Become a ClientCareers

Ethical Non-monogamy/Polyamory

Ry Smith, MA

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

Helping People Understand the Roots of Their Patterns and Create Lasting Change.

Does this sound familiar?

  • Do you feel stuck in patterns that keep repeating no matter how hard you try to change them?
  • Do stress, overwhelm, or burnout make it hard to feel present in your life?
  • Do anger, shame, or perfectionism get in the way of your relationships or your own peace of mind?
  • Are you moving through a transition or identity shift and wondering who you are on the other side?
  • Are you wanting to heal from unresolved childhood wounds, trauma, or grief?
  • Are you wanting more connection and meaning in relationships and daily life?

Whether your symptoms show up as exhaustion, conflict, or just that quiet sense that “something has to change,” therapy offers a path forward.

I Can Help.

I work with adults who are ready to look beneath the surface and create lasting change. Together, we’ll uncover the roots of what keeps you stuck, explore the needs that have gone unmet, and build new ways of responding with clarity and intention.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Slow down and notice your emotional triggers
  • Break cycles of anger, shame, or disconnection
  • Manage stress and burnout with tools that actually work
  • Build deeper, more authentic relationships
  • Move toward a life that feels freer, more grounded, and aligned with who you truly are

What can you expect?

  • A warm, collaborative space where you’ll feel supported but also challenged to grow.
  • A balance of insight and practical skills you can carry into your daily life.
  • A chance to laugh, reflect, and reconnect with parts of yourself that may have felt hidden or stuck.

 

 

Before becoming a therapist, I worked as a career counselor in higher education, where I helped students and professionals navigate transitions, clarify their goals, and find meaningful next steps. I also spent time in the military and environmental science fields, experiences that deepened my perspective on resilience, identity, and change.

In therapy, I draw from Schema Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy, Solution Focused, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Relational Life Therapy, and attachment-based approaches to help you not just cope, but transform the way you understand and live your story.

When I’m not working with clients, I’m often at the forge shaping steel into useful tools. The process requires patience, attention, and care — qualities I also bring into my work as a therapist.

Brianna Recklies, MCoun

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

Does this sound familiar?

  • Are you experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, or other issues that are interfering with your day-to-day life?
  • Are you looking for support in navigating major life transitions, past or present trauma, relationships, or other stressors?
  • Are you ready to explore questions around identity, gender, or sexuality?

I Can Help…

  • No person is the same, so why would I work with each client the same way? I have experience working with a variety of issues and will develop an individualized approach that meets you where you currently are so that we can work towards your goals as a team.
  • I provide a space of unconditional and non-judgmental support that builds self-worth and self-empowerment. I am queer-affirming, sex- and kink-positive, and social justice-oriented. My hopes are always to create a space where clients feel safe to show up authentically and fully be themselves.
  • Sitting and talking alone does not work for most people, so I enjoy using creative and somatic interventions in my work. You are the expert of your own life, so we will work towards your goals in a way that best suits your needs, interests, and values.

What can you expect?

  • My goal is to support and empower you so that you can navigate challenges, stressors, and difficult life situations with more confidence and greater ease.
  • I see connection as one of the most important aspects of our lives and the foundation for effective therapy. We will build a strong and genuine therapeutic relationship together that strengthens your ability to connect with not only others in your life, but with yourself as well.
  • Through our work together, you will increase self-awareness, self-acceptance, and feel more confident so that you can be more present and authentic in other relationships and aspects of your life.

August Smith, MS

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 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.

Wyatt Yurkovich, 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 feeling worried, anxious, or depressed about major life changes or transitions?
  • Do you feel like you are stuck or struggling in your relationships with family, friends and loved ones?
  • Wanting to build a stronger sense of self and identity?

I Can Help.

  • I’m here to help clients learn and develop skills to better manage their emotions, life stressors, and deepen their relationships with themselves and others.
  • I create a safe and welcoming space for clients to explore their concerns and experiences through a humanistic and psychodynamic approach.
  • I help clients identify and work toward their therapeutic goals in a collaborative way, as I believe each client is the expert in their own life.

What can you expect?

  • A safe and non-judgemental space to freely express your thoughts and emotions.
  • An increased ability to manage and process your emotions and life stressors.
  • The opportunity to strengthen and grow your relationships with others and with yourself.

Rita Melnikova, 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?

  •  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.

Brendan Moore, 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?

  • Are you navigating questions around identity (such as gender, culture, race, disability)?
  • Are you struggling with repetitive relationship or career conflicts that don’t make sense?

  • Are you trying to adapt to and make meaning out of a painful event (breakup, divorce, illness, death, or other loss)?

I Can Help.

  • I work with clients to identify and change how unconscious patterns from the past show up painfully in the present
  • My advanced training in psychoanalysis, literature, and feminist theory have taught me to focus not just on symptoms, but on the life story of the person in front of me

  • Culture and structures of exploitation contribute strengths and vulnerabilities to every person’s life, and I strive to welcome these concerns into the consulting room in a spirit of humility

What can you expect?

  • You will derive greater satisfaction and meaning from life, work, and relationships
  • You will experience more clarity on issues of identity, love, and long-term goals

  • You will find improved resilience in the face of life’s challenges

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?

  • Difficulty trusting your own needs, boundaries, or instincts?
  • Wondering why your emotions feel intense, confusing, or hard to regulate at times?
  • Wanting to live more authentically, but unsure how or where to start?

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.

Bri Soriano, 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?

  • Is anxiety impacting your ability to communicate and connect with others in your life?
  • Have you not had the opportunity to process traumatic events that are impacting your overall well-being?
  • Are you struggling with depression, isolation, or feelings of worthlessness?

I Can Help.

  • I have training and years of experience with folks with anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, and emotional regulation difficulties.
  • I work from a social justice approach in order to bring perspective to the way societal injustices, values, and practices impact our overall wellbeing.
  • I am experienced in working collaboratively with young adults and adults.
  • I use empathy and compassion to build meaningful and authentic relationships for the best outcomes.

What can you expect?

  • We will work together to creatively address barriers in life and identify goals in order to make positive changes in life.
  • I value working on expanding on your inherent strengths and empowerment in order for healing to take place

Collin King, LPC

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

Moving toward self-acceptance

Many people come to therapy feeling stuck in cycles of self-criticism, worry, shame, or overthinking. You might be struggling to understand or accept parts of yourself, navigating grief or chronic health concerns, or feeling lost and overwhelmed by your inner world. At times, those feelings can become so heavy that you consider hurting or killing yourself. If any of this sounds familiar, I may be able to help.

I approach therapy with the belief that our minds are always trying to protect us, even when our strategies no longer feel helpful. When we start from a place of curiosity and acceptance rather than judgment, meaningful change becomes possible. My goal is to create a space where you feel understood, supported, and actively involved in the work we do together.

I know what it’s like to be both a therapist and a client, and that lived experience shapes how I show up in the therapy room. I strive to be collaborative, open-minded, and genuine. Sometimes the work is active: doing experiments and trying new practices. Other times the work is subtle: moving slowing and making space.

Ultimately, therapy with me isn’t about fixing what’s “wrong” with you; it’s about making sense of your experiences and learning to relate to yourself with more compassion.

In our work together, you can expect:

  • Increased self-acceptance and understanding
  • A shift from “This part of me is bad” to “Maybe this part of me serves a purpose”
  • Practical tools for managing anxiety, anger, trauma, shame, numbness, or other unpleasant emotions

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: navigate gender transitions and gain clarity and confidence around your identity.
  • Emotional tools: Identify emotions, communicate needs, and develop coping strategies to manage stress and challenges
  • Healthy boundaries: identify and maintain boundaries in personal relationships and creating a work/life balance.

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.

April Lightcap, PhD

Ryan Scott
Licensed Psychologist
Current clients can book a therapy session here
I work with:
I Specialize In:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Are you feeling stressed, overwhelmed or anxious?
  • Feeling stuck, lonely or isolated?
  • Struggling in your relationships, maybe with a child, or romantic partner?

I Can Help.

  • As a warm and understanding person, I help my clients feel at ease in therapy.
  • I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help my clients identify their goals, connect with their values, and stay motivated to work towards what they care about most in life.

  • I am skilled at helping my clients find meaning and direction as they navigate life’s trials and joys.

What can you expect?

  • You will feel motivated to pursue what matters to you, despite life’s obstacles.
  • You will learn practical skills for moving towards your goals in a warm and understanding environment.

  • You will feel connected to what you care about most, more accepting of yourself and motivated to work towards your goals.