Portland Therapy Center
Laura Birchard

Laura Birchard (she/ her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MA, LPC, CADCI

Trauma-informed therapy for teens and adults—guided by dreams, emotions, and symptoms—to foster healing, self-awareness, and growth.

Client Status

accepting clients

Contact

503-953-5012

1318 NW 20th Ave.

Portland , 97209

Email Website

At a Glance

Me

Rate: $120-$150

Provides free initial consultation

Practicing Since: 2022

Languages: English

Services

  • Individual
  • Child
  • Teen

Insurances Accepted

  • Out of Network
  • Cigna
  • Optum
  • Providence Health Plan
  • Regence Blue Cross/Blue Shield

My Ideal Client

My clients are ready to uncover what feels authentic and whole—they can no longer put off “the only way out is through.” I help them make meaning of their inner world and expand their capacity to access it as a guide in their relationship with self and others. Using imaginal, relational, and depth-oriented practices, I support clients in building resilience and navigating overwhelming experiences with greater self-awareness and inner strength.

My Background

Laura Birchard, LPC is a depth-oriented psychotherapist in private practice, serving individuals in Portland, Oregon. She specializes in therapy for teens and adults, offering an insight-driven and transformative process. Depth psychotherapy creates space to engage with the living mystery—the edge between what is known and unknown. Through dreams, images, creative expression, and relationship dynamics, Laura helps clients reconnect with their inner depths and move toward greater self-integration. Laura has extensive clinical experience in outpatient, residential, and emergency psychiatric settings, working with individuals and families. She has specialized training in depth-oriented, psychodynamic, Sandplay, and experiential therapy. Her work is guided by the language of the unconscious—symptoms, symbols, and creative processes—inviting clients into a deeper dialogue with themselves.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

One of the paradoxes of therapy is that it is both deeply personal and highly professional. My practice is grounded in depth and analytical psychology (Jungian), trauma-informed care—including somatic therapies—feminist theory, and psychodynamic approaches. I also have additional training in assessment and DBT. I am committed to being an ally and anti-racist. Jungian analyst Marion Woodman wrote, “mystery is the depth of the sacred.” The sacred is not bound to any specific religion—it is woven into the very fabric of our being, connecting us to the earth, the stars, and one another. At times, this connection may feel fractured or lost, leaving us unmoored. Therapy offers a space to rediscover hope and deepen self-awareness. Beyond my practice, I find inspiration wandering forest trails, volunteering in my community, and immersing myself in yoga, meditation, and creative practices. Reading and creative expression are integral to my own ongoing inner work.

Techniques I Use

Specialties

  • Depth Therapy External link

    I provide trauma informed therapy that welcomes dreams, images, emotions, experiences, symptoms guide our work and shape a treatment only for you, making changes at a deeper level. With training in psychodynamic and analytic (Jungian) psychotherapeutic practices, I am highly skilled at making the focus of our work contacting and amplifying your unique process of embodied psyche (soul making) ; supporting meaning making in relationship to self and others (and the Self). Let's talk today.

  • Experiential External link

    Experiential therapy is an active, process-oriented approach that goes beyond talk therapy. It uses creative, somatic, and interactive techniques—such as Sandplay, role-play, art, and guided imagery—to access deeper emotions and unconscious patterns. This approach is especially effective for treating burnout, helping clients release stress, reconnect with themselves, and restore a sense of vitality and balance.

  • Addiction Therapy External link

    Addiction often reflects deeper emotional, psychological, or spiritual wounds. From a depth psychotherapy perspective, healing involves exploring unconscious patterns and causes. Integrating Internal Family Systems (IFS), we work with parts of the self to heal the fragmentation behind addictive behaviors. Through dreams, symbols, and the emotional body, we can reconnect with your true self and build healthier, more meaningful ways of coping.

  • Sand Tray External link

    Adults and teens can benefit from Sandplay therapy as it provides a nonverbal, embodied, creative way to access and process unconscious material. Like dreaming, Sandplay allows emotions, traumas, and experiences to emerge through the symbolic language of sand and figures. It creates a safe space to explore inner conflicts, heal unresolved wounds, overcome shame, and foster self-discovery, integration, and transformation.

  • Psychodynamic  External link

    Psychodynamic psychotherapy explores how unconscious patterns and early relationships shape our emotions and interactions. We move through life with many internal layers, influenced by early attachments and unconscious dynamics. This work isn’t stuffy—it’s highly relational. By integrating object relations theory, we help you experience something new in therapy—a different way of relating and being. Come try on the authentic you as we address challenges, heal wounds, and foster growth.

Issues I Treat

Specialties

  • Personal Growth External link

    "The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are." – Joseph Campbell. Individuation—the process of unfolding into your true, unique self—is at the heart of my practice, informed by specialized training in depth psychology. This journey of personal growth can be overwhelming and isolating, yet it also holds moments of profound meaning and sacredness. You don’t have to navigate this deeply personal process alone; I’m here to support you throughout your journey.

  • Anxiety External link

    Anxiety is rarely just one thing—it feels like everything. It may start with racing thoughts or physical symptoms like a pounding heart or a tight chest. Anxiety can be profoundly unraveling, striking at the core and spiraling through layers of biology and spirit. Though deeply disruptive, it can also serve as a compass, pointing toward what needs attention and care. Reach out today for a free consultation.

  • Loss or Grief External link

    Grief is not meant to be carried alone. I am here to walk alongside you on your journey through loss. As a Dougy Center volunteer, I gained firsthand experience with the multidimensional nature of grief, deepening my understanding of this process. Since then, I’ve received additional training in supporting individuals through grief with a depth psychological lens. Grief takes many forms— death, miscarriage, divorce, loss of identity, job loss.

  • Depression External link

    Depression is more than the absence of joy—it can feel like being cut off from the inner source of life and spark. It may show up as heaviness, numbness, or disconnection from yourself and the world. From a depth psychological perspective, depression is not just a symptom to eliminate but a summons from the soul. By working with dreams, symbols, and the unconscious, we can explore the deeper meaning beneath the suffering, fostering renewal and a more authentic connection with yourself.

  • PTSD External link

    Trauma leaves an imprint on both body and soul, often fragmenting our sense of self. To survive, we develop coping strategies that can later become traumatic themselves. From a depth psychological perspective, healing is not just about symptom relief—it’s about reclaiming lost parts of yourself. Through dreams, symbols, and nonverbal interventions like Sandplay, somatic work, and creative expression, we engage the unconscious as a guide, fostering integration, resilience, and renewed wholeness.

Contact Laura

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