Mary Bruce-Owenby

Mary Bruce-Owenby (she/her)

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

LGBTQIA-affirmative couples therapist

I help couples work through issues of emotional safety and trust to re-establish their bond and grow their intimacy.

Client Status

not accepting clients

Contact

503-205-0604

205 SE Spokane Street

Portland, 97202

At a Glance

Me

Rate: $200

Provides free initial consultation

Provides telehealth services

Practicing Since: 2009

Languages: English

Services

  • Relationship

Insurances Accepted

  • Out of Pocket

My Ideal Client

I help couples move from pain and isolation to joy, connection, and secure functioning. I have specific training and expertise working with couples--using a Gestalt model and PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy), and also drawing from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and the developmental couples model (Ellyn Bader/Pete Pearson/The Couples Institute).

My Approach to Helping

Through a flexible but structured process, we work to de-escalate negative cycles, establish emotional safety, and begin the process of restructuring emotional patterns and rebuilding the bond so that you get back to enjoying and connecting.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

I have a BA from Wellesley College, an MA in clinical psychology from Antioch University, and specialized training and experience in couples work, including working as a couples therapist at the Couples Clinic of Portland. I have also completed a program in Buddhist Psychology and Gestalt Psychotherapy and continue to train with the Gestalt Therapy Training Center Northwest ongoing, monthly. I have completed a two-year program at The Developmental Couples Institute in California, and I am currently training in PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy). I welcome seeing a diverse range of couples and individuals and offer a free, 30-minute consultation so that we may meet via Zoom and get a better understanding of whether we may be a fit for working together.

Techniques I Use

Specialties

  • Psychodynamic  External link

    This approach is a form of depth psychology that explores and works through the often initially hidden impacts that early patterns have had on current functioning. I have completed five years of specific training in psychoanalytic/psychodynamic theoretical frameworks under the supervision of contemporary psychoanalysts and psychologists.

  • Gestalt External link

    I have trained in Gestalt therapy, a strengths-based, non-pathologizing approach, for the past seven years with the Gestalt Therapy Training Center Northwest, and I have incorporated its here-and-now, direct, honest and mindful approach to help couples work with and address deep-seated, unmet needs.

  • Emotionally Focused External link

    I utilize the EFT approach in conjunction with others when working with couples. EFT's tools of engagement and attunement help us to first identify and deescalate negative patterns that have kept the couple isolated from one another, and then restructure and rebuild the trust, strengthening the emotional bond and renewing connection.

  • Couples Counseling External link

    I have training in Gestalt (Gestalt Therapy Training Center Northwest), Psychobiological (PACT), Developmental (Developmental Couples Institute), EFT, Collaborative Couples (Dan Wile), and psychodynamic approaches to this work.

Issues I Treat

Specialties

  • Relationship / Marriage Issues External link

    I thoroughly enjoy helping couples move from pain and isolation to joy and connection. I have specific training and expertise working with couples and work collaboratively with you to deescalate negative cycles, restructure and rebuild trust, and practice strengthening the emotional bond. Please note that I do not accept insurance for couples work.

  • Premarital Counseling External link

    I work with couples who would like to work through a broad ranges of struggles coming up for them that they would like to address before moving forward more deeply into their commitment.

Contact Mary

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