It is that time of year when we take the opportunity to pause and reflect on where our efforts have gone. We’ve seen things we’ve worked on for years come to fruition and we’ve also started some new endeavors. It’s been an exciting and rewarding year. None of that would have been possible without the support of so many friends and colleagues and, of course, our clients that we are here to serve. We wanted to take time to express our gratitude for the support and encouragement we have received from so many this past year and to share what some of that has led to.   Meeting the diverse ..read more

Shame is all too common among people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Almost every person who I have worked with has expressed feeling ashamed and embarrassed about the content of their intrusive thoughts or the nature of the compulsions they engage in to combat them. This has been true for my clients whether they have been struggling with obsessions about contamination, self-harm, relationships, or something else. A common question I hear is “Why can’t I do X, Y, or Z like a ‘normal person’?” Along with such questions usually comes a barrage of self-critical thoughts like, “I’m such ..read more

As interest grows among both clinicians and the public, psychedelic knowledge and reduced stigma within the psychology field will be critical to ensuring these treatments are implemented ethically, safely, and accessibly. Outreach, education, and interdisciplinary collaboration remain key priorities moving forward.  A recent survey-study led by researchers at Portland Psychotherapy provides intriguing insights into psychologists’ attitudes toward the emerging use of psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA in psychotherapy. The study, published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, found p ..read more

Psychedelic HRIT is an emerging clinical area that requires careful consideration of risks associated with this type of therapy. Although it can be a powerful tool for mental health treatment, clinicians must be aware of the potential for licensing board sanctions, criminal prosecution, malpractice litigation, and professional reputation damage. Psychedelic therapy has gained increasing attention as a potential treatment for a range of mental health conditions, from depression to PTSD. Along with this comes the need for harm reduction and integration therapy (HRIT) to help individuals naviga ..read more

The findings suggest some behaviors that may partially explain why highly self-critical people often experience poorer quality relationships and social isolation. Out of a desire to avoid rejection, self-critical individuals may mute their emotional expressions and conceal thoughts and feelings. Unfortunately, this emotional guardedness can distance others and undermine relationship intimacy and closeness.  A team of researchers from Portland Psychotherapy recently published an intriguing study that sheds light on how self-criticism can damage social relationships. Self-criticism, defin ..read more

Psychedelic-assisted therapy has been gaining attention in recent years, with promising early results in clinical trials. However, negative attitudes toward psychedelics remain a potential impediment to the dissemination of these therapies. A recent study involving researchers from Portland Psychotherapy and funded by their social enterprise business model aimed to investigate the attitudes of psychologists, a key group of healthcare providers, toward psychedelics.   The study found that psychologists’ attitudes toward psychedelics were associated with a range of demographic, location, an ..read more

Stigma creates significant barriers to accessing addiction treatment within the criminal legal system. New research led by Dr. Kelly Moore, and including Portland Psychotherapy’s Jason Luoma, PhD, aims to address this issue by testing a multi-level intervention called CSTARR (Combatting Stigma to Aid Reentry and Recovery). CSTARR involves training for criminal legal system staff to reduce stigmatizing attitudes and group therapy using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for clients to cope with self-stigma.   The CSTARR staff training focuses on substance use and criminal involve ..read more

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common and debilitating condition that affects approximately 1 in 14 Americans at any given time. It is characterized by intense and constant fear of not being accepted by others and a sense of perpetual anxiety and self-doubt. Many people with SAD never seek treatment, and even those who do often do not receive evidence-based therapies that can result in full recovery. In an effort to address this gap in treatment options, researchers at Portland Psychotherapy are currently conducting a clinical trial of MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) for SAD. Previous rese ..read more

It has been a year of change, both within Portland Psychotherapy and in our broader community. This year has been an opportunity for us to reflect on the larger impact of our actions, both as individuals and as an organization. We are aware that we do not act in isolation and that we could not do the work we are doing without the support of so many others, including you all. We are incredibly grateful for each of you and wanted to share a bit about what your support has helped us do this past year. Expanding our in-person and telehealth services for adults, kids, and couples This has been a ti ..read more

Choosing a self-help book from the vast number of choices can be really difficult. Here are some books that we frequently recommend to clients who are in therapy with us for trauma or PTSD. We hope you find them helpful: Books not specifically about trauma but we’ve found are often relevant to people with trauma: The post Self-help books for trauma or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appeared first on Portland Psychotherapy ..read more