Our Services

Individual therapy is the most common kind of counseling that we do here at Life Counseling. We have experience with treating all kinds of people, with all sorts of issues from various walks of life. We have experience working with people who have experienced trauma, depression, anxiety, parenting issues, family communication issues, anger management, violence in the home and many more.

Individual therapy is working on personal issues and problems without your partner or children. Some ask if this will work. For example, they ask, "Can you do marriage counseling with only one person present?" The answer to this question may surprise you. All of us live within relationships, with our family, our co-workers, our acquaintances. If we can resolve personal issues that affect these relationships and improve healthy communication and expectations, then these relationships can also be improved. So yes, we can work on relationships with others in personal counseling even without them being present.

• If you are in relationship you know that when things are good in your intimate relationship it feels good. However, when things have gone wrong and your intimate relationship is suffering, it affects one's whole life. Couples relationships are hard, and we are here to help you work through the difficult parts of your relationship. Sometimes there are deep hurts and pains that have caused walls to become erect between the two in the relationship which can take time to breakdown. We have worked with couples who have had serious hurts and heartaches caused by the other, and our hope is to help your relationship heal.

  Many problems in couples arise because there has been communication breakdowns in the relationships. It is true that most couples can withstand the challenges of life when their communication is good and healthy. The problem is that many couples do not have good communication. Due to this lack of communication they tend to blame one another and hold onto the past hurts that seem to never get resolved. One of the major things that most couples need in counseling is some communication coaching. We have various techniques that have worked for other couples. We give out these techniques so that as a couple you can get practice using different tools. We also look to bring some resolution to past hurts and frustrations by looking at the issues through different lenses. Perhaps expectations need to be evaluated, roles more defined or accountability needs to happen.

  Relationships go through stages, and changes over time. As individuals we grow and change, and our relationships as well. Sometimes these changes can feel uncomfortable or scary, so we try to spend time explaining the stages of relationships and have couples identify where they may be in the stages. Looking to the future, as your relationship grows and changes, you are better prepared for what lies ahead.

The teenager years can be challenging years for both the teen and his or her parents. Pressures from school, home, friends, and changing hormones can all cause an upheaval in their lives. Not all counselors can work with teens because the relationship built must be one of mutual respect. However, we have had lots of experience working with all kinds of teens from every walk of life, and most have found us to be both helpful and worth the time.

One of our main hopes is to support your teen in being able to express his or her feelings appropriately. For some teens, having an outside adult listen to their concerns and validate them is extremely helpful. We work with teens to identify their concerns and then work with them on how to communicate them effectively and respectfully. This means that a parent may be part of the sessions, or another person from their life.

Two things you should know:

1. The counseling relationship is the most important aspect of counseling. Not all teens who enter our office will want to work with one of our counselors. That is okay. If this happens we will work to find someone else that might fit your teen's needs better. Your teen should be an active part of finding the right counselor for him or her.

2. When you come in for counseling, we will have you sign a form waiving your right to access the teen's file. Your teen will be our client, not you. We will not put ourselves in a position in which we are telling you what is happening during the counseling session. Clearly if there is something dangerous happening in their life, you should and will be informed of that. However, we will be keeping our sessions with your teenager private and confidential.

Family Counseling is some of the most fun and intense work that we do. Many times families are in need of healing just as much as individuals. We have experience working through many kinds of issues including respectful communication, drug or alcohol abuse, issues of betrayal, runaways, divorce and many more. Issues that affect an individual can also impact a family. Our goal is to help each member of the family find their voice and learn to express it in healthy and positive ways to benefit the whole family.

Depending on the needs of the family and the ages of the children, family sessions will look different for each case. For example, sometimes there is conflict between a parent and child, so work may be done with just those two in order to help them sort out their issues. Or we have also worked with just the children of the family when they are going through a divorce to help them handle their emotions. We can break the family up in to all kinds of smaller groups or keep the family together depending on what might work best in your situation.

We have many different kinds of activities to use in family counseling that fit different ages and different situations. Sometimes we use our play therapy room for younger children, and other times we use our group room for large families. Whatever your issue or need we can work to accommodate you and help each member of your family be a part of the therapy process.

At Life Counseling, we are trained to work with children who are having difficulties in their lives. Parents are a vital key in the healing of their children. If we can teach parents how to help their own child, it is not only faster, but more effective. There are occasions when it may be more appropriate for a counselor to treat a child by him or herself in the office. However, it is our experience that this is the exception, not the rule.

At Life Counseling we have a play therapy room set up to be able to work with children. When children come to counseling, it is a bit different than what an adult might experience in counseling. Obviously a four year old child who comes to counseling is not going to sit in a chair opposite a counselor and discuss their problems and feelings. But they will play and express their feelings. So that is why we use play therapy as a way of working with children. We have a puppets, doll houses, fire trucks, play dough, art supplies, a play kitchen with food, dress up clothes, art supplies and much more. It is truly a great place to heal and work though issues that may be difficult for young children to express. Children love to come to therapy as it is fun for them and they are able to fully express themselves with few limitations. Play therapy is adifferent experience from both school and home that allows them to truly express their feelings (with few rules) in a supportive environment.

If you would like to have your child come in for play therapy, please make an appointment. On the first session we like to have just the parent or caregiver come in so that we can get a full history and hear the struggles of why play therapy is needed. At that point we can then plan for a time to set up for play therapy. But again, sometimes parents need just as much coaching as the child. Play therapy is not necessary for all situations and so we will determine that on the first visit.

Our play room toys were furnished by a generous grant from The Autzen Foundation.

At Life Counseling we believe that some of the greatest work can be learned and gained from others who are going through similar situations. We are not the experts, but rather co-travelers on the journey of life. We may be farther up the road, but we still have things to learn as well. In group work, it gives us the opportunity to share experiences and learn from each other, supporting and respecting one another. If we can do the tough work in the group room, we can replicate it out in the real world as well. We offer several different kinds of groups. Click on the one that you that interests you.

The Violence Intervention Program

This program is for people who have been violent with their partner and are seeking help to have more healthy relationships. We meet the requirement for domestic violence treatment in the state of Oregon.