Portland Therapy Center
Sasha Strong

Sasha Strong (they/them)

Licensed Professional Counselor

PhD, LPC

I help queer, trans, and non-binary folks overcome life challenges using embodiment, mindfulness, and spiritual integration.

Client Status

accepting clients

Contact

971-279-7261

4531 SE Belmont Street

Suite 316

Portland, 97215

Email Website Schedule Now

At a Glance

Me

Rate: $100-$200

Provides free initial consultation

Provides telehealth services

Practicing Since: 2015

Languages: English, Français

Faith: Buddhism

Services

  • Individual
  • Group

Insurances Accepted

  • Out of Pocket
  • OHP CareOregon/HealthShare

My Ideal Client

Are you looking for therapy that can support you in the uniqueness of who you are? We all have rough times sometimes, and this world is complicated! I'd be happy to help you integrate all the dimensions of your being in a personalized process that suits you.

My Background and Approach

My view of therapy is grounded in the perspective of brilliant sanity: all beings have an innate wakefulness that underlies any suffering and confusion. I have an M.A. in Contemplative Psychotherapy from Naropa University, where my studies centered on mindfulness, Buddhist psychology, group therapy,and counseling. I also have a Ph.D. in East-West Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, where I studied somatics, transpersonal psychology, and integration. My dissertation research focused on how people recover from bipolar disorder using Buddhist-informed mindfulness practice. I use Hakomi, DBT, humanistic, and trauma-informed approaches to help you find a new relationship with your basic goodness. I use empirically-derived outcome measures (FIT/PCOMS) to make sure that therapy is working for you. While I am open to providing you with a diagnosis if you wish, I operate in a strength-based model that celebrates your resources, resilience, and wisdom.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

I'm interested in building queer community and helping trans folks overcome stigma, erasure, and internalized oppression. I try to use my academic status and professional position to advance equity and access for queer, trans, and multiply marginalized folks. I co-conducted a pilot study on counseling competency for non-binary and genderqueer people, and I have presented on this topic several times for professional audiences. I'm also doing gender assessments (i.e., letters) for adults who are in prison in Oregon. I'm also interested in psilocybin therapy and the recent legislation in Oregon that will make that work accessible to more people. I have attended some discussion groups, read some books, and had some experiences of my own. I view these medicines as powerful tools for healing, and I'm interested in helping people integrate these psychospiritual experiences. I enjoy cycling, camping, hiking, cooking, and reading. I speak French, and I'm starting to learn Spanish.

Techniques I Use

Specialties

  • Hakomi External link

    I use Hakomi to help you access the wisdom of the body in the present moment, and to overcome your obstacles in a non-violent way that respects the organicity of who you are. Hakomi can involve touch, but doesn't have to, and touch is always totally consensual and optional. I trained in Hakomi from 2010 to 2018 and completed a post-Master's internship at the M.E.T.A. Counseling Clinic in Portland, OR under the supervision of Donna Roy.

  • Transpersonal External link

    For clients who are interested, I integrate spirituality and transpersonal perspectives into therapy. My graduate training has included experiential and didactic coursework on transpersonal psychology and integrative approaches to healing, and I have benefited from my own lived experience as well. This orientation helps me provide support with psychedelic integration, working with extraordinary experiences, and recovering from psychotic episodes.

  • Mindfulness-based External link

    I use mindfulness to help clients extend curiosity, openness, acceptance, and love towards their experience. I trained in Contemplative Psychotherapy, which integrates mindfulness, counseling, and Buddhist psychology. I am interested in embodied, full-person approaches to mindfulness— not the spiritually bypassing type. ;). I view mindfulness as supported by meditation practice, but also accessible through other attitudes and practices, such as interpersonal neurobiology.

  • Relational  External link

    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.

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) External link

    I draw from the DBT toolkit to support clients in developing as full human beings, including the skillsets of core mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. During my Master's internship, I trained in trauma-informed DBT and co-facilitated a weekly DBT class. I use DBT skills training with individual clients who find it helpful.

Issues I Treat

Specialties

  • Gender Identity External link

    Do you need a letter, or support on your gender journey? You've come to the right place. I identify as nonbinary/genderqueer, and I understand the complexities of gender and transition. I've completed professional training in gender-affirmative care and I have experience working with binary trans, non-binary, agender, and other gender-diverse folks. I often write letters for gender-affirming procedures in a single session, and I offer free or reduced-fee letters for BIPOC folks.

  • LGBTQ Issues External link

    Are you queer, or in the LGBTQIA2S+ community umbrella? Me too! I practice affirmative therapy with queer folks, and I have worked with all sorts of clients, including lesbian, gay, bisexual/pansexual, trans, non-binary, queer, genderqueer, poly, and kinky folks. I love working with my community. I'm a founding member of the Oregon Association of LGBT Issues in Counseling and a member of WPATH and TPATH.

  • Personal Growth External link

    As humans, we have the ability to heal and grow throughout the lifespan. I'd like to help you reach your full potential and deepen your sense of being a fully human being, whatever next horizon is calling you now.

  • Spirituality External link

    Have you had spiritual, psychedelic, or hallucinatory experiences, yet you struggle to weave them together in your life? I can help! My graduate training and personal experience integrate psychotherapy, mindfulness, somatics, Vajrayana Buddhism, world wisdom traditions, and transpersonal psychology. I think there's room for all kinds of meaningful experiences in our human journey, and I'd be happy to help you integrate your experiences with who you are.

  • Bipolar External link

    Do you struggle with mood swings? Have you experienced a manic episode? I believe that people can recover from bipolar disorder, and recovery can mean a lot of different things. My Ph.D. topic is how people recover from bipolar disorder using mindfulness and Buddhist frameworks, and I have personal experience recovering from a bipolar diagnosis. The good news is: recovery is possible! I'd be happy to share what I learned with you, and offer guidance on your journey.

Contact Sasha

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