Licensed Marriage Family Therapist
LMFT
Relationship & individual therapist for adults specializing in non-monogamy, kink/BDSM, relationships, LGBTQIA+ issues, and gender identity.
Client Status
610 SW Alder St
Portland, 97205
Rate: $185-$215
Provides free initial consultation
Practicing Since: 2021
Languages: English
While I work with people of all backgrounds, most of my experience has been working with clients who are navigating LGBTQIA+ issues, gender identity, transgender and nonbinary identity, queer identity, non-monogamy/polyamory, kink/BDSM, sex and sexuality, asexuality, geekiness/nerdiness, religious/spiritual trauma, neurodivergence, autism, relational and family trauma, anxiety, and depression. I work with couples/polycules and individuals who are 18 years and older.
Specialties
I am DBT Trained and integrate aspects of DBT into therapy as appropriate. I find DBT helpful in navigating challenges with emotional distress, emotional dysregulation, interpersonal challenges, and foundational skills that can help create a baseline to engage in life from.
One of the reasons I decided to be a therapist was to work with couples, especially folks who are non-monogamous, knowing that there is not enough support for ENM and polyamorous people. I spent much of my graduate studies along with education afterwards focusing on how to help people develop relationships that work for them.
Specialties
Relationships don't always fit the story our society has taught us to expect. I come from the perspective that relationships work best when they can be defined and agreed upon by the people within them, and I aim to help you explore what that would look like for you.
Gender is a complex and nuanced spectrum of experience. It is different for everyone, and worth examining to understand what your unique gender experience looks like. Exploration of gender identity is for everyone - you don't have to be transgender to explore your gender identity!
Relationships are hard! It is completely normal to have ebbs and flows in our relationships, especially if they are long-term. Just because it's normal to hit rough patches doesn't mean it's easy to navigate. I am here to help you navigate next steps in your relationship, whether that is making conscious and intentional efforts towards staying in your relationship, changing the agreements or structure of your relationship, or even if it means ending the relationship altogether.
Sexuality can be challenging to navigate, especially considering the things we have learned (or that we didn't) about what sexuality means for us as individuals. Our sexuality is linked to so many aspects of our experience. I can help you gently sort through all these layers and understand how the things you learned have impacted you today so that you can engage in your sexuality in a way that feels best for you.
Liz Ward has not posted any group sessions.
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