Individual and Couples Therapist in Clackamas County, OR

Expert Guidance for Men Seeking Individual Therapy and Couples Seeking to Improve their Relationship. Call (503) 388-6611 for a FREE Consultation.

Reach Out for a FREE Consultation

Couples Therapy in Clackamas County, OR

Modern couples face difficult challenges that often lead to feeling hopeless about making changes. Facing challenges in your relationship is normal, but how those challenges are dealt with often determines the success of the couple.

Couples therapy provides a path forward to address these issues, find new ways to connect, and allows both partners to be heard. Couples engaged in relationship counseling learn new and helpful ways of dealing with conflict and working towards connection. Couples counseling is designed to change the way couples address their problems to forge safety, security, and a sense of connection with their partner.

Common Problems Couples Are Facing Today

Common issues couples in Clackamas County face include the following:

• Not feeling heard or understood
• Dealing with Conflict
• Friction from parenting
• Lacking time and feeling distant
• Struggles with intimacy
• Managing unmet expectations

How Couples Therapy Can Help

Couples therapy addresses as wide range of issues. Areas couples counseling in Clackamas County often deal with includes the following:

• Reworking communication
• New approaches to old conflicts
• Negotiating agreements
• Improving intimacy
• Building trust and safety
• Providing new insights

If you are ready to take the journey from conflict to connection, contact us today to set up your free consultation. Please call (503) 388-6611 or get in touch online here.

Individual Therapy for Men in Clackamas County

Men, is your partner unhappy with you? Are you struggling to find solutions to daily challenges on your own? Many men struggle with relationships because most men weren’t raised in a way that allows them to be good partners.

Individual therapy for men can bridge the gap from what men missed out on growing up to what they need now to be successful in their relationships. Many of the qualities that men were raised to value allow them to be successful in business, but often not successful in their relationships. Individual therapy for men is centered on building skills, changing mindsets, and creating understanding and empathy that allow for healthy bonds.

Common Issues Addressed in Individual Therapy

• Dealing with anger: Most men don’t understand why they feel angry and this develops into an unhealthy relationship with anger and other feelings. Individual therapy for men addresses the root cause of anger and helps men better understand and manage their emotions.
• Mood issues and Self-Esteem: Men often know they don’t feel good about themselves and often hold a negative self-image. With help from therapy men can learn to rework their method of determining self-esteem and find a way to live a life with a more balanced and predictable mood.
• Work-life balance: Traditionally men have been raised to value productivity, achievement, and hard work. While these qualities can be helpful with building a business, they often cause issues in relationships.
• Parenting: Many men didn’t receive the best role models for being an involved and loving parent. Individual therapy for men can help men learn what being an effective and loving parent looks like. Things like being connected to your child emotionally, showing interest in their lives, and learning how to support a challenging child are all common areas addressed.
• Communication: Men often deal with challenges communicating with their partners, their family, and with colleagues at work. Individual therapy helps teach men how to not take things personally, give helpful feedback, and address issues in a non-confrontational way.

Benefits of Individual Therapy

Benefits of individual therapy can include:

• Managing anger – not allowing feelings to overtake you.
• Building Healthy self-esteem – to better regulate your mood.
• Improved communication – with everyone in your life.
• Healthy boundaries – what am I responsible for and what am I not.
• Developing empathy – to foster understanding and compassion for those around you.
• Improved and more predictable mood – fewer highs and lows.
• Decreased anxiety – more skills build confidence and lessens anxiety.

Our Approach to Therapy

Douglas Counseling approaches each individual or couple from a place of curiosity and understanding. We seek to understand the current struggles and gain insight on what is keeping the person or couple stuck. Our therapists at Douglas Counseling collaborate with the client to build a plan to address the current issues and make strides towards finding solutions.

What to Expect in Therapy

Your first therapy session will include 3 main phases. First, your therapist will learn more about you. Your therapist will ask questions to learn more about your history, your current struggles, an what you have done to work on them. Next your therapist will help you to explore what you would want to happen at the end of the counseling process. Your goals will be processed and you and your therapist will gain clarity on what you consider to be a successful outcome. Towards the end of your therapy session your therapist will give you feedback about their ideas on why you are getting/staying stuck and will propose a plan to help you work towards successful completion of your goals. Your therapist will make recommendations including what will be worked on, how often you should attend sessions, and their estimation of what a course of therapy entails.

Our approach at Douglas Counseling is always to collaborate with the client. The client’s input and insights are critical to putting together a successful plan for therapy. At Douglas Counseling you are not a passive bystander with therapy but rather are at the heart of the healing process.

Client Testimonials and Success Stories from Clackamas County

Mark and Debbie: “We came to therapy feeling distant and disconnected after years of building our careers, raising kids, and struggling to find the time or energy for our relationship.” “We weren’t much different from some of our friends that also lived in Clackamas County, but we knew something had to change.” “Counseling helped us learn how we’d become stuck in a harmful pattern of communication.” “Our therapist helped us understand how to approach each other from new places that really opened up the way we communicate.” “I can’t say enough about how grateful we are to have had Douglas Counseling guide us to a much better place in our marriage.”

Frank: “I’d thought about going to therapy in the past, but never did it thinking I could just find a way out of my own mess.” “My life had become consumed with work obligations and my partner was ready to file for divorce if I didn’t turn things around.” “I used to deal with the stress by going to Mt. Hood for hikes, but it only relieved my stress for a few hours.” “As soon as I returned home everything was still the same.” “After working with my therapist I realized how my values had become skewed and how this led to decisions that hurt my relationship and robbed me of time with my family.” “I was skeptical about counseling in the beginning, but I would highly recommend getting an outside perspective.” “It really made all the difference for me.”

Client Success Stories

Story #1: Bridget and Peter

Bridget and Peter called our office asking for help with their communication. This couple from Clackamas County had recently moved to the area to relocate for Bridget’s new work position. The couple complained of “not seeing eye to eye” and having trouble “getting on the same page” with each other.

As the couples counseling progressed each partner was helped to see their contribution to the struggles with communication. Peter felt like Bridget placed too much focus on her career and had little time or energy for him or their young son. Their couples therapist helped the partners to see that Peter’s attempts to draw Bridget in just left her feeling alienated and unappreciated. The couple worked for several weeks to unravel this harmful pattern and learned new strategies to get their points across.

The following came from one of the last sessions this couple attended: “I knew I wasn’t happy with where things were” Peter said. “I just didn’t know how to communicate what I was really thinking and feeling and without counseling I’m not sure I ever would have.” Bridget added: “I felt like learning practical strategies for giving each other feedback was huge.” “I wish I had learned this stuff when I was a kid, but at least I have some of these skills now.”

This couple gained a completely new way of communicating through couples therapy. Learning practical strategies that can be used day-in and day-out is almost always a focus with couples work and this couple was a great example of how new skills can make all the difference.

Story #2: Liam

Liam started individual counseling with way more questions than answers. Liam had made a name for himself in a small community in Clackamas County, but felt like he was living a double life. Liam talked about how he felt the pressure to be “who I was supposed to be” by day but had another side that had caused issues in past relationships as well as his current marriage.

Liam struggled with using alcohol and marijuana to cope with his feelings. Through individual counseling Liam saw that he never had permission to simply be himself. Even as a child Liam felt like he had to “measure up” to the high standards of his family, and felt totally unequipped, which led to feelings of shame and hiding his true self.

Much of Liam’s counseling centered on showing him that he could live an authentic life, learn to accept himself, and be open and honest with those around him. “I always thought I had to keep certain parts of myself hidden from others and counseling showed me that I could be myself.” Liam added: “It’s a great feeling to not have to worry about how you see yourself or how others might judge you.” “Counseling really set me free from the constant fear of having to keep everyone happy.” “I learned that I could have healthy self-esteem regardless of what others think and that was a new realization.”

Liam used individual counseling to better understand why he felt stuck and learn a new way of seeing things that set him free from old self-imposed constraints. We love to work with motivated clients like Liam and find joy in seeing real changes like this take place in people’s lives.    

FAQs

Where are you located?

Douglas Counseling is Located in Lake Oswego in the Lake Grove area. The address is 16325 Boones Ferry Rd. Suite 209, Lake Oswego OR, 97035

What are your hours?

Our Hours are Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm

How many sessions will I need to attend?

​The number of sessions needed varies and will be discussed with you by your therapist as part of your initial appointment. Most couples can expect a full course of therapy to last about 12 sessions. Individuals can usually expect to meet between 10-12 meetings.

How much do the sessions cost?

The initial 90-minute session cost is $220 and ongoing 60-minute sessions cost $180.

Do you take insurance?

We do not directly accept insurance. Most insurance companies will not reimburse for couples counseling as they don’t consider it a “medical necessity.” Individuals with “out of network” benefits for counseling are welcomed to submit a statement that Douglas Counseling can provide to be reimbursed for a portion of the therapy costs.

What’s the best way to schedule an appointment?

The best way to schedule a session is to call the Douglas Counseling office directly at (503) 388-6611. You can schedule a session or set up a free consultation with one of our therapists.

Do you provide virtual appointments?

Yes, Douglas Counseling provides virtual/online therapy appointments to all residents in Clackamas County and the entire state of Oregon. We use a secure telehealth platform for our online sessions.

About Clackamas County, OR

Clackamas County is a county in Oregon that is part of the greater Portland Metropolitan area. The county spans 1,879 square miles and is positioned to the south and east of Portland. The county is Oregon’s third most populous county, and the population of Clackamas County is 421,401 (according to the 2020 Census).

Clackamas County attracts tons of young couples and families due to the strong performance of local public schools and the endless outdoor opportunities at your fingertips. These couples are facing many of the same issues that come with long-term relationships like building a career, raising a family, finding time for your partner, and engaging in hobbies and interests.  

Popular towns in Clackamas County include: Portland, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Molalla, Oregon City, West Linn, Tualatin, Wilsonville, Canby, Estacada, Gladstone, and Happy Valley.

Important landmarks include Mount Hood, Willamette Falls, Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon City (the end of the famous Oregon Trail), Government Camp, and Timberline Lodge.

The Douglas Counseling Office is located in Clackamas County in the town of Lake Oswego.

Related Blogs:

• Can Shame be Healthy? The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
• You Can’t Get What You Don’t Ask For