Portland Therapy Center
Su Yim, MSW, LCSW

Su Yim, MSW, LCSW (she/her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Chances are, other people in your life have already given you a lot of advice. "Do this, don't do that." It's not always that simple. As humans, we all struggle at some point. I love helping people develop a deep sense of confidence in who they are as they learn to handle what's holding them back.

Client Status

not accepting clients

Contact

503-313-4220

1020 SW Taylor

Suite 448

Portland, OR 97205

516 SE Morrison

Portland, Oregon 97214

Email Website

At a Glance

Me

Rate: $150-$180

Provides free initial consultation

Provides telehealth services

Practicing Since: 2010

Languages: English

Services

  • Individual

Insurances Accepted

  • Out of Pocket
  • Out of Network
  • Lyra
  • MODA
  • PacificSource

When we meet, we will focus on your desires, worries, hopes, and fears. I will offer guidance, patience, and compassion as we focus on what makes sense for you. I am experienced in working with people going through grief and loss, relationship struggles, depression, anxiety, substance use, and trauma. Using evidence-based therapy tailored for you, you can learn to manage emotions, improve your loving relationships, make decisions that fit your values, and understand the roots of your actions. As a therapist experienced in brief and long-term therapy, I will help guide our work around what you need. Part of our time may be spent on acknowledging how the past influences you today, but I also believe the purpose of therapy is to move you forward. I balance compassion, comfort, and patience with a shared understanding that progress is important.

I am a licensed clinical social worker with a master's degree in social work from Portland State University and a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University. My experience includes work in community mental health clinics, local hospitals, crisis lines, and with university students. I have post-graduate training in EMDR, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and trauma-informed care. I also have completed the required hours to become a certified alcohol and drug counselor. In working with you, my goal will be to listen not just to your story but to the themes and patterns of your life. I do not believe that you are broken, or that I have "the fix." I work from a strengths-based perspective, which means I believe that we all have inherent value and capabilities. I embrace our partnership as an opportunity for us to understand what's keeping you stuck, and how to move toward changing it.

Techniques I Use

Specialties

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) External link

    I have completed multiple trainings in IFS, including Level 1 through the IFS Institute. To me, IFS is a non-pathologizing, openhearted approach to the complexity inside of each of us. Rather than assuming we are monoliths, IFS embraces all of our parts, whether they are ambivalent, in conflict, or rooted in the past in a tender, empowering, compassionate way.

  • Attachment Theory External link

    Attachment theory is all about love and safety. How we experience that from an early age influences the coping skills we develop for all of our relationships, especially during times of conflict and struggle. I love that we can change how we feel about ourselves, our relationships and the world at large through the context of new, safe, reparative experiences.

Issues I Treat

Specialties

  • Relationship / Marriage Issues External link

    As humans, we are wired to connect. When our connections confuse or hurt us, we suffer. But it doesn't have to end there. By learning our individual and relationship patterns, we can turn our hurt into a chance for even deeper, more resilient relationships. Through emotion-focused therapy, we can learn to change the dynamics between us without assigning blame or stonewalling.

  • PTSD External link

    Surviving trauma is one thing; living the life you deserve after trauma is another. It takes a compassionate, centered, experienced clinician to guide you through that tough terrain. I help trauma survivors understand the past and develop coping skills to live life on today's terms.

  • Anxiety External link

    Anxiety is misery. Whether it's pervasive or situation-specific, anxiety sucks the spark from life. In my work with people with anxiety, I use cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and acceptance and commitment therapy to build skills and awareness around their triggers and symptoms. Because life doesn't have to feel this way.

  • Depression External link

    People who have depression are some of the hardest-working people around; seemingly simple acts require huge effort. Using CBT, mindfulness, and interpersonal process, I have helped people lighten the burden of depression related to grief, addiction, chemical imbalances, life circumstances and more.

Contact Su

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