Alana Harris

My Approach to Helping

I believe suffering is an aspect of human nature and everyone has the innate ability to tolerate and grow through difficult times, to find meaning and purpose in life. Sometimes we have to enter the paradox of pain to get relief from the pain itself. I have 8 years of experience in community clinics and have been intensively trained in mindfulness based stress reduction, CBT and DBT evidenced based treatment modalities. Prior to opening my own practice I was a DBT therapist for 3 years. Although I weave DBT skills into my practice, I value process based approaches as well as mindfulness and self-compassion work. My goal is to help plant seeds of self-awareness to propel perspective, introspection, agency and self-fulfillment. Every individual is unique and I tend to tailor client-centered relational and behavioral skill building techniques. With my approach I tend to work best with folks who are motivated and may want to do intentional work.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

Human behavior is a fascinating thing. We hold a lot of truths about ourselves, sometimes opposing truths that coexist. We also have an innate ability to cultivate resiliency and develop new neural circuits in our brain chemistry. We can rewire faulty thinking patterns that for so long have influenced our sense of self and the ways we experience relationships and the world around us. If this feels like a journey you'd like to explore, feel free to reach out. A little about me, I live in SE Portland with my partner and our pup Doc. In my free time I enjoy gardening and throwing a random array of wildflower seeds all over the yard, camping, biking, climbing, skiing and all the outdoor pursuits the PNW has to offer. Music has saved me many of times so you may find me bouncing around to shows and concerts. https://www.inwardcounselingllc.com/