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Racial Trauma

Amy Watson, LPC

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

Does this sound familiar?

  • Do stress, anxiety, depression, and unhealthy coping strategies impact your life negatively?
  • Are you navigating loss or grief in your life that you are having trouble processing?
  • Are you impacted in the present by past traumatic and/or overwhelming feelings and experiences that you want to better understand and process?
  • Are you wanting a change in your professional life and/or career choice?

I Can Help.

  • I believe we are all fellow travelers on this journey through life and sometimes we need help reminding us of our inner resources and capacity for healing.
  • The counseling relationship is a unique opportunity to shine light upon the habits and patterns in our lives that are no longer serving us and learn new habits that connect to that inner wisdom.
  • I integrate a present-centered, person-centered, psychodynamic approach. I am trained in EMDR therapy for trauma processing and also lean heavily on somatic (body-centered), mindfulness and compassion-based therapies as well.
  • Previously, I was a high school teacher for almost 20 years and am enjoying my career change. I am honored to walk with you on this journey towards better mental and emotional health.

What can you expect?

  • My intention is to create a safe, caring, and supportive environment for you to explore what might be getting in the way of you reaching your goals and helping your life journey be lighter and more joyful.
  • You will learn new ways of experiencing difficult feelings/emotions and thoughts by building on your innate abilities and strengths and tapping into your innate resources.
  • You will gain opportunities to experience mindfulness and compassion for helping you regulate and process difficult feelings and thoughts.

Claris Velez, MS

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

Who I Work With

I support children, young adults, and parents who may be facing challenges such as:

  • Racism, discrimination, or bullying
  • Anxiety, life transitions, or low self-esteem
  • Parenting struggles, especially for parents of children ages 5–10 who feel stuck or overwhelmed in managing emotions and behaviors

What Makes My Approach Unique

My work is grounded in clinical training that is both evidence-based and flexible, allowing me to honor the unique cultural backgrounds and life experiences of each client. I take a collaborative, client-centered, and strengths-based approach, ensuring that treatment feels supportive and empowering.

The Benefits of Therapy

Through our work together, you can expect to:

  • Build confidence in expressing and managing emotions
  • Develop practical tools to cope with stress and navigate challenges
  • Strengthen parenting skills and feel more effective in supporting your child
  • Make meaningful progress toward the goals that matter most to you

 

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.

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?

Life can be different. Change is possible. I believe in helping you on your journey of self-understanding and healthy relationships. I am a first-generation Latino with white privilege. I grew up in a low-socioeconomic neighborhood. I received my master’s degree from George Fox University in marriage, couple and family counseling. I use 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 self.

Potential counseling outcomes

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

Nooshi Ghasedi, MA, NCC

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

Does this sound familiar?

  • You’ve experienced emotional trauma and want to process it in a safe environment.
  • You’re navigating depression, anxiety, and life stressors.
  • You want to grow through life’s challenges while honoring your individual and/or cultural values.

I can help.

  • I offer an authentic and relatable style to create a space where you can feel safe to be fully yourself.
  • As a bicultural second-generation immigrant and woman of color, I understand the impacts of being “othered” and will validate your lived experiences.
  • My approach is collaborative, person-centered, and offered through a feminist lens of reduced power dynamics. YOU are the expert on yourself, and I am here to offer support along your journey.

What can you expect?

  • Achieve a deeper understanding of yourself and your patterns to create more self-awareness and the ability to foster the changes you seek.
  • Create a lifestyle where your needs are spoken and honored through intentional relationships (including with yourself!) and solid boundaries.
  • Identify your strengths to cultivate resilience to navigate life’s challenges with confidence and self-compassion.
I believe that self-awareness and self-compassion are pathways to finding more emotional peace. Counseling is a partnership we will foster as we explore conscious and unconscious patterns that are keeping you from living a life you love.
I offer a trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, feminist approach to therapy, and I lean on mindfulness-based and somatic interventions as foundations on which we can build resilience together. Other frameworks we may use can include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Psychodynamic perspectives.
Let’s work together to explore what is keeping you stuck, so you can create a life that feels more balanced, intentional, and meaningful.

Ashley Tecson, 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?

  • Feeling hopeless, alone, too much or not enough?
  • Overwhelmed with changes happening in your life and the world around you?
  • Are past trauma and hardship affecting your ability to navigate relationships and functioning day to day?

I Can Help.

  • I have a relational perspective and approach every client as a person first rather than a diagnosis, connecting to my clients with humor, empathy, and authenticity
  • I believe there is no “one size fits all” and I pull from several modalities and resources to find what works best for you based on your unique wants, needs, and beliefs
  • I have both professional and personal experience helping others with depression, anxiety, suicidality, trauma, and the challenges of navigating the world as part of the BIPOC and LGBTQ2IA+ communities.

What can you expect?

  • A safe space to reflect, ask questions, and be seen and heard exactly as you are, free of any judgment
  • Improved capacity to cope with and reframe adversity, change, difficult feelings, and detrimental patterns
  • A more empowered sense of self with increased insight into your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and how to move forward in a way that best serves you

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 or your teen 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

Savannah Rigney, MA

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

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.

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

Amanda Pifer, 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 overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, or a big life transition?
  • Are you looking for a supportive space to explore gender, sexuality, or identity issues?
  • Are you struggling to heal from religious trauma?

I Can Help.

  • I have a client-centered approach, which means we work together as a team to tap into your inherent growth potential.
  • I have experience working with religious abuse and the challenges of leaving high-control groups or cults.
  • I am queer-affirming and social justice-oriented, and I strive to create a space where my clients feel safe to fully be themselves.
  • I like incorporating creative and somatic interventions into my work with clients since healing and growth don’t only come through sitting and talking.

What can you expect?

  • I believe connection is the basis for healing and growth.  Effective therapy uses the strength of the therapeutic relationship not only to facilitate individual growth but also to improve your ability to connect with others in your life.
  • My aim is to help you increase your connection to your own body, thoughts, and feelings.
  • Therapy is a good place to learn new coping tools and practice sitting with hard things so that they become less distressing over time

Jordan Tangavelou, LMFT

Ryan Scott
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Current clients can book a therapy session here
I work with:
I specialize in:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Struggling with finding joy in life, feeling lost during life transitions, feeling stuck in the past, or scared of what the future holds?
  • Experiencing negative experiences due to racism, discrimination, and trauma?
  • Having difficulty connecting and communicating with loved ones?

I Can Help.

  • My work with clients is collaborative. In the process of therapy, we will explore your strengths and your history of adaptation to difficult circumstances, and develop a plan to support your ongoing positive changes.
  • My background as an Asian-American child of a refugee and an international adoptee from a mixed family helps me to see the importance of how context shapes people’s lives. My life experiences and background aid me in connecting with clients authentically and nonjudgmentally.
  • I have 7 years of experience working with school-aged children and adolescents in the mental health field.

What can you expect?

  • You will be able to practice acceptance of your life circumstances which provides clarity for how to move forward.
  • A recognition of yourself as the hero of your story pushes back against feelings of helplessness and purposelessness.
  • Improvement in communication skills and the ability to better handle strong emotions helps couples and families to have more positive interactions and reduces harmful interactions.

Mindy Laroco, LPC

Ryan Scott
Licensed Professional Counselor
Current clients can book a therapy session here
I Work With:
I Specialize In:

Does this sound familiar?

  • Wanting help in learning how to identify and talk about emotions?
  • Feeling down or stuck in everyday life routines?
  • Experiencing a heaviness due to past traumas or experiences

I Can Help.

  • I would be honored to hold space for you to explore your thoughts and feelings
  • Clients experience a warm, safe space and encouragement to reach their goals
  • I look forward to walking with you on your journey toward healing

What can you expect?

  • Clients have walked away with better, more effective ways of coping with life stresses
  • I have worked with clients to help them feel reconnected with who they are
  • I have experience in working with clients to help them learn to effectively handle emotions

 

It is so wonderful that you are taking this next step to care for yourself or a loved one!  I offer a safe, healing counseling space that is full of emapthy and encouragement. Together, we will create an environment that is unique to your personal experiences and strengths that will help us work towards your goals. I have a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a certificate in Family and Relationship therapy and I have experience working with adolescents and adults with a range of presenting conerns such as anxiety, depression, relationships, substance abuse concerns, and life transitions. I also enjoy working with clients of diverse backgrounds, gender identities, sexual orientations, cultures, and spiritual beliefs and practices.