Trauma Therapy In Portland, Oregon

Services available virtually throughout Oregon & Florida.

Trauma can touch nearly every area of your life: sudden painful memories, racing thoughts or heartbeat, emotional numbness.

It can also be subtler: critical self-assessments. Thoughts like "Why did I overreact? I should know better," or one I hear often, "I didn't have it that bad." These are minimizing thoughts, and they're common after trauma. You learn to mask and contain it, often with shame. Shame leads to disconnection from others and yourself, until it starts to feel normal, and having worth feels like asking for too much.

Trauma therapy starts by addressing this shame. It helps you see that the critical voice isn't actually you. Do you remember the last time you felt rested, relaxed with yourself… safe? You can learn the tools to rebuild that space within yourself.

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Trauma isn't a symptom we are simply trying to extract. It's a fundamental shift in your mind and body's ability to interpret, react to and function within the world. If you're here, you probably know what this means for you.

Trauma therapy addresses things like:

You feel yourself shut down or lash out, even when the situation doesn't seem to warrant it.

Reactions are often followed by intense shame or guilt. Your reactions feel like you, and you feel bad about you.

You often feel disconnected from yourself and others, and have learned that hiding is the best way to function.

You often associate what's happening now with the past: memories, nightmares, emotions.

You've made it this far, but you yearn to feel like you're thriving, not just surviving.

You're looking for more than worksheets or quick tips. You want a deeper knowing of yourself.

Together, we focus on deepening your understanding of yourself, using compassion and sobering truth. We do this at a pace and in a space that feels right to you.

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Trauma Therapy In Portland Oregon Helps You…

  Feel safer in your body.
Feel secure in your inner voice.
Sense a space between your reactions to others and what you want to say.
Stay connected to yourself with less shame, even when challenged by another, or life.

Meet your Portland Trauma Therapist

Hi, I’m Kemper Gottshall, a licensed professional counselor (LPC) helping adults find relief from Trauma, in Portland, Oregon. Family wounds, assault, or feeling like ‘too much’ or ‘not enough,’ you deserve a place to explore your pain.

I’ve dedicated my life’s work to helping others feeling stuck in cycles of reactivity, shame and the confusion of what to do next.

I didn’t find this work by accident: I know what it’s like to carry the weight of pain and shame, to second-guess your own experience, and to hold it all together until you’ve lost what’s most sacred: your sense of self.

I believe you can feel whole and fully present again. Validated, seen, and valued, most importantly by yourself, and I can help you get there.

More about Kemper

Trauma Therapy in Portland, Oregon

Frequently Asked Questions

Trauma therapy means utilizing trauma-informed and research based methodology. This means the full scope of the effects of trauma are taken into account; body and mind.
This translates into creating a safe, nonjudgemental and trusting space, things that are so easily lost following trauma. We go at your pace, in a way that feels best for you.
The ultimate goal is helping you return to you: your voice, your body, your right to show up into the world fully.
Trauma is marked by persistent and often debilitating symptoms that make day to day functioning excruciating.
You’re felt sense matters here: racing thoughts, intense avoidance, shame, regret or rumination, sudden memories, persistent nightmares, panic attacks.

If you find yourself in ‘survival mode:’: can’t remember the last time you were able to truly relax, feel like a stranger to yourself or alien in your own body, trauma therapy may be right for you.
This is a common response to hearing about trauma. A few things to keep in mind:
- Trauma isn’t just what happens to you, it can also be what doesn’t happen to you.
- Trauma isn’t what happens outside of us, but what happens within us as a reaction.
Trauma defines the way we adapted to create safety and meaning in the world. Your experience matters here, even if you’re used to telling yourself your pain isn’t ‘that big of a deal.’
My rates are:
- $150 for individual sessions
- $200 for Couples/Family Sessions
Insurance participation changes over time. Reach out today to review currently accepted payment options and insurance availability.

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Grief Therapy in Portland, Oregon

Grief Therapy

Grief doesn’t move neatly through five stages and then end.

In grief therapy, we don’t try to make your loss smaller. We look at how you’ve been carrying it: what you’ve held in, what you’ve been afraid to feel, and what still needs to be said.

Men’s Health in Portland, Oregon

Therapy for Men

Many men were taught early that strength means staying quiet. Don’t cry. Handle it. Don’t be a burden. These messages come from a culture shaped by patriarchy, and they carry a real cost.

In therapy, we build emotional language at your pace, without judgment.

Addiction & Recovery Therapy in Portland, Oregon

Addiction Recovery

Addiction rarely exists on its own. It often begins as a way to survive pain that felt too big to face: grief, trauma, or shame. Therapy can help you explore what’s underneath the drinking or using and build a life you don’t need to escape from.