Get to Know Caity
Hello! My name is Caity. My pronouns are she/they. I am a White, able-bodied, neurodivergent, queer, genderqueer person currently practicing on the unceded territory of the Chinook and Cowlitz tribes. I aim to practice counseling from a decolonized, non-pathologizing, anti-oppression lens. I support the Black Lives Matter movement, Indigenous sovereignty, and believe Capitalism is a form of white supremacist oppression, and work well with clients who hold leftist ideals or are willing to interrogate the role of internalized "isms."
Anti-Oppression Counseling Lens
Practicing from an anti-oppression lens means that I encourage conversations about the (often unnamed) forces that are influencing you, your relationship, and your family, such as racism, fatphobia, classism, xenophobia, sexism/transnegativity, and ableism. I am committed to actively dismantling oppression through activism and lobbying for change outside of the therapy room. Non-pathologizing, more simply put, is my commitment to supporting your goals rather than labeling you and trying to make you fit the mold of "health" institutionalized by the traditional oppressive, White supremacist healthcare system.
I also encourage clients to join me in considering how each of our identities impacts the counseling relationship. Many people who come from historically marginalized and/or minoritized groups find that counseling ignores or dismisses their lived experiences. I start from where we are situated in society and I honor your lived experiences. My goal is to help you and your relationships find healing, hope, and wholeness.
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Education and Theoretical Background
I have a B.A. in Philosophy from Azusa Pacific University and an M.S. in Counselor Education from Portland State University (2020) with a specialty in relationship and family work. I'm also a National Certified Counselor (NCC). I completed an Externship in Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) through an Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Fellowship at the Portland Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy and am engaged in ongoing supervision and training in relationship therapy.
I practice from a trauma-informed and systemic perspective with a focus on practical and evidence-based thought and behavior skills, underlying emotions and needs for belonging and love, and a focus on honoring the uniqueness of each individual, family, and relationship. I use stories, poems, and other creative interventions to shake off external expectations and be present with the "is-ness" of your situation. I notice thought patterns and feelings connected to your experience. I honor the somatic (bodily/physiological) information that arises in your body as wisdom. These practices are also known by the theoretical orientation names of Narrative Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Attachment Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Couples/Family Therapy, and Structural Family Therapy.
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Multicultural Humility
I welcome clients from all races, religious/spiritual backgrounds, genders, abilities, immigration statuses, ages, and relationship constellations and I do not discriminate based on perceived or actual differences in our identities (yours and mine). I aim to work from a place of multicultural humility and seek to understand and honor the rich backgrounds of all of my clients.
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It is never your duty to perform emotional labor to educate me on how to meet you in your cultural situation and it's my job to bring up conversations around race, gender, national origin, and other areas that we may share identities or may be different. I will make mistakes at times, and I will always do my best to repair and avoid replicating societal harm in the therapy space. In our work together, you may find it is important to have a therapist who shares important identities with you and I am happy to help connect you with those clinicians.
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Training and Focus of Therapy
I have training and experience working with the LGBTQ2SIA+ community, including how to support gender-affirming healthcare for gender-diverse individuals (including children and teens) and their families. I have provided mental heath support to diverse racial and age groups, including diverse family systems, such as foster and adoptive families, and couples therapy with mixed neurotypes (ADHD/Autism/Neurotypical -- here's a great article by another therapist who specializes in this area!).
I especially enjoy working individually with Queer and Trans adults and supporting mixed neurotype couples and relationships through periods of transition or difficulty. I will show up with you to work through depression, anxiety, healthy boundaries, recovering from emotionally-immature caregivers, relationship stress, grief/loss/change in late adulthood, family/life changes, coming out later in life, post-partum anxiety, and depression, spiritual abuse, identity exploration (sexual, gender, Autism, ADHD, racial identity, religious/spiritual identity), improving relationship skills, spiritual growth, and any other areas of interest to you.
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As part of my ethical mandate and professional standards as a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Oregon, I participate in ongoing continuing education. I am currently pursuing training in trauma-informed practice, neurodivergence-affirming practices, and sex therapy for relationships.