About Me & My Practice
Hi, I’m Trish.
I'm so glad you have found yourself here. It means you are exploring what it may be like to begin therapy. You have already taken a big step towards actualizing the change that you want to create for yourself. As a therapist, I am honored to bear witness, support, and kindly challenge clients on their journeys to healing and wellness, finding space for more joy, and living authentically in alignment with their most deeply treasured values.
And how did I find myself here? I grew up in the Bronx NYC, so my therapeutic approach can sometimes reflect an East Coast "let's do the work" attitude. I moved to PDX in 2017 and my time here in the PNW has also shown me how to appreciate the art and wisdom of slowing down. My interest in therapy began with my own healing. I entered therapy for the first time as a young adult and remain grateful to have experienced affirming and magical therapeutic relationships that allowed me to completely transform my self-concept, and therefore, my life.
I have a background in working in agencies, non-profits, teen homeless and runaway shelters, community outreach, and as a school counselor. I have extensive experience working with folks who are creative, sometimes misunderstood, straddling cultural lines, figuring out how to allow their unique gifts and strengths to flourish under systems of oppression, and people who know what it’s like to navigate “the grey areas” of life.
My approach is a balance of compassionate and directive. I will encourage and hold all parts of you with kindness and warmth, while also holding you accountable to the change you dream of for yourself.
My hope for you is that you can reclaim your life through talk and connection as has been done by our ancestors for generations.
Identities
Our identities and cultural positionalities are big parts of who we are, how we move through the world, how we come to know ourselves, and how others interact with us. It shapes the opportunities available to us, and the ways that we have to adapt. I acknowledge that these cultural threads shape not only who I am, but also how I approach my work as a therapist.
As an Indigenous (Mi’kmaq) mixed-race, bicultural therapist, I bring the gift of multiple perspectives into my work.
"Etuaptmumk" is the Mi'kmaw word for Two-Eyed Seeing. This teaching from Mi'kmaw elder Albert Marshall refers to the bridging of multiple perspectives to draw from the strengths of Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing with one eye, and using the other to integrate the strengths of Western knowledges and ways of knowing.
I am guided by a liberation psychology framework, and I encourage the disruption of systems and beliefs that have perpetuated cycles of harm to our life ways, relationships, and self-concepts. As a White-passing clinician, I am committed to continuous learning, listening, and training, as well as deepening my understanding of my biases and privileges. I actively work to unlearn ways I may inadvertently contribute to inequality, oppression, and the legacy of colonization.
Credentials
MS, Portland State University
BA, The Pennsylvania State University
Professional Counselor Associate licensed in Oregon (R7865)
Board Certified Counselor (National Board for Certified Counselors #1651075)
Trained in Brainspotting for trauma treatment
