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Couples

Jesse Cetz, MA

Julie Liszka
Marriage and Family Therapist Associate
Current clients can book a therapy session here
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Are you navigating one of these areas in your life?

  • Relationship issues
  • Marital conflicts
  • Intercultural communication
  • Racial/ethnic identity exploration
  • Systemic racism
  • Life transitions
  • Grief and loss
  • Men’s issues
  • Anxiety and depression
  • Premarital support

What would it look like to work with me?

I believe in helping you on your path toward flourishing relationships. I am a first-generation Latino with white privilege who grew up in a low-socioeconomic neighborhood. I received my master’s degree from George Fox University in Marriage, Couples and Family counseling. I utilize an attachment-based approach (Emotionally Focused Therapy) that emphasizes change occurring in the therapy room with an exploration of core emotions at the root. I also use mindfulness as a way to gain awareness into the present moment. I have 4.5 years of experience in higher education helping young adults navigate racial/ethnic identities and life transitions. You can expect me to show up as the unique me because I value you bringing your unique you.

Potential counseling outcomes

  • Learning how to communicate with your partner
  • Feeling connected with your partner
  • Increased understanding of your internal world
  • Identifying and expressing your emotional needs

Abby Fleeter, MS

Julie Liszka
Marriage and Family Student Intern
Current clients can book a therapy session here
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Are you and your partner(s) feeling a sense of disconnection, including changes in intimacy or trouble navigating expectations or trust in your romantic relationship?
  • Have you experienced a reproductive health loss and are hoping for a space to process?
  • Are you feeling stuck in patterns of conflict with your romantic partner, friends, family, or other people in your life?
  • Are you a teen or a parent/guardian of a teen who is struggling with self-esteem or academic pressure?

I Can Help.

  • I bring compassion, authenticity, and a sense of humor into my work with clients. My hope is to offer an open and supportive space for you to explore your experiences, relationships, fears, and strengths. We will work together to create a collaborative therapeutic relationship where you can feel heard and be yourself.
  • I use narrative and emotionally focused therapy approaches to support individuals, couples, and families in sharing and learning from their stories. This includes exploring the emotional impact of the narratives you have about yourself and taking leaps to try out new ways of relating to yourself and others. I also work from a systemic perspective, which means that I’m interested in understanding how you are impacted by your relationships, communities, cultural contexts, and multigenerational stories.
  • I have a background in community mental health and I believe that healing happens every day in community spaces – through community-based music, art, sports, and connection. In therapy, exploring how you shape and are shaped by your community can be incredibly empowering.
  • Whether working with individuals, families, or couples/intimate partners, I believe that small changes can lead to bigger changes as we navigate the joy, loss, and hope that show up in our lives.

What can you expect?

  • A sense of hope for re-connection and intimacy in your romantic partnerships.
  • A deeper understanding of your emotional experiences and needs, and how those needs show up in different ways in your life.
  • In couples/intimate partner therapy, an opportunity to explore and practice ways of feeling more connected with each other when tackling challenges, as partners rather than as opponents.
  • Greater belief in yourself and your own capacity for growth, healing, and connection.

Michael Dressman, CSWA

Julie Liszka
Clinical Social Worker Associate
Current clients can book a therapy session here
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Do you feel stuck or overwhelmed due to current/past stress or trauma?
  • Are you struggling with transition or change, including questions or inner conflict about your identity or role in life?
  • Do you have a vision for how you want your life to be, but keep coming across barriers you can’t seem to cross?

I Can Help.

  • Most importantly, I strive to make a space where you feel supported in what you want to work on, even if that is figuring out where to start. No one is a better expert about your life than you.
  • From experience with individual and relationship counseling to big-picture systems and culture, I work to understand the whole picture of you. All parts of us have wisdom.
  • In sessions, I tend to combine listening and empathy with a level of structure, information, and practice at a pace that works for you. Our nervous systems often already know what they need to heal.

    What can you expect?

  • A nonjudgmental space that helps you feel seen and heard, empowering you towards the directions you want to move.
  • An increased ability to cope with stress or discomfort via greater self-compassion with the ways your body works to keep you safe.
  • More feelings of hope and possibility about the values you want to embody, the relationships you want to have, and the life you want to live.
I work with a wide range of clients in individual and relationship counseling, especially those dealing with aspects of change or transition in their life including (but not limited to) identity, faith or spirituality, sexuality, gender identity, career or education, and relationships. As a queer person raised in Utah, I have personal and professional experience in these topics. I hold a Master of Social Work from Portland State University, and my theoretical approaches include Internal Family SystemsTherapy (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Interpersonal Neurobiology, Narrative Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

Jimmy Boyda, MA

Julie Liszka
Professional Counselor Associate
Current clients can book a therapy session here
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Heal, grow, and create the life that aligns with your values.

Does this sound familiar?

  • Experiencing conflict or stress in relationships?
  • Ready to heal from past trauma?
  • Exploring questions about gender or sexuality?
  • Looking for greater meaning and direction in life?

I Can Help.

With a background in family therapy and education, I support children, teens, adults, and couples navigating family conflict, mood disorders, relationships, trauma, and gender/sexuality concerns. I provide compassionate, evidence-based guidance, helping you understand yourself, recognize your strengths, and build a life aligned with your values.

What can you expect?

  • Greater confidence, self-awareness, and self-acceptance
  • Practical tools for healthy relationships and conflict resolution

  • Increased resilience to handle life’s challenges and stressors

Let’s work together to create the life you want.

August Smith, MS

Julie Liszka
Marriage and Family Therapist Associate
Current clients can book a therapy session here

Does this sound familiar?

  • Struggling with your or a loved one’s gender identity, sexuality, or level of self-acceptance?
  • Experiencing difficulty in discussing, exploring, or engaging with intimacy, pleasure, or sex tied to shame, trauma, or relational distress?
  • Grappling with current, past, or generational trauma, seeking a safe space to process and utilize coping tools to expand your emotional capacity?

I Can Help.

  • I utilize integrative trauma-informed Narrative Therapy, DBT, and Polyvagal Theory to guide clients through understanding their internal beliefs shaped by early life experiences and how those foundations impact tolerance, behavior, and relational dynamics in adulthood.
  • I believe therapy can assist clients in unlocking their internal resources needed to promote individual and systemic growth, leading to meaningful change.
  • I implore a liberatory approach by analyzing the client’s context within the systems theory framework and the effects of interpersonal interactions on the client.

What can you expect?

  • I work on an individual and relational level to build clients’ innate resources, fortify distress tolerance, promote understanding of behavioral functionality, and fine-tune awareness of interacting communicative patterns.
  • My notable clinical interests include sex therapy, trauma processing, and identity exploration involving gender & sexuality, collectively framed by liberatory practices and systemic thinking.
  • As a queer and transgender therapist, I have experienced facets of systemic oppression and witnessed its impact on other marginalized communities, driving my own goal to expand the accessibility of mental health services and aim to provide a safe and inclusive therapeutic environment to support client’s mental health regardless of cultural or personal identities.

Rita Melnikova, MA

Julie Liszka
Marriage and Family Therapist Associate
Current clients can book a therapy session here

Does this sound familiar?

  •  Experiencing a lack of accessibility, responsiveness and engagement in your relationship?

  • Feeling out of control and driven by strong and confusing emotions

  • Experiencing a sense of disconnection within oneself and with others?

I Can Help.

  • So much of what impacts us on a daily basis has roots in relationships; our relationships with people around us but also with ourselves. I seek to understand clients’ needs in the context of their individual lives, experiences and relationships.

  • I am direct and efficient in my use of my models, utilizing Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) with couples and Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) with individuals.

  • I know that life can get really messy, relationships can take many forms and sometimes the history people share together can seem too complicated to be understood. I am here to hear your story, follow your lead as the expert in your own life and support you in the changes that you want to make.

What can you expect?

  • Clients will walk away with more clarity about what they want for themselves and in their relationships, gaining skills in identifying, understanding and expressing their emotions.

  • Individuals participating in couples therapy will begin to express themselves more fully to their partners, while feeling supported and understood by them.  They will find new collaborative ways to handle situations which have previously led to conflict and disconnection.

  • Clients will find themselves adopting an US vs. the PROBLEM stance more often than the ME vs. YOU stance when finding themselves in conflict with their partner.

  • Individual clients will experience a newfound sense of clarity in understanding their own emotions and where they come from. They will feel an increased sense of control in their lives and feel empowered to respond to life’s stress in a way that tends toward growth, calmness and security.

Savannah Rigney, MA

Julie Liszka
Professional Counselor Associate
Current clients can book a therapy session here

Does this sound familiar?

  • Feeling overwhelmed by significant life changes or experiencing issues related to complex trauma?
  • Striving to build trust in yourself and secure relationships with others?
  • Are you seeking a life filled with more joy, purpose, and sense of peace?

I Can Help.

  • In our work together, I’ll guide you through a journey of self-discovery, helping you understand the connection between your mind and body, and supporting you in creating new patterns and insights that align with your personal hopes and goals.
  • I’m trained in a holistic and systematic approach, which means I consider how all aspects of your life have influenced you.
  • I approach our work with compassion and curiosity, always fostering hope and confidence in your healing journey.

What can you expect?

  • Let go of the burdens from the past, heal emotional wounds, and address the effects of trauma.
  • Enhanced self-awareness and understanding of your relationship with others.
  • Deeper access to your inner self, fostering qualities such as playfulness, connection, self-belief, and compassion.

Mayan McDermott, MA

Julie Liszka
Marriage and Family Therapist Associate
Current clients can book a therapy session here
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Struggling with persistent burnout, no matter how much you try to recharge?
  • Consistently overwhelmed by your responsibilities, relationships, or reactions?
  • Feeling like you don’t belong or there’s something wrong with you?

I Can Help.

  • My role as a therapist is to facilitate a personalized, collaborative space in which you feel safe, comfortable, and understood. What’s important to you is important to me.
  • You can expect me to meet you with compassion, authenticity, humor, and openness. I rely heavily on a trauma-informed therapeutic approach that emphasizes the connection between your mind and body.
  • As a neurodivergent therapist who was diagnosed later in life, I know firsthand the grief, confusion, and internalized ableism that can sometimes come along with this discovery. Together, we can figure out how to soothe your nervous system, heal your relationship with yourself, and get in touch with your innate resources.

What can you expect?

  • Feeling more calm, curious, clear, compassionate in your relationships – with yourself and with the people that matter most to you.
  • Make sense of longstanding patterns of behavior and resolve feeling “stuck” in various places in life.
  • Learn how to express yourself authentically, to experience yourself fully, and to know yourself deeply.

Christy Maeder, LCSW

Julie Liszka
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Current clients can book a therapy session here
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Struggling with anxiety, depression, or stress?
  • Experiencing difficulty coping with negative or traumatic life events?
  • Challenges with navigating life transitions, relationships, and feeling connected?

I Can Help.

  • I utilize a collaborative, client-centered, and strength-based approach.
  • I provide a warm, authentic, and creative environment to help you gain deeper insight and self-knowledge, as well as build skills and confidence to move forward.
  • I am passionate about this work and what can be accomplished in a non-judgmental, respectful alliance.

What can you expect?

  • Respect, empathy, and support. I provide a judgment-free space where you can openly express your thoughts, emotions, and concerns.
  • Improved communication skills and boundary-setting that lead to positive change in relationships.
  • Empowerment and self-discovery. I will work to empower you to explore your own thoughts and feelings, enabling self-discovery and personal insight.

Alexandra Aguirre, MS

Julie Liszka
Marriage and Family Therapist Associate
Current clients can book a therapy session here

I work with:

I specialize in:

Supporting you to navigate life, relationships, and identity with clarity, confidence, and care.

Does this sound familiar?

  • Struggling or feeling stuck in your relationships?

  • Exploring or experiencing challenges related to your gender or sexuality?

  • Feeling stressed or worried about major life changes or transitions?

I Can Help

I provide a collaborative, client-centered, and nonjudgmental approach, working with you to create therapy goals that align with your needs and priorities. As a transgender woman, I bring both lived experience and professional insight to support transgender clients.

I also use a systemic lens in my work—looking at the relationships and systems you are part of to understand how they shape your experiences and challenges.

What can you expect?

  • Improved relationships: Feel more heard and supported through better communication skills
  • Gender and sexuality support: Gain clarity and confidence around your identity
  • Emotional tools: Identify emotions, communicate needs, and develop coping strategies to manage stress and challenges

Emi Gilbert, LCSW

Julie Liszka
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Current clients can book a therapy session here
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Do you or your child/teen have difficulty handling current anxiety/stressors, or difficulty moving forward from past trauma?
  • Do you or your child/teen find it challenging to understand or manage your own emotional responses?
  • Are you or your child/teen struggling in your interpersonal relationships?

I can help.

  • I believe there is no “one size fits all” therapeutic approach and I will work with you to create a unique and tailored experience for your life circumstances at your own pace. I also believe that we are not defined by our diagnoses or labels and I commit to working with you as a holistic individual and/or family.
  • I approach each individual and family with curiosity and humility. Therapy sessions with me are a place to explore and disrupt the patterns that may exist in our lives, such as those of attachment styles, generational trauma, and/or internalized oppression related to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, or other designations of culture. I fully acknowledge that very real societal oppressions continue to significantly impact people’s lives and therapy does not exist in a vacuum.
  • I have extensive experience working with youth and adapting therapeutic interventions for children and teens. I incorporate age-appropriate education to empower individuals and families with the knowledge of how body/brain chemistry influences our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. For all ages, I may include elements of art, movement, games, and humor in our sessions as desired.

What can you expect?

  • I will create a safe and affirming, non-judgmental space where you or your child/teen will develop the trust to explore your inner self and your relationships.
  • You or your child/teen will gain a stronger understanding of how your brain and body are working together to create the person you are – and how to make the changes you want to see.
  • You or your child/teen will build a toolbox of skills to help manage stress, resolve personal conflicts, and find balance in your lives.

 

I work with a wide range of clients, including children, teens, young adults, couples, and families. My education includes a Master of Social Work from Portland State University. In addition to my work in clinical mental health, I also have my license in school social work and experience providing support in public schools. My theoretical approaches include (but are not limited to) Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Attachment Theory, Polyvagal Theory, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), and Collaborative Problem Solving.

Katie Doty, LPC

Julie Liszka
Licensed Professional Counselor
Current clients can book a therapy session here
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Are you experiencing relationship issues such as trouble communicating, setting healthy boundaries, trust, or intimacy?
  • Exploring or questioning your sexual or gender identity?
  • Dealing with major life changes, chronic illness, or experiencing issues related to past trauma?

I Can Help.

  • Couples or individuals struggling with issues in their romantic or interpersonal relationships. I will help you identify and work through troubled areas with guided exploration and tangible skills.
  • Create a safe space for adults and young adults to explore sexual and gender identity issues with positive and affirming care.
  • Provide evidence-based effective coping strategies to deal with life transitions, live with chronic illness, and manage issues related to trauma.

What can you expect?

  • A warm, safe, and judgment-free space to explore your thoughts and feelings.
  • A grounded collaborative approach utilizing evidence-based practices, (and a little humor) to help you identify your strengths and reach your therapeutic goals.
  • The opportunity to make positive changes in your daily life, and to grow and strengthen your relationships.

A little about me…I am a huge animal lover and spend some of my free time working in animal rescue. Occasionally, you may see one of my three fur babies, my Corgi, Penny, or one of my two cats, Buddy and Jessie. I have lived abroad and in many places across the United States yet I am always drawn back to the Pacific Northwest. I enjoy learning about other cultures, gaining new perspectives, and I am always ready for the next adventure to experience new things. Personally, I have struggled through illness and adversity which gives me a unique philosophy towards my work with clients. I believe that while trauma can cultivate pain and a skewed way of being in the world, it can also cultivate unique strengths and knowledge that forge us into capable and resilient individuals formed with grit and tenacity. I believe in the enduring resiliency of the human spirit and that we can accomplish great things despite the stories we come from. I strongly believe that building a strong therapeutic relationship is the cornerstone of success in achieving your wellness goals; and I pride myself on providing a warm environment where you feel heard, understood, safe, and free of judgment. Therapy can sometimes be heavy work, so I like to incorporate humor and lightness when appropriate. You will find me to be a very down-to-earth therapist who thoroughly enjoys helping people.

I believe in a holistic approach to mental health. Integrating and nurturing the mind, body, and spirit are essential aspects of overall health and wellness. Together, we will work to identify your goals and natural strengths that will be pivotal in helping you achieve balance and peace in your life. I utilize a collaborative approach to therapy and tailor the experience to fit my individual client’s needs. I integrate a person-centered, psychoanalytic approach to therapy with evidenced-based behavioral techniques including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. I have had extended training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy through the Portland DBT Institute.

I enjoy working with young adults and adults who are struggling with a number of issues, including, but not limited to: major life changes and transitions, couples counseling and relationship issues, PTSD, trauma, anxiety, depression,  chronic illness, and exploring gender and sexuality.