Our counselors are here to help you make the changes you want and need to make. . .

Gwen Welch LCSW

If you are experiencing any of these challenges, Gwen can help:

• Are you repeating the same old things that don’t work, getting no where?

• Have a vague sense that something feels wrong in your life but you can’t put your finger on it?

• Do you play it safe instead of really going for what you want?

• Are you new to therapy and scared to try it out?

If so you can rely on Gwen and her 30 years of experience to help you find a better way.

Here’s what Gwen has to say:

   “People turn to me for help or guidance because I provide a safe and relaxing atmosphere. You can explore things you feel uncertain about, and take risks in trying out new or more honest ways of relating.  My clients tell me that I am very easy to open up to, even those who feel unsure that they would have enough to say or how not know how to express themselves.  My clients have told me they appreciate my directness and my sense of knowing when and how much direct feedback they can handle.”

    “I work best with clients who want results.  They've noticed that they are repeating particular patterns in their lives which give them the same disappointing results.  Clients who want better relationships and a more satisfying lifestyle seem to make the most progress.”

  “I work well with teens or adults who are dealing with a life crisis or upcoming change.   In my 30 years of professional experience, I’ve helped blended families and couples experiencing marital problems make peace.  I’ve helped 1000s of clients who want to improve their relationship and communicate without bickering.”

 “I’m a specialist with clients experiencing issues in their relationship with food.”

    “New clients sometimes fear coming to therapy because they are concerned that they will be judged. You will find me non-judgmental and you will feeI respected for your lifestyle and choices.   I help clients overcome those fears of being judged by encouraging openness in the safe and confidential environment I create.”

 “Clients are often afraid that they won’t be able to express themselves in the right words.  They sometimes fear that the issues that they are struggling with are impossible to change.  And they are mistaken.”

    “I put clients at ease by using non-threatening questions to help clients frame their challenges in a way that I can help them move toward their goals quickly and easily.”

    “When my clients come in for a consultation they tell me they are able to talk about their fears about the past and the future.  Together, we discover how these fears effect their current lives. Then we work around the fears to free them to feel more confident again. 

    "My clients tell me that they start to recognize strengths they had forgotten.  And together we use their strengths to achieve goals that really matter to them.  We find the most effective coping skills that work for you to reduce stress and to help you feel good again. ”

Read more about my training and background.

I’d be happy to do a free phone consultation with you so we can get to know each other. 

To set up an appointment call me at 503-342-2510 or email at Gwen@PortlandRelationshipInstitute.com

I'm looking forward to meeting you.

_____________________________________________________

Jonelle Richards LCSW

"I absolutely love my life counseling work, and am very grateful that I’m doing what I feel I was made to do.   I have tremendous respect for my clients and their willingness and courage to meet the challenges of their lives, and I feel honored that they have chosen me to help guide them in that process. I don’t view my work so much as a “job,” but more as a calling. Frankly, I can’t imagine doing anything else."

Although counseling therapy may sometimes challenge you, the relationship between us should be the easy part. It’s important that I "feel" right to you, that I’m someone with whom you share a warm, positive connection, and that I understand and empathize with you and your challenges. Trying to make the wrong counselor “fit” feels kind of like wearing the wrong-sized clothes. It just feels kind of squirmy and uncomfortable. Though the boundaries and “rules” of a therapist-client relationship are much stricter and more clearly defined than a friendship, our relationship should nevertheless feel friendly and safe to you. If we don’t think I’m the right fit for you, then I will work to help you find a counselor who is.

Although I have extensive experience as a counselor/psychotherapist, I view each new client as a unique individual with his or her own specific personality, perspectives and challenges. That is the "art" of counseling: customizing my experience, knowledge and expertise to help you--as an individual, couple or family--with your specific needs and challenges.

• If I continue to feel stressed and irritable? 
• If I continue to struggle in my relationships?
• If I continue to procrastinate?
• If I continue to let depression, anxiety or grief get the best of me?