Existential Humanistic NorthWest Affiliates

I am an existential-humanistic psychotherapist with over 45 years of experience. I provide individual and couples psychotherapy, as well as consultation, supervision, workshops, and trainings for clinicians, interns, and students. I am a blogger for Psychology Today and have published various writing on the existential-humanistic perspective. I am the founder and current president of the Existential-Humanistic Northwest professional organization.

I am passionate about the existential-humanistic perspective in both my personal and professional life. To me, the perspective embraces all of what it means to exist. It values each unique, individual journey. We always have a choice to change our attitude and behavior, even in the most limited of conditions or circumstances. Our choice matters in that we impact the world by our feelings, thoughts and actions. I believe as we work through our wounds we move towards health and wholeness, both individually and collectively.

I am a licensed psychologist (Oregon and Washington State) in private practice in Portland, Oregon. I received my doctoral training in counseling psychology at the University of Washington, and have an MA degree in counseling from California State University, Northridge. From the time I first entered this field in 1969 as an undergraduate student working as a camp counselor with children labeled as having ’emotional difficulties’ I found myself drawn to a humanistic psychological perspective. My interest in Reichian and Gestalt Therapy- two humanistic psychological approaches – began in the early 1970’s. My master’s project was an exploration of Reichian therapy, and my doctoral dissertation was a study on the relationship between the inhibition of breathing and emotional repression. I have had extensive training in both Neo-Reichian therapy and in Reich’s more traditional orgone therapeutic approach, the latter with Michael Rothenberg, MD, a student of Reich’s. In 1997 I began studying Gestalt Therapy at the Gestalt Training Therapy Center Northwest, which I continued over a period of 10 years. In addition to my clinical work I have been an adjunct faculty member in psychology at Seattle Central Community College, Antioch University, the Washington School of Professional Psychology, and currently at Lewis and Clark college where I offer a course in somatic psychology. I have lectured widely on topics related to emotions, psychotherapy, and Reichian and Gestalt therapy to both public and professional audiences, and provide clinical seminars, training and supervision to mental health professionals.

I am a licensed professional counselor (LPC) working from an Existential-Humanistic framework. I have been in private practice as a mental health counselor for over fifteen years working mostly with adults with a wide range of emotional and mental health issues. I use a variety of tools to support their healing process, including art expression and EMDR.

I have found that having a sense of why we exist on this planet has a tremendous impact of our mental and emotional well being. In counseling, I help my clients discover what blocks them from a sense of meaning in their lives and find ways to free themselves from whatever blocks them from living fully. Some clients are discovering their purpose for the first time while others are discovering a new meaning after facing the loss of their life purpose.

I am, also, a certified Archetypal Pattern Analyst which helps me further identify life patterns which may be standing in the way of fully embracing life and living with authenticity.

I began my career as an early childhood educator, working with parents and young children, training preschool teachers and providing a lab site for Chemeketa Community College’s Early Childhood training program. Next, I taught parenting and personal growth classes at Chemeketa Community College. I worked in a program designed to help people overcome life difficulties and begin a career or find a new career after suffering the loss of their life’s work. Those years taught me much about what it takes to overcome injustice, poverty, abuse, mental illness, addictions and trauma to find meaning on the other side.

I serve on the board for Existential-Humanistic NorthWest, a professional organization which promotes existential-humanistic values including authenticity, integrity, responsibility, inclusion, and awe.