Shelby Tuthill (she/her)

My Approach to Helping

My PhD background gives me a strong background in research-supported forms of treatment, which I integrate with collaborative, client-centered care that is tailored to your specific needs. I use an integrative approach, drawing from evidence-based orientations such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Interpersonal Process Therapy. Underlying all my work is the belief that individuals are best understood in context: the relationships, institutions, and broader sociopolitical systems in which they exist. Thus, my approach also centers a framework that openly and explicitly acknowledges power, oppression, and privilege. All of these factors are woven together in therapy to create a treatment plan and approach that works for you - your specific goals, needs, preferences, identities, and material realities.

More About the People I Treat

I am especially interested in working with members of the LGBTQ+ community, a community with which I identify. I have been out for almost ten years and strongly value supporting other community members in their journey. The focus of my doctoral dissertation, an area of passion for me, was on contributors and barriers to connection and sense of community among LGBTQ+ young adults. Another aspect of my work outside of individual and couples therapy is psychodiagnostic assessment. This is a process by which clients seek clarity about their mental health concerns. These evaluations may focus more on clarifying the nature of mood-related or interpersonal concerns, or may involve more specific testing for diagnoses such as ADHD. I offer in-person services on Wednesdays in Lake Oswego or telehealth services on other days of the week.