Portland, OR 97202-1880
Secure Voice: (503) 673-6190
F: (503) 894-6020
In Context, LLC is a private psychotherapy practice located at Brave Space, LLC
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Philosophy of Care
At In Context, I strive to create safer space for my patients to explore those issues and challenges that most affect their quality of life and their relationship to themselves and others. I practice from an existential and gestalt framework to help patients raise a critical awareness of themselves that is socially located and honors their varied intersectionalities. My client's healing and growth in therapy will be evidenced by their lived experience of freedom from restriction, new desire and capacity for authenticity, and a sustained willingness to explore new and affirming experiences and ways of being in the world.
My practice is devoted to providing gender and identity-affirming individual, couples, and family psychotherapy for transgender, non-binary and gender-expansive individuals. Additionally, I provide identity-affirming therapy for the greater queer and LGB community. I provide medical assessments and referrals for gender-affirming medical care and counseling support for families wishing to better understand and affirm their loved ones.
While many of my clients come to me to explore their gender, others are looking to explore other mental health concerns with an affirming therapist. In both cases, I assist those struggling with depression and anxiety, grief and loss, relationship and intimacy, identity formation, past and current trauma, life transitions, and neurodiversity when it impacts functioning. As an existential therapist, I generally lean into concerns related to identity, authenticity, freedom, death and impermanence, isolation, meaninglessness, and spiritual life.
Transgender, Non-binary, Gender Expansive
Queer, Questioning
Children * Adolescents * Emerging Adults * Adults
Individuals, Relationship, Families and Groups
Gender Affirming Psychotherapy
I offer Child, Adolescent, Emerging Adult, and Adult psychotherapy. I locate each client within their natural developmental process and interests for healing and growth. My therapy is founded on the core belief that if an individual is authentically affirmed, and emotionally and psychologically resourced they will naturally reach out into the world to get their needs met, challenge themselves to grow, and adaptively respond to difficulties. Identity formation and moving towards gender congruence are essential tasks to achieving and maintaining wellness and so I provide a space in which uncertainty is welcome and exploration is encouraged. I have no agenda for whether my clients undergo medical transition but will provide them all of my available resources to gain access to those interventions if and when they seek them. All of my clients experience the effects of minority stress so in addition to gender and identity work, we can explore the ways in which they have formed their personality in response to adverse experience, including the impact of marginalization and systems of oppression on their wellbeing. We can then work to support flexibility in how they respond to invalidation and enhance self-acceptance so that they can engage in their world with increased resilience.
Child, Adolescent, and Family
I specialize in working with gender diverse children (age 5+), adolescents and the families who love and support them. I offer split session work typically 40min. with the youth and 15-20min. with the parent(s) and sometimes with both child and family. Time spent with the young person consists of gender affirming psychotherapy that is developmentally tailored to the that child's unique identities and gender experience. For younger children, this may look like more organic play therapy that allows for the child to naturally open up to more difficult topics related to gender congruence, social engagement, and self-acceptance. For adolescents, traditional talk therapy is used along with periodic expressive arts. At this age, we may need to explore higher levels of distress related to dysphoria and the negative coping strategies that may be existing or emerging. I then offer feedback to the parents in a general way about our session work and provide them competency training so that they can better affirm and advocate for their child at home, in the extended family, and at school.
Relationship Counseling
Trauma-Informed Care
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Medical Assessment & Referral Letters
I offer medical assessment and referral letters for medical interventions including hormone therapy (HT), top and bottom surgery, FFS, and other affirming procedures. Every insurance company has their own requirements for these letters so check with your carrier so that you can be properly informed. Medical Assessments range from 1-2 appointments and consist of a full mental health assessment, exploration and feedback on my client's pre and post care plan, and follow-up counseling as needed. I operate largely from an informed consent model that also honors WPATH SOC 7 guidelines. Occasionally, an individual will be impacted by environmental or mental health concerns that could keep them from engaging in the self-care needed to have successful outcomes from their medical care. In these cases, I may recommend ongoing therapy as a way to gain access to additional support while they prepare to move forward with the procedure.
Clinical Supervision, Consultation & Trainings
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