Availability as of 11 April, 2024:  I currently have openings.   To schedule directly, please visit my online calendar HERE, or email me at cpalmerpdx@gmail.com and I will help you get on the schedule.

If you don’t see a time on my schedule that works for you, please email me and we’ll find a time, or add your name to my waitlist by clicking HERE

Welcome, and congratulations for taking your first step toward creating a better relationship with yourself and others.  You are ready for something different, which means your life is about to significantly improve.  I’d be honored to be a part of your journey.

My name is Catherine Palmer and I’m a licensed professional counselor and relationship expert.  I offer individual therapy and couples counseling in Portland, and throughout Oregon and Washington via online therapy.

I have over a decades’ worth of expertise helping individuals and couples achieve the lives and relationships that they most desire.

Change is possible!  In fact, it’s inevitable.  Don’t just blindly go along for the ride – take the reins.   Allow me to assist.

I can help you heal past wounds, overcome psychological challenges, silence negative thoughts, and eradicate destructive relationship patterns that have been holding you back and disempowering you.  Together, we will help you find the contentment and satisfaction that you’ve been searching for.

I provide personalized and customized counseling based on who you are, what you need, and the life you want.

If you struggle with anxiety, trauma, depression, relationship issues, loneliness or low self-esteem, you are not alone.  These are among the most common mental health issues of our time.

Any one of these issues can leave you feeling frustrated and unsatisfied, or trapped in an unrelenting cycle of shame, fear and/or sadness. This can lead to exhaustion as you constantly do battle with your thoughts and emotions.

You end up longing for an escape from the suffocating mental and emotional clutter that’s holding you back.  If not treated, this can continue to spiral downward and become disabling.

Perhaps your struggle doesn’t feel quite that extreme. Instead, maybe you’re experiencing a plaguing dissatisfaction in your life.  A general malaise.  A lack of purpose and meaning.

Maybe your relationships have become one dimensional and/or devoid of emotional/physical intimacy. Maybe you and your life partner are trapped in a negative fight cycle that you can’t seem to break free of.

So many of us go through the motions of life, doing all of the “right” things, waiting for fulfillment and satisfaction to catch up to us.  When it fails to arrive, the exhaustion and disillusionment start to seep in.

It is important to understand that whatever you are struggling with does not define who you are.  You may have anxiety, but you are NOT your anxiety.

You don’t have to be a mere passenger to your thoughts and emotions. You can obtain relief from anxiety, dissatisfaction, depression, trauma, relational distress, etc.  There is no reason to drag emotional and mental burdens along with you into your future.  I can help.

Together, we can explore techniques to dismantle unwanted behaviors and foster healthier actions that are aligned with your values. We can defuse the intensity of your triggers by safely processing old traumas and beliefs.

This effectively ‘re-wires’ outdated trauma-based neural networks in your brain in a way that allows for healthy integration with your innate wisdom.  Together, we can cultivate strategies to help you regain control, bringing more satisfaction and purpose to your life.

I can work with you and your partner to help you reconnect and communicate in ways that foster intimacy, respect and love.

My education, training, and experience qualify me to help with anxiety disorders, grief, depression, couples counseling, trauma, attachment issues, stress, co-dependency, shame, identity issues, relationship issues, low self-esteem, fear of abandonment, and more.

I have long-term training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) for both individuals and couples, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for individuals as well as for couples, The Gottman Method, EMDR, Interpersonal Neurobiology, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

Mental health counselors, like everyone else, come from a variety of different experiences and interests that shape their areas of practice, treatment modalities, and ways of relating to their clients.

What sets me apart?  For one, I’m not just a licensed professional counselor.  I also have a Ph.D. in biology and nearly 20 years of experience teaching science at the college level.

Everything that is psychological is also biological.

My clinical training and hands-on work with individuals and couples, combined with my science background, have helped me understand what it takes to help people overcome dysfunctional ways of thinking, behaving and interacting.

Mental health therapy is a transformative process that can help rewire your brain, elevate your thoughts and feelings, and allow you to experience more satisfaction in your life.

Through a combination of compassion, empathy, humor, direction, reflection and ‘therapizing’, I can help get you there.

If you’re ready to explore counseling with me, please schedule directly via my online calendar, call, or email to make an appointment.

Individual and Couples Counseling in Portland, Oregon 97209

and Throughout the States of Oregon and Washington

email:  cpalmerpdx@gmail.com

Hours:
Mon, Tue, Wed 11:00 am – 6:30pm

Here are some important things for you to know:

You are stronger than you think.

Your anxiety is not who you are.

Your relationship problems CAN be repaired and you can fall back in love.

Your voice matters.

You can overcome past trauma so that it no longer plagues your life and relationships.

You don’t have to live with anxiety or depression forever.

You can learn to be great at relationships.

You have innate value. You always have.

You can process grief so that it isn’t such a heavy burden to carry.

You can develop a better relationship with your body and your emotions.

It is okay to be your authentic self.

It’s not too late. You and your partner can learn to develop greater emotional and physical intimacy.

You deserve to be loved.

You have a wise, true self that knows exactly what you need.

You are never too old.

There is life after a break up.  It’s better than you can imagine right now.

No good decision is made from a place of fear.

Loneliness isn’t something you have to accept.