by Sharon Hale | Sep 11, 2025 | Therapist Diaries
Real-life lessons from two people who should probably know better (and sometimes do) Scene: A Saturday morning. Three kids, one event to get to, and a car ride across the SW Portland suburbs. It had been one of “those” weeks. You know, the kind full of logistics and...
by Sharon Hale | Jul 10, 2025 | Uncategorized
A Day in the Life of a Therapist (Spoiler: It’s Not All Candles and Calm Voices) 7:38 AMI spill coffee on my shirt while eating my breakfast of Quaker oatmeal marketed to children. I’m wearing black stretch pants that look like real pants and am trying to find my...
by Sharon Hale | Jul 3, 2025 | Uncategorized
Men: Ready to Communicate Like a Pro? Let’s be real: No one teaches you how to talk about what you’re really feeling. Especially as a guy. Whether you’re trying to have better conversations with your partner, manage conflict at work without losing your cool, or just...
by Sharon Hale | Jul 3, 2025 | Uncategorized
Feeling Overwhelmed as a New Mom? You’re Not Alone. Hey Mama! You’ve just brought a whole human into the world. You’re figuring out feeding, sleeping (or the lack thereof), and how to get through the day (bonus points for a shower). If motherhood feels a little (or a...
by Sharon Hale | Jul 2, 2025 | Uncategorized
Finding Belonging When You’ve Always Felt Like the “Other” Some of us learned early on that we weren’t quite the right shape for the spaces we landed in. Maybe you were “too much,” or “too sensitive,” or “too weird,” or “not enough” of something else – too...
by Sharon Hale | Jun 27, 2025 | Uncategorized
What Makes a Great Marriage Counselor? (And How to Know If You’ve Found One) Let’s be real: Googling “best marriage counselor in Portland” is kind of like asking the internet which avocado is the ripest. It might get you closer, but you still have to do some squeezing...
by Sharon Hale | Jun 27, 2025 | Uncategorized
Overwhelmed Trying to Use CareOregon for Therapy? Start Here. If you’ve ever tried to find a therapist using CareOregon (or Oregon Health Plan in general), you probably know it can feel like trying to read a map upside down in a rainstorm – confusing,...
by Sharon Hale | Jun 25, 2025 | Uncategorized
Therapy That Meets You Where You Are Imagine this: you’re hiking through Forest Park, doing your best to follow the trail, when suddenly the path disappears under a pile of branches. You pause. Look around. Wonder if you missed a sign. Do you backtrack? Push through?...
by Sharon Hale | Jun 13, 2025 | Blog
The “Second Arrow” of Self-Suffering: Breaking Free from Self-Inflicted Suffering Have you ever stubbed your toe, let out a colorful string of words, and then felt embarrassed or guilty about your reaction later? Congrats, you’ve met your own...
by Sharon Hale | Jun 12, 2025 | Uncategorized
Unlocking Feelings Through Fun: How Play Therapy Works Ever peeked into a room at our office and wondered, “Is this therapy or playtime?” Well, guess what? It’s both! Welcome to the colorful, cozy world of play therapy – where toys talk,...
