About Our Practice

LeLinda moved to the Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro area of Oregon in late February of 2010. Having lived in Anchorage, Alaska for the last 16 years, and having worked in mental health for the last 19 years; LeLinda is continuing her nearly two decade long commitment to effective counseling and therapy here, in the beautiful Willamette Valley.

LeLinda’s main focus is on an empirically supported treatment called cognitive behavior therapy. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) focuses on patterns of thinking that are maladaptive and also looks at the beliefs that underlie such thinking. Put in laymens terms, cognitive behavior therapy allows for a slowing down of thoughts and reexamining the information that we may or may not realize we reinforce due to the things we believe. The next step in the process is to look for evidence on both side of these thoughts to see “how much truth there really is in each thought.” Then the action of making a conscious cognitive shift to teach ourselves healthier, more positive and productive statements is employed. Cognitive behavior therapy also affords us the opportunity to examine our behaviors and see how those, along with our distorted thoughts, perpetuate our discomfort.  There are other parts and pieces to the CBT model which you will learn in sessions, for example, learning about hot thoughts and thought records. LeLinda also utilizes skills brought in from years of practice as a massage therapist including relaxation, meditation, and mindfulness.

LeLinda has also trained with pioneer and trauma expert Dr. Bessel van der Kolk in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and received additional training in the Attachment, Self-regulation, and Competency (ARC) model with Dr. Joseph Spinazzola, the Executive Director of Dr. van der Kolk’s center. Other training involving children was completed with Dr. Rise VanFleet in Filial and Play Therapy. LeLinda has also had training and utilizes skills in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), sex-offender assessment and treatment, hypnosis, ADD and ADHD, family therapy, couples counseling, and positive psychology. LeLinda holds a Wilderness First Responder Certification (WFR) and is Certified Massage Therapist (CMT).

Her cultural diversity is rich and she studies, utilizes, and has a love and appreciation of Eastern philosophies and Native American cultures. She explored Native American culture in her extensive travels throughout the Southwest, and while living in Alaska, spent many years participating and working within, the Alaska Native culture, with youth, adults, and families.  She has followed the Buddhist path since 1998.

In therapy, LeLinda addresses your individual situation with compassion, empathy, and genuine positive regard for you, and your own pace and place within this process. LeLinda never does any less than her level best in any given situation or circumstance. Clients have told LeLinda that she is “easy to talk to and be with because she is so accepting of whatever I bring to the session” and that they feel “very comfortable sharing even the scariest of things.” Because of her relaxed and engaging style, LeLinda is able to build rapport quickly with her clients.

LeLinda is very fond of the outdoors and identifies with the healing properties found in nature. If you choose to be outside of the confines of an “office” environment, as some people do, she is more than willing to walk or sit outdoors with you in the beautiful and serene park, adjacent to her office.

LeLinda is currently working towards being a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Oregon, and is being supervised by Vickie Johnson, LCSW #3304. LeLinda is a member of, and her services are, continually verified by Psychology Today. She is also a member of the American Counseling Association and the American Mental Health Alliance.