Melissa Owens LPC

Melissa Owens LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

I can help you heal relationships, traumatic experiences and addictive/compulsive behaviors.

Client Status

accepting clients

Contact

503.963.9332

Portland, OR 97229

At a Glance

Me

Rate: $150-$200

Provides free initial consultation

Provides telehealth services

Practicing Since: 2002

Languages: English

Services

  • Individual
  • Relationship
  • Teen

Insurances Accepted

  • Out of Pocket
  • Out of Network

My Approach to Helping

I can help you get unstuck; strengthen your communication, connections, relationships and boundaries; free yourself from addiction, addictive relationships, and compulsive behaviors; heal emotional reactivity and stop hurting yourself and those you love. I am skilled in DBT, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); Somatic Experiencing; Internal Family Systems (IFS) and other Ego-State therapies involving mind/body awareness using breath, movement and imagery, as well as Jungian Active Imagination and Kundalini Yoga therapy.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

I have been in private practice 15 years. Prior to that I served as Clinical Supervisor and Addictions and Mental Health Counselor in an adult dual diagnosis residential program working on both the men's and the women's floors. I have been an ESL Teacher and Bilingual Education Coordinator and worked at a Women’s Resource Center as Skills Trainer. I earned an MA in Counseling Psychology with Addictions Specialty at Lewis & Clark College. Prior to that I held a Teacher Certification from the University of Alaska. I earned a BA in literature from the University of California, San Diego.

Techniques I Use

Specialties

  • EMDR External link

    EMDRIA approved Level II training and 15 years experience using this treatment.

  • Couples Counseling External link

    I have extensive experience working with couples in conflict, repairing wounds and distance, infidelity issues, traumatic backgrounds, anger, sexual problems, or problems of substance and/or sexual addiction. I use strategies from John Gottman, Terry Real, Dan Wile, Imago Therapy, and David Schnarch's Crucible approach. I can help you repair your relationship.

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) External link

    I am trained and experienced in traditional DBT therapy, which I have taught to large groups of residents in treatment and also used extensively in individual therapy to work on addictions, emotional reactivity, relationship problems and compulsive behaviors.

Issues I Treat

Specialties

  • Relationship / Marriage Issues External link

    I am trained and experienced in a variety of approaches to relationship and marital issues, including anger, cruelty, withholding, infidelity, sexual problems, addictions, trauma and emotional reactivity.

  • Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependence External link

    I have extensive training in the treatment of substance abuse as well as addictive and compulsive behaviors (shopping, sexual addiction and porn use). I use a harm-reduction approach including the Sinclair Method for alcohol abuse.

  • PTSD External link

    I have formal training and extensive experience using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Internal Family Systems (IFS) and body oriented psychotherapies to heal the wounds of traumatic experiences. Trauma is unhealed unintegrated experience and healing is possible.

  • Anxiety External link

    I teach emotion-body/mental-pattern awareness, and what to do with that awareness. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, body centered psychotherapies and Yogic techniques to show you how to manage anxiety. I have practiced Kundalini Yoga for 30 years and can teach you to make use of breathing techniques to calm the nervous system at will.

  • Depression External link

    I use a mindfulness based approach to healing depression and depressive anger through small changes in habits and large changes in perspective.

Contact Melissa

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