My Education

Lewis & Clark College, Portland Oregon  2005  Master of Arts in Counseling

Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Oregon  1996

My Experience

Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, Portland Oregon   2007 – 2011.  Primary Therapist, General Psychiatry Adult Outpatient Services.  Administering full psychosocial assessments of mental health disorders, suicide risk assessments, violence risk assessments, and appropriate level of care placement.  Responsible for providing client-centered individual and family psychotherapy. Facilitating psychodynamic group therapy including process, cognitive behavioral therapy, personal empowerment, goal setting, assertiveness training, coping skills, relapse prevention, relaxation, spirituality, as well as multi-family groups.  Case management including individualized treatment planning, comprehensive discharge planning, and crisis intervention in coordination with a multidisciplinary team. Responsible for developing group curriculum, as well as training new employees on department protocol, as well as managing intermittent department lead responsibilities.

Private Practice, Portland, Oregon             2006 to present.  Psychotherapist, Adolescent and Adult.  Providing client- centered therapy to individuals with adjustment or mood disorders.  Effective use of unconditional positive regard to build rapport and progress through therapeutic goals.

Providence Portland Medical Center, Portland, Oregon  2007.  Child Therapist, Children’s Inpatient Psychiatric Unit.  Individual and group therapy, as well as milieu management.  Responsible for admitting patients, including intake assessment procedures.

Adventist Medical Center, Portland, Oregon  2005 – 2007.  Adult Psychotherapist, Inpatient Psychiatric Unit and Chemical Dependency Unit  Assessment, individual, family and group treatment, and case management.

Legacy Health System, Portland, Oregon  2003 – 2006.  Float Mental Health Therapist, Medical, Emergency, and Psychiatric Units  Providing therapeutic intervention to patients in crisis.

Are you experiencing any of the following:

• Excessive worry about things outside of your control?
• Fear that things will never work out?
• Feeling that life is "a grind" rather than a joyful adventure?

Client often ask me, "Do you think I will get through this?"  And I can confidently say that indeed, all circumstances and states of feelings are temporary. When we sit with our feelings, they pass, much like a weather pattern.  If we try to ignore or hide them, they sometimes come back in another way so we can resolve them.  I can show you practical skills that will show you how.

Perhaps you are experiencing this common problem:  You are trying to distance yourself from painful experiences, but you notice the same things happening over and over.  I teach clients that it is safe to feel.  The result of feeling is a greater lightness of being.   I remind clients how to find the joy in this moment.  String these joyful moments together, and life becomes less of a struggle, and more of an adventure.

Call me 503-342-2510 to set up an appointment

Working together, we will help you remember that:

• You have a right to enjoy your life
• That the goodness that got left by the wayside is not a life time sentence
• That just because someone or some experience told you that you didn't measure up, does not mean it is true.
• Together we can help you pursue those things that you feared were not possible for you 

·        Together we will help you create a renewed sense of confidence, enthusiasm, and energy to achieve once abandoned dreams.

My clients tell me that they put off coming to counseling because they feared that they will be judged.   I tell them, "I will not judge you.  You are safe."  In fact you may notice that I genuinely enjoy you and look forward to seeing you each week.  Offering unconditional positive regard is second nature to me.  I work with people from all walks of life, am GLBT friendly and love my work.   

Clients tell me "You are in the right line of work.  You are really good at what you do."   Overwhelmed by stress, anxiety or depression, you may have forgotten what is good about you.  But I will see your strengths and help you remember who you really are.

To set up an appointment  lin@portlandrelationshipinistitute.com

You’ll find my experience helpful since I have worked with a wide range of people and their families.  Because of that I can quickly recognize the heart of your challenges and suggest the most practical ways to help you start feeling better.

If you'd like some reading suggestions, here are some of my favorite books:

• The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden
• Feeling Good by David Burns
• Flow - The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihali Csiksentmihalyi
• Illusions of the Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
• Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
• The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz