David

Hey there, I’m David. I’m a white, trans/nonbinary, and neurodivergent (ADHD) therapist. I currently live in an able body that is of a privileged size. I’m keenly aware that my identities shape how I experience and move through the world, and it is my responsibility to do my own personal work so that our time together can be purely about you. I will also do my best to proactively name moments where our shared or differing identities may impact our relationship.

I enjoy and have experience working with queer and trans people of all ages, as well as people who experience disability and chronic illness. I have a Master’s in Social Work from Portland State University, and have completed a Level 1 Internal Family Systems training. My therapeutic style is always curious and responsive, and often playful. I care about you deeply, and I will rejoice with you just as readily as I will bear witness, get heated, or grieve with you. Depending on your interests and needs, I’ll likely use some combination of Internal Family Systems Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

I believe that each and every person comes into this world naturally inclined toward connection--with oneself, other beings, and the wider world. Painful or traumatic experiences create spaces within a person where these organic connections are blocked, resulting in things like dissociation, addiction, depression and anxiety, relationship problems, and PTSD.

In therapy, I believe you are your own healer. I am here to help you remember, rediscover, and reinvent those connections with yourself, other beings, and the wider world. This is a non-linear process, and it may look really different for different people. Our relationship is a collaboration, but the only one who gets to decide what it looks like, or whether it’s happening is you.

I firmly believe that any knowledge I may have is not mine alone, but is a direct result of generations of Black, queer, and disabled scholars, writers, and activists. Some of my teachers include Octavia Butler, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha.

In my personal life and community, I love gardening, fermenting foods, playing tabletop role playing games, and riding my bike.

Accessibility: I offer both in-person and virtual services. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I require (and provide) air filtration, ventilation, and KN95/N95 masks for all in-person sessions. In-person therapy rooms are ADA accessible and located on the ground floor. I’m always working to increase accessibility, and I welcome conversation and collaboration on this issue! If you have questions please reach out.