Portland Therapy Center
Gregory Kaplan

Gregory Kaplan (he/him)

Professional Counselor Associate

MA, PhD

Supervisor: Dr. Margaret Eichler, PhD LPC NCC ACS Oregon C2058

“I went and got me a therapist/I can debate on theories and sharing it”–Kendrick Lamar. Make your music-making more meaningful, manageable.

Client Status

accepting clients

Contact

5901 S Macadam

Ste 100

Portland, 97239

Email Website Schedule Now

At a Glance

Me

Rate: $150-$180

Provides free initial consultation

Practicing Since: 2020

Languages: English

Services

  • Individual
  • Family
  • Group
  • Relationship

Insurances Accepted

  • Out of Pocket
  • Out of Network

My Ideal Client

My ideal client is ambivalent about therapy: they fear outcomes that will hinder or dilute their creative powers and yet they are open to mind-altering alchemy of individual and group dynamics that give rise to novel, unanticipated, moving, meaningful possibilities. Abundant issues for musicians and music-makers involved the integration of dedication, technical skill, emotional expression and interpersonal interactions that result in the experience of musical creation, performance, and recording

How I Can Help You

I can help in various ways depending on the pressure points in your life, providing safe space to be vulnerable and "real". “I talk through things in therapy that I don’t even think about in my life” (Billie Eilish). We can experience what we cannot fully apprehend: “They’ll tell you what your blind spots are. Although that’s uncomfortable and painful, it gives you something to work with” (Pink). Therapy takes the whole of ourselves into account, digging deep into the wellsprings of our emotions. “All your selves are in it ... [but] who’s got their hands on the wheel at any given moment?” (Bruce Springsteen). Dave Grohl notes how therapy provides him space to elaborate the meaning of his work that remains personal to him. Jay-Z learned how “everything is connected”. Naomi Judd learned "You’re not alone." And "secrets keep you sick" (Lady Gaga). So "go to therapy...it'll make you grow (Dan Reynolds)!

Why I am a Good Fit for You

I have experienced making meaning with music from many angles: I grew up around the industry in the ‘80’s, spent time in bands and recording studios, entered academia through Oberlin College, and landed on book publishing before embracing a psychotherapy career. The quest for creativity, late and long hours, public performances, withstanding intense scrutiny, fretting negotiations of intellectual property rights, interpersonal strains in romance and family, falling off the horse and getting back onto it—I experienced these from the inside. To make sense of it all, I focus on the unconscious and the symbolic, to catch glimpses of unnoticeable. To me, music and psychotherapy are linked. Says singer/songwriter Chris DuPont:: “My job as a songwriter is to try to give language to… feelings and sentiments and experiences that a listener might not voice until they’ve heard that piece of music.” Our work could proceed in the manner of jam sessions, practice routines, or eruptions of meaning.

Techniques I Use

Specialties

  • Psychodynamic  External link

    My education at Northwestern University centered on psychodynamic psychotherapy and since then I have advanced my skills in trainings and classes. I am led mostly by insight-based therapy, trying to uncover the hidden, obscured roots of feelings, behaviors, and beliefs that are fed by unconscious sources, not exclusively memories but also fantasies and, most of all, unmet or over-indulged needs.

  • Psychoanalytic  External link
  • Interpersonal External link

Issues I Treat

Specialties

  • Personal Growth External link
  • Self-Esteem External link
  • Family Conflict External link

    Chosen families and intentional groups (symphony orchestras, touring bands, performance venues) possess similar structures and dynamics as families of origin (with undeniable differences). Individual members interact in units as well as directly with each other and abstractly with the whole (its history, future). Rules and roles govern such relations without much attention. Conflict arises amongst these and when they operate unacknowledged.

  • Panic External link

    Performance anxiety is a common feature of treating musicians because it is a perfectly natural phenomenon that lends itself to correction or mitigation. Not often full-blown panic attacks, this low-lying anxiety has numerous effective remedies. We utilize various modalities for this purpose. Many of these require a short treatment duration while others are integrated into broader and deeper counseling work.

Contact Gregory

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