Vedalia Zellers (she/they)

Attachment Theory

We can curiously and non-judgmentally explore how relationship patterns from the past (for instance with parents/caregivers in childhood) may have impacted your relationship patterns in adulthood. This can pave the way for more self-compassion and more fulfilling connections with others. It may be especially relevant for people who have had a difficult relationship with a parent/caregiver or who've experienced trauma (including intergenerational trauma, complex trauma, or religious trauma).

Psychodynamic 

People often want to "move forward" with their lives yet find themselves struggling with pain that carries an old, familiar signature (like feeling trapped, alone, judged, or overlooked to name a few examples). Day-to-day circumstances may feel extra bothersome if they remind us, on some level, of old wounds and buried emotions that are still vying for our attention. In therapy, we'll aim to co-create a space where it becomes possible to discover more about yourself and express the unexpressed.

Sand Tray

Sand Tray is a creative, playful, tactile activity that allows you to depict something (like a memory or a worry, for instance) by selecting miniature objects and arranging them in a tray of sand. Some people find sand tray helpful for exploring aspects of their internal experience that feel hard to describe using language alone.

Existential

Whatever is on your mind can have a place in our therapeutic work. For some, this may sometimes include "big" questions. How do we find meaning and fulfillment? How do we make sense of human suffering? How do we grapple with death? Personal events (such as life transitions and losses) as well as global events (like climate change and genocide) sometimes lead people to ask big-picture questions, which you're welcome to bring to therapy.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

When relevant, I may draw on Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills to offer you concrete, practical strategies for coping with difficult situations. I interned with the Portland DBT Institute in 2021-22, where I co-led several therapy groups. Note: I'm not able to offer "full fidelity" DBT, but I might be a fit for clients who have recently graduated from a DBT program and would like some support in continuing to utilize DBT skills.

Self-Esteem

Learning to treat ourselves with gentleness and self-compassion can be one of the most powerful outcomes of therapy. I love working with people to improve self-worth and self-esteem, because I know it will serve them well for the rest of their lives, setting the stage for further growth and more vibrant relationships. This work can take many different forms, including unpacking old messages you may have received from your family or society and experimenting with new daily habits.

Cultural and Systemic Oppression

Our unjust society affects people’s mental health on a daily basis. Depending on your identities, you may be coping with historical trauma, separation from family, unequal access to resources, negative judgments and assumptions from others, fewer opportunities, social exclusion, threats to your safety, hopelessness in the face of global injustice, and much more. In therapy, I'll invite you to bring in issues of any size. There's room to acknowledge and explore the complexity of your reality.

Loss or Grief

Losses happen not only when someone dies, but when we grow apart from someone, leave a community, reexamine our beliefs, give up on a dream, and more. Grief is natural, but the process can get interrupted when we believe we don't have the right to our feelings, maybe telling ourselves (or being told) that there's no point, or no time, or that other people have it worse. Acknowledging and working with our grief often helps it become "unstuck" and gives it permission to move through us.

Relationship / Marriage Issues

Therapy is all about relationships, including your relationship to yourself, others, and any communities of which you are a part. Often, people's experiences of being hurt by others in past relationships interrupts their ability to form new connections that feel safe, joyful, and fulfilling. In therapy, we can work toward a deeper healing that paves the way for deeper connection.

LGBTQ Issues

I'm queer, and I enjoy working with queer, trans, and non-binary clients. Maybe you want to discuss barriers to coming out or transitioning, strain in family of origin relationships, religious trauma, or nervousness about dating. Maybe you want a place to celebrate your growth, self-definition, and efforts to build a life and relationships of your choosing. All of this and more has a place in therapy!