Therapy works when individuals articulate goals and values, examine habits and patterns in their lives, open themselves to emotional experience and work on behaving in a way that is in accord with their values and goals. My job is to provide emotional and practical support for clients as they work on these challenging tasks. Our work together may be done in a few sessions or may unfold over many months -- This is decided by the client and depends on the client’s goals. It is important to recognize that changing habits and exploring strong emotions can be difficult and demanding: Times of growth are often accompanied by increased discomfort. I work with each client on the pacing and intensity of the work, bearing in mind that progress in therapy must be balanced with other life priorities. 

Many of my clients come to therapy because they are struggling with anxiety relating to difficult life situations or the aftereffects of trauma. Others are feeling lost or disoriented by life transitions, are grieving losses or are ready to make a change they have been contemplating for months or years.

There are many different therapists and many different kinds of therapy. Please feel free to ask questions about different kinds of therapies and/or ask for a referral to a different therapist. It is important to find someone who is a good match for you.

                                                  

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About Roberta                                                              

I have a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Lewis and Clark College. I completed my internship at the Portland V.A. Medical Center, working in the outpatient mental health clinic in the Mood Disorders Center and on the PTSD treatment team.  

Since graduating from Lewis and Clark I have worked in private practice and as a group therapist at an eating disorders clinic. I am a Registered Intern of the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists. This means that I have completed my education and am doing the years of work required prior to being licensed in the state of Oregon.  

Counseling psychology is a second career for me. I hold a doctorate (Ph.D.) in social psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was a professor at private liberal arts colleges for ten years.  My research was on motivation,  goal setting, performance anxiety, and the things people do to protect themselves that actually end up getting in their way. I love teaching and mentoring students, and I teach part time now.  I left a tenured faculty position in order to be able to work one-on-one with people, worked for a while as the associate director of academic advising at the University of Oregon and then moved to Portland to focus on counseling psychology.  Giving up full-time teaching was worth it:  It is a joy and a privilege to work with clients.