to explore what's going on in the moment, and to collaborate ways to shift the narrative. Relational therapy also involves looking at the systems and external factors (e.g. racism or homophobia) that impact your wellbeing.

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Raquel Harmon (SHE/THEY)

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

MA

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Haleigh Yurecko (she/her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW, MSW

The therapeutic relationship is the key determinate of therapy being successful in reducing or managing symptoms and accomplishing treatment goals. By using a relational approach, I can help clients feel I am a safe trusted supportive person in life which allows us to make progress together. Relational therapy is my main approach as I truly value the relationships I develop with clients. I have found it to be the reason why client's continue to meet with me and report liking me as a therapist.

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Rushini Jayawardena (she, her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW

Neither our happiness nor our pain happens in isolation. We are relational beings and I examine the ways in which these connections can be a great source or joy and hurt. I work to examine the narratives that are created from our relationships with our gender, sexuality, family of origin, intimate relationships and more.

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Heather Asaadi (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC

I am passionate about building a meaningful therapeutic relationship - it is within relationships that healing and growth occur. A meaningful therapeutic relationship is when we can feel zest and energy together, we feel that we matter to one another, and have the experience of mutually learning, growing, and empowering each other.

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Sonia Holdaway (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MS

If you are struggling to feel connected to others or feeling unsteady in yourself, relational therapy can help you strengthen your ability to relate to, and feel cared for by others. I am a highly relational therapist, and I love using the therapeutic relationship to facilitate healing from past traumas as well as to combat unhelpful patterns that are keeping you stuck.

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Savannah Torkelsen

Professional Counselor Associate

OR license # R7416, WA license # MC61259505

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Gina DeLeo (she/her)

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

M.A.

As a Marriage, Couple and Family Therapist, I believe relationships are central to our experience of the world. We take into consideration the effects on each person's life of differences in power or equality as well as the impact of social issues such as class, race, gender, and culture. Relational therapy is collaborative and supportive.

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Vy Pham (she/her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW

My approach is always "person-in-environment." We do not heal in isolation. How will what you practice in therapy carry out in your daily life? How will it impact your relationships? How will it impact your community? What does your community look like? What do you want it to look like? What does healing in relationship to others look like? What does it look like in a global pandemic? Although our sessions may be individualized, my focus will always lead us back to collective care.

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Micah Hala

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW

My work is informed by the importance of human relationships, as well as the relationship we have with ourselves and I bring this into my work as a therapist. Human beings are at their nature relational beings and the place we thrive the most is in relationships with others. I strive to help clients to create and maintain healthier and more fulfilling relationships.

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Sasha Strong (they/them)

Licensed Professional Counselor

PhD, LPC

The therapeutic relationship is an opportunity to explore relational dynamics in a new, experimental content. My training includes attachment-based, interpersonal, and experiential approaches to using the therapeutic encounter to give clients new options for showing up in relationships and with themselves. My clients matter to me, and I try to communicate that by participating in a healing relationship in which we each get to show up as we are, without demands.

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Jennifer Stratton (She/Her/Hers)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC

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Isaiah Bartlett (he/him/his)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW

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Melissa Yeary (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC, LMHC, CHT

The client-therapist relationship offers a unique opportunity to practice how we relate to others in a caring, honest environment. I am trained in interpersonal and relational therapy methods to support exploration of what goes on with you in a relationship. Working relationally in therapy offers powerful benefits to your success in intimate, work, and friend relationships in your life.

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Heather Lokteff

Licensed Professional Counselor

Our therapeutic relationship is the most important predictor of success in therapy. My main focus is creating an environment where you feel heard, validated, and have a safe space to express your thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Together we can move towards having more connection, vulnerability and authenticity in your relationships.

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Cayla Panitz (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC

As humans, we need and exist in relationships; to others, to the environment, to ourselves. I believe that one of the most important aspects of my work with clients is developing a strong relationship based around safety and expression and use these experiences in therapy to help people understand the ways in which they relate to other aspects of their lives.

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Sophie Bloch Miller (she/her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW, MPH

I am certified in Relational Life Therapy, a model of couples therapy developed by Terry Real.

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Colette Gordon (they/them)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC

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Laura Patiño (she/her)

Professional Counselor Associate

MA, NCC

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Naomi Painter (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC

I employ approaches from Relational Life Therapy, established by Terry Real (The New Rules of Marriage), as well as from Stan Tatkin (Wired For Love), Martha Kauppi of the Institute for Relational Intimacy, and Esther Perel.

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Magdalena Avila Echenique (She/ Ella)

Professional Counselor Associate

Psy. M. LPC Associate

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Pearl Waldorf

Licensed Professional Counselor

In the therapy relationship, we can begin to understand what gets in the way of connection for us. Together, we are detectives in search of answers to the conundrum of what makes connecting hard, life satisfaction illusive and vitality available in such small or intermittent reserves.

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Sarah Sterling

Licensed Professional Counselor

MA, LPC, LMHC

Above all else, I value the therapeutic relationship as the basis for our work together. In order to create a safe container for transformation, I rely on the principles of non-violence, mindfulness, organicity, unity and mind-body holism. Together, we can form a relationship that is the foundation for you to heal, grow and evolve in the way that feels most right and true for you.

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Aaron Finbloom (he/him)

Somatic Practitioner

PhD

I use Circling (an authentic relating practice) and Non-Violent Communication to work directly with clients in a relational setting, whereby we address issues, problems and facets of experience that are felt in the "here-and-now" relationship between client and therapist.

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Psychology & Wellness Group PDX LLC (Group Practice) (She/Her, He/Him, They/Them)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC

All of our therapists work with relationships. This is the foundation of good psychotherapy. We are a good team and work well together and have the ability to develop good relationships with our clients. We are interested in treating the unique person that steps through our door. Since we have multiple providers with different specialties, we will stick with relational for now. Some are newer to our practice so we are currently updating the information here and on our website.

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Gabriel Boyer (he/him)

Professional Counselor Associate

MA, MEd

I mix attachment theory with contemporary gestalt and relational psychoanalytic approaches. This means I prioritize building a safe therapeutic relationship. This is two fold, it creates a place to heal through experiencing a secure attachment (genuine compassion and support, honesty, productive conflict) and second it creates a foundation to explore vulnerable aspects with greater comfort, so we can get to the root and help you move forward.

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Natasha Laumei, MA, LPC (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC LMHC

A relational approach in therapy highlights the importance of how we relate -- to others, to ourselves, and to our world -- to our sense of overall wellbeing and happiness. I prioritize our therapeutic relationship in order to provide you with a safe space to explore changes within yourself and practice new ways of connecting with others and the world.

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Renee Fitzpatrick (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LMHC, LPC, CST

My relational approach to therapy is grounded in Relational–Cultural therapy (RCT). RCT is a form of therapy that emphasizes the importance and transformative power of our sense of self and our connection with others. RCT believes that humans naturally grow toward and through connection with others. RCT highlights the role our families, community and society play in forming our identities and beliefs about ourselves.

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Kate Sturges, MA, LPC (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

Humans strive for connectedness, to themselves, and others. At the heart of my therapeutic philosophy is my belief in the ability of every individual to create positive relationships. By creating a safe space to explore relationship patterns, I provide clients with the opportunity to create new ways of engaging and how to create fulfilling connections.

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Andrea Mize (she/her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

I focus on the development of healthy relationships as part of mental health. This includes understanding boundaries as well as understanding the importance of attachment in our relationships. I am a whole person that develops a relationship with you in the treatment. While the therapy is focused on you, I understand that concerns that arise in your life outside of therapy will likely show up in our relationship. We can address them openly so you can use that knowledge outside of therapy.

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Caroline Vetter (she/her)

Clinical Psychologist

Oregon license #3481 & California license #32615

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Emma Jewell (she/her)

Somatic Practitioner

Radical Aliveness Practitioner & LMT

Therapeutic relationship has the power to rewire your nervous system. Through relationship we see, we belong, we connect, we uncover the truth. My therapeutic relational approach unravels and rebuilds capacity for more connection, more pleasure, more curiosity and understanding. To build bridges in every aspect of your life.

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Marc•francis Otto (they/them)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MA, LPC, RSMT/E

Just as the patterns that hold you back were wired within your earliest relationships, they only transform when met with gentleness and care. Understanding the neuroscience of relationship can help you understand and transform your challenges.

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Shay Larken

Licensed Professional Counselor

MA, LPC

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Sarah Hardin

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

It is a fundamental belief of mine that we are both hurt and healed in relationship to others. My approach fosters safety, predictability, and trust within the therapy relationship to offer you corrective experiences of yourself in relation to others. Together we will collaborate to explore and dismantle unhealthy beliefs you may have developed about yourself and your capacity to love.

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Autumn Counseling Services LLC

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

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Elyse Beckman (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC, CADC, LMHC, SUDP

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Tracy Bryce Farmer (she/they)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW, CADC

Our brains are structured in relationship. From our first relationship with a primary caregiver to the people in our lives now, improving relational understanding and functioning improves our well-being. Our clinical relationship will support you to study and improve the relationships in your life.

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Madilyn Long (she/they)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW

As a social worker trained in systems-theory, I have come to believe that it is the quality of our interpersonal relationships that have the greatest impact on our overall mental health and wellbeing. By utilizing relational therapy, I assist my clients in identifying which relationships are most meaningful to them and how to ensure that those relationships are mutually-satisfying and beneficial to all parties involved. This often includes work around communication skills and boundaries.

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Richard Marshall

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

M.A., LMFT

I use Terry Real's Relational Life Therapy (RLT) model when working with couples and individuals dealing with relationship problems. It incorporates family of origin work, inner child work, and powerful relational tools to foster meaningful, connected, and fulfilling relationships.

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