Therapy for Adults in Portland OR + Online Across OR

About Grace Carter

Hi, I'm Grace Carter.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor who works with adults and creatives who have ongoing challenges with trauma, anxiety, self-esteem and relationships.  I strive to help you recognize patterns that aren’t working and encourage you toward healing, strength and transformation.  My goal: to help you get back to your authentic self.

My Journey as a Therapist.

I’m no different from the clients I see. Like everyone else, I'm a human who has made many human mistakes.  I've been through wonderful and difficult experiences.  These experiences have shaped who I am, and how I help clients.

Throughout my younger years as an adult, I struggled with emotional wounds that created real difficulty in my personal and professional life. During that time, I worked with a therapist whose warmth and guidance created a path for healing and peace.  It was one of the most important and profound experiences of my adult life. 

I realized that I wanted to be a part of this journey with others, as a guide.  I feel true awe and gratitude at being entrusted to do this work.  I believe in this process and I have been through it myself. 

There’s no doubt, my life experiences are what led me to become the therapist I am today. 

Helping People Is A Gift to Others and Myself.

Being a therapist is an honor. I love helping people become healthier and more empowered, witnessing them achieve more fulfilling lives. One of the most rewarding experiences as a therapist, is getting to celebrate with my clients as they make progress.  I love it.

I am passionately committed to encouraging you towards healing and transformation.  I wholeheartedly believe that we all have the ability to heal, within us.  We are biologically wired to heal.

I Have Genuine Care for the People I Work With. I Bring a Clarifying and Energizing Presence to Sessions.

I have a natural ability to:

  • inspire hope for getting better.

  • be flexible in discovering what's happening for you.

  • help clients heal their past and manage the present.

  • accept people for who they are - in their current life circumstances.

People who know me often say that I am an empathic listener who can be fully present for people's stories, even if they are difficult.

Sessions Are Focused on You.

Sessions provide you with a space to be understood and heard. From this space you can gain clarity and find your true strengths, resilience and authentic self.

It's very important to me that I provide a non-judgmental space where you can be yourself.  I stay open to any feedback you may have along the way.  There isn't a "one size fits all" approach to therapy. Our sessions will fit your specific needs and concerns.

As a Therapist, I Embrace the Following Philosophies:

  • I believe that you are worthy of love and care.

  • I believe that therapy works when both of us are committed to your healing.

  • I believe that if we continue to keep working, we can be in a completely different space sooner than we think.

  • I believe that loving and accepting ourselves for who we are, scars and all, is one of the most courageous things we can do.

  • I believe that we can stop feeling shame when we share our story with someone who can hear it with empathy and understanding.

My Professional Background.

I spent 20 years as a creative artist in the theatre arts.  I worked as a performer, director and producer.  I still work in this creative medium today.  I often bring the things that I have learned as an artist to my therapeutic work. 

After many years in the arts, I decided to pursue a career as a therapist.  I spent a some years working with youth at a high school, before transitioning to my own private practice.  In private practice, I have worked with adults and adolescents of all ages. 

I Tend to Use the Following Modalities:

Internal Family Systems • Psychodynamic • Somatic Therapy • Interpersonal Neurobiology • Emotionally Focused Therapy

I have many years of training in theatrical movement, that I share with clients as a therapeutic modality as needed or requested. 

Because of my years of experience in movement, I am very tuned in to how emotional and psychological experiences might live in our bodies (which is a “Somatic” approach). 

I work with a supervisor, Tever Nickerson, who shares many of my philosophies and modalities in this work. 

Let’s Discover How I Can Help.

Start feeling like yourself again. Get your free phone consultation where you can share what’s happening for you, and we can explore how I can help. Click the button below to book a consultation. I look forward to meeting you!