About

Welcome! My name is Lindsay and I am licensed in Oregon with 10 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, family conflicts, motivation, self esteem, and confidence, & depression. I work with my clients to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process.

You have the right and responsibility to choose a counselor and treatment modality that best suits your needs. This document is part of the Standards of Practice for Board Licensed Mental Health Counselors. The Professional Disclosure Statement is designed to inform you of my professional credentials, standards of practice, types of service offered, therapeutic orientation and fee schedule. Please review the following information. Happy reading!

Credentials:
•Board Eligible Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) - #301816
•Professional Counselor in Oregon (LPC) - #C3629

As a Licensee I abide by the ACA (American Counseling Association) and state Board’s Code of Ethics. To maintain my license I am required to participate in continuing education, taking classes with subjects relevant to the counseling profession.

Education & Training: I hold a Master of Arts in Community Counseling from Gonzaga University. Major coursework included human growth and development with an emphasis in children and adolescents, group process and dynamics, multicultural counseling, the counseling relationship, change process, ethics, research and statistics.

Counseling Experience: I have enjoyed working with children, teens, adults, families and groups for nearly twenty years. My journey into the field of counseling began with working at summer adventure camp in Montana as a teen myself. I continued on the path of counseling and outdoor education through undergraduate studies. Towards the end of my undergraduate experience I sought a way to really make a difference in peoples’ lives; not just teach them how to ski or canoe, but journey with purpose. That’s when Outward Bound found me. During my three fulfilling years with Outward Bound, I gained great satisfaction in seeing the kids whom the world had told, “you can’t, you will never, and you’re not enough” discover “I can, I will, and I am enough!” I witnessed them build trust and relationship with staff, peers, and family members. This sparked a desire to increase my knowledge and skill in how to help individuals and families find healing.

In 2012 I graduated from Gonzaga University with a Master of Arts in Community Counseling. During graduate school I worked as a Mental Health Counseling Intern for Excelsior Youth Center (a long-term residential care facility for youth with emotional and behavioral issues). In that time I also worked as a Graduate Assistant for Gonzaga University’s Student Wellness Resource Center, where my primary role was facilitating harm reduction model alcohol education classes.

From 2012 to 2015 I owned and operated a private practice in Spokane, Washington where I worked with youth, adults and families primarily with anxiety, depression and relationship problems. During this time I also received certification in equine assisted therapy and facilitated EAGALA model sessions. In 2014 I began working as a contracted provider with Alliance Counseling in Canby, OR and facilitated Eco and Equine therapy for Chemawa Indian School students. Beginning in September, 2015 I became employed with the Indian Health Service full time and continue to provide counseling services for Chemawa Indian School students, families and community members.

I work with a wide variety of presenting issues/needs including:
•ADHD
•Alcohol Education
•Anger Management
•Anxiety or Fears
•Attachment Related
•Child or Adolescent
•Coping Skills
•Depression
•Family Conflict
•Mood Disorders
•Parenting
•Relationship Issues
•Self-Esteem/Identity
•Self-Harming
•Suicidality
•Spirituality
•Teen Issues
•Trauma

Recently I began adding private practice hours and work with many of the same issues.

My specialty lies in experiential therapies. For nearly twenty years I have worked with youth, families and young adults in the field of experiential education and therapy, facilitating self-discovery, team-building, problem-solving, communication, and leadership activities. I often draw from this by utilizing experiential techniques in session.

Counseling Methods: I view therapy as a dynamic, collaborative process for holistic (mind, body, spirit) and multi-systemic (e.g. self, family, peers, school, career) growth where clients regain or develop balance, satisfaction and purpose. My view of therapy comes largely out of what I believe is true of all people. I believe all people:

•Need and form attachments
•Need family/community, and strive to understand their place within it
•Experience competing needs daily & make choices based on needs and wants
•Develop “patterns of being” that can lead to distress or wellness
•Make mistakes
•Have the capacity for, and seek, forgiveness
•Want to be known and understood
•Have a sense of, and appreciation for, humor
•Seek to find meaning and purpose in life
•Seek knowledge or faith regarding what happens after death
•Face life challenges and have varying measures of resiliency
•Learn best by experience
•Have drive and capacity to express creativity
•Have the power to change

Given this, my approach to therapy is integrative and humanistic. My view is that every person sees change differently, so I must use my skill and training to follow your lead and offer the resources, skills, perspective, or perhaps just the environment for you to discover the change you are looking for. I sincerely believe YOU have the power to create or find the change you desire. You, like all people, may just need some help to find your way back onto the path of wellness and fulfillment.

Some strategies and techniques I use include: assessment, art, music, play therapy, writing/journaling, animal-assisted therapy, therapeutic recreation, psycho-education and traditional psychotherapy (DSM diagnosis and exploration of past, present and future oriented thoughts, feelings and behaviors).
Counseling can be a painful experience with unpleasant feelings. As people grow and develop through counseling, social relationships may change as well. I encourage you to utilize your support network as you make this journey.