Portland Therapy Center
Courtney Watson

Courtney Watson (She/Her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MA, LPC-S (OR) , LPCC-S (CA), LMHC-S (WA)

Supervisor and therapist in OR, WA, & CA. Providing connection, skills, and a safe space to question.

Client Status

accepting clients

Contact

503-453-4807

Email Website Schedule Now

At a Glance

Me

Rate: $100-$150

Provides free initial consultation

Practicing Since: 2020

Languages: English

Services

  • Individual
  • Teen

Insurances Accepted

  • Out of Pocket
  • Out of Network

My Ideal Client

You’ve spent a lot of time adjusting - managing how much you show or how you come across. Maybe you’ve gotten good at seeming "fine" while feeling completely overwhelmed. You're craving a place to lay everything down and be met as your full, unfiltered self. You shouldn't have to shrink yourself to feel accepted. You deserve support that sees you without asking you to work for it. Therapy can be a place to unmask gently, reconnect with your own needs, and begin to feel at home in yourself.

My Approach to Helping

In sessions, the space is warm, direct, curious, playful, and not overly structured. What matters most is creating an environment where you feel safe enough to explore honestly — to laugh, get frustrated, notice patterns, and discover new parts of yourself. This work values co-exploration and genuine human connection over anything scripted. Attention is often drawn to the emotional current running beneath our conversations — the subtle shifts that matter, the parts of you asking for care, and the patterns that quietly shape your experience. Together, we make sense of these layers in ways that feel empowering rather than overwhelming, helping insight land in the body rather than stay abstract. I’m primarily a Relational therapist who blends Internal Family Systems (IFS), AEDP, emotion-focused approaches, narrative therapy, compassion-focused work, and trauma-informed care into my practice.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

I’m a queer, neurodivergent therapist (ADHD) who was raised in the Pacific Northwest and is ex-Mormon. My experiences with identity exploration, deconstruction, and learning to live outside of systems that didn’t fully fit me deeply shape how I approach therapy. Although I fit many classic signs of childhood hyperactivity, I wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until 30. Like many others, I slipped through systems that weren’t designed to see the full picture — an experience that informs how I listen for what hasn’t yet been named. I especially enjoy supporting late-diagnosed or questioning clients as they put the puzzle pieces together and develop a more affirming understanding of themselves. Sometimes my cat, Jynx, makes an appearance and spends the session snoozing on my shoulder. Outside of work, life looks much like that of many late-diagnosed ADHD folks — cycling through new hobbies, falling into information rabbit holes, and easing into mornings with coffee and cartoons.

Techniques I Use

Specialties

  • Relational  External link

    How we relate to others often reflects how we relate to ourselves. In relational therapy, the connection we build becomes part of the healing — offering a space where you can feel seen, supported, and safely explore new ways of being.

  • Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) External link

    Some emotions ask to be witnessed before they can soften. In AEDP, we stay close to what’s real - with care, slowness, and connection - so what once felt unbearable becomes something you can hold with more ease.

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) External link

    We all have different parts — some protective, some overwhelmed, some still hurting. IFS helps you get to know these parts with curiosity rather than judgment, so you can understand their roles and reconnect with a more centered, compassionate self.

Issues I Treat

Specialties

  • ADHD External link

    In therapy, we approach ADHD as a difference in how your brain processes information, emotion, and stimulation. By understanding the parts of you that have learned to compensate, push harder, or mask, we create space for strategies that align with your strengths and support your capacity to function with less shame and more ease.

  • Loss or Grief External link

    Grief counseling with me is slow, tender, and respectful of your pace. You won't be asked to move on before you're ready. You won’t be handed hollow platitudes or pressured to find meaning before you're ready to. Instead, you’ll find a space that honors your grief, your values, and the full impact of your loss. We’ll explore the emotional, relational, and physical ways grief moves through you, while nurturing the possibility of connection, purpose, and living more fully when you’re ready.

  • LGBTQ Issues External link

    I offer LGBTQ+ affirming therapy that centers safety, curiosity, and genuine connection. My work is grounded in a relational and integrative approach, attending to how identity, relationships, and lived experience shape emotional life. Therapy is a space to explore identity, belonging, relationships, and the impact of navigating this often invalidating world without pressure to explain, defend, or perform.

Contact Courtney

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