Offering Counseling Services in Person and via Secure Video

During the pandemic and for the near future, many people will prefer to receive mental health counseling services via secure video. I am offering secure video counseling throughout the state of Oregon. However, I am also fortunate to have the physical space in my office to allow for in-person appointments that stay in compliance with physical and social distancing regulations. 

In addition, I am actively supporting people in coping with the huge changes that have come about due to the pandemic. Make no mistake, the year 2020 was extremely difficult for most of us. If you feel that this is an ideal time to get some support in taking a look at your life and what you want going forward, I'd be happy to schedule a time to meet with you. Helping people adjust to major and/or dramatic changes in life is one of my specialty areas. 

You can engage in an empowering counseling relationship without having to endure the frustrating waiting period--I am usually able to see clients within one week of the initial contact. Learn practical tools for coping with Depression, Trauma, Anger, Grief, Guilt, and Anxiety, and/or other relevant issues as they emerge. I offer affordable, sliding scale therapy in downtown Eugene.

If you have endured an emotional, physical, or sexual trauma, you can find more information about coping with trauma on this page. I work with many trauma survivors and would be glad to support you in your journey in coping with and overcoming the trauma you've endured. 

I'm so glad you chose to visit my site. This website provides tools and resources to help you with a wide variety of mental health issues and life challenges. Furthermore, I will elaborate on how I can be a helpful resource to you or your business via counseling or consulting.

To get a better sense of me, feel free to check out this 3 minute YouTube video in which I share my thoughts on the counseling experience and how I see myself as a helping professional.

No doubt you are looking for someone who has the expertise and wisdom to help you. A great therapist has the compassion, empathy, and skills to empower you to be the best you can be. If you wish to explore past experiences or old wounds and trauma, I can help you work toward healing. If you wish to stay in the present and focus on the here and now, I will meet you where you are at.  

Practical Therapy Tools That Make a Difference in Your Life!

With over 16 years of experience in the mental health field, I can bring a wealth of practical, usable knowledge to your fingertips. This includes: 
* Practical, evidence-based therapy techniques--including Dialectical-Behavior Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Existential Therapy, and more. 
* More than a decade of empowering individuals and couples in coping successfully with relationship problems, depression, anger, grief and loss, low self-esteem, codependent traits, and more
* Over a decade of experience supporting trauma survivors
* The insight and knowledge that partnering with you and empowering you--rather than telling you what you should do--is the best way to help you work toward your goals and overcome your challenges
* Several years of experience working as a community-based mental health therapist, including work with couples, helping partners develop and sustain a healthier intimate relationship. 
* Direct experience working with people who suffer from serious mental health conditions such as Schizophrenia and Bi-Polar Disorder. For more on Schizophrenia, click here. 
* Many years of working as a college instructor, as well as working with college students trying to overcome mental health and/or career obstacles. 
* Supervision of over 50 mental health clinicians, including forty-five that I am currently supervising or have supervised toward professional licensure
* Consultation for your business, to help you and your team work together in a more synergistic way

therapyGene Obersinner, LCSW

Choosing The Right Therapist Is Crucial

You need a therapist you can trust, one with integrity and competence. A therapist who 

  • Helps you bring forth and maximize your strengths and resilience
  • Supports you in facing the major challenges that are confronting you
  • Encourages you to learn from your past while moving toward a brighter future
  • Helps you to clarify your most important personal values and make conscious decisions about living your life in a manner consistent with these values.
  • Empowers you to be the best person you can be
  • Works with you as you focus on setting and attaining specific goals--more on setting goals on this page

Therefore, choosing the right counselor, one that fits who you are, is critical. Choosing a good match can be daunting, given all the therapists out there. Make sure that you:

  • Set up an initial meeting, making it clear that this is a consultation, after which you both can decide on the direction of counseling
  • Be open and honest about your problems. Ask the therapist if he/she feels that they can help you. Do they have an idea of HOW they can help you?
  • After the initial appointment, do some introspection. Think about the connection between you and the counselor you just met. 
  • Did the counselor treat you as an equal partner, one that will work with you to empower you in being your best? 
  • Consider the degree to which you think this counselor listened to you, tried to step into your world and truly understand what you are facing in your life
  • Finally, if it is a good fit, go for it. If not, look for someone else. Finding the right fit is worth your persistence. 

What is Counseling All About? 

So glad you asked! It is so important to have a sense of what the counseling process is about, from your counselor's perspective--believe me when I say that this varies greatly from one practitioner to another! And of course, I will also be very attentive to what you want to get out of the experience. 

For more details on what to expect from the counseling process, check out this page. 

Getting Your Team to Optimize its Potential

Are you a manager or supervisor at your workplace? One of the most challenging aspects of a manager's job is to get everyone working in the same direction, while communicating well and maximizing their potential as a team. I work with agencies and companies in order to help managers and team members accomplish just that. More on this here.  

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