Portland Therapy Center
Michael Running

Michael Running (he/him)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC, MS, NCC

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor offering relationally-oriented counseling for individuals, relationships, and groups.

Client Status

not accepting clients

Contact

503-683-8464

6124 SE Milwaukie Ave.

Suite 204

Portland, 97202

Email Website Schedule Now

At a Glance

Me

Rate: $135-$150

Provides free initial consultation

Provides telehealth services

Practicing Since: 2020

Languages: English

Services

  • Individual
  • Group
  • Relationship

Insurances Accepted

  • Out of Pocket

My Ideal Client

I work with different kinds of people who are often looking for relief from distress or seeking clarity from confusion. I have a particular focus on supporting men who struggle in their relationships with themselves, and quite often in their relationships with other men. I endeavor to form a healing relationship with you where the acceptance and presence I offer provide a safe space for you to move into new experiences of contentment, a sense of belonging, and the experience of fulfillment.

My Approach to Helping

Counseling is relational: your relationship with yourself in your world, my own relationship to my self, and the relationship we form together. My person-centered and existential orientation to counseling sprouts from the rich soil of Gestalt Therapy, which brings curiosity, exploration, and present-process into the healing you wish to see. From this ground, I also utilize mindful somatic psychotherapy in understanding the wisdom your body and felt experience hold. To help transform painful emotions or traumatic experiences, I also use Emotion-Focused Therapy to access emotions that promote well-being which often lie underneath more painful ones. Bringing mindfulness into our relationship can also be an effective support to access and understand your experience. Curiosity and acceptance are the two pillars my counseling approach rests upon. Most of all, I trust in and rely upon your holistic experience and organic wish for well-being.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Nationally Certified Counselor in private practice. Much of what I bring to therapy is informed by the near-decade I spent as a Buddhist monk both in the U.S. and overseas in Taiwan. This transformative and dedicated experience continues to unfold in meaning and purpose today. I was born here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, falling in deep connection with the lands and waters that make this home so special. Before and after my time in the monastery, I worked for a decade with land conservation nonprofits throughout the state. I graduated from Portland State University in 2020 with a master’s degree in counseling for relationships and individuals. Concurrent with the accredited counseling program at PSU, I also received extensive training in Gestalt therapy, somatic psychotherapy (Hakomi), Emotion-Focused therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I also serve on the board of the Oregon Counseling Association.

Techniques I Use

Specialties

  • Gestalt External link

    My supervisor, Dr. Eva Gold, PsyD, is one of the area's foremost Gestalt teachers and therapists. I have been involved in her Buddhist Psychology and Gestalt Therapy training groups for a few years, and find Gestalt to be a natural theoretical home for me. Gestalt values exploration of your present experience and curiosity around what gets in the way of engaging fully with the world.

  • Mindfulness-based External link

    Mindfulness is at the core of both how I am with clients as well as the type of work we do together. I have 20 years of experience in meditation and mindfulness, and much of my training (from somatic psychotherapy to ACT to Gestalt therapies) utilize mindfulness (non-judgmental awareness of what is presently happening) to increase your well-being and capacity for choice in your life.

  • Emotionally Focused External link

    I have completed both individual and couples Emotion-Focused Therapy training programs from Edwards Psychotherapy here in Portland. EFT, Relational Gestalt, and mindfulness-based approaches are naturally complementary and offer a powerful fit for many clients.

Issues I Treat

Contact Michael

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