Lodestar Mental Health Services, LLC

My name is Deirdre (pronounced DEER-druh), my pronouns are she/her, and I am a counselor based in Portland, Oregon. Over the course of my life I have spent time as both a client and a counselor, and I have experienced how therapy can benefit people at all life stages, of all backgrounds, confronting a wide variety of challenges.

It has become increasingly evident that counseling can provide vital support to people experiencing marginalization and oppression. Over the past several years this has become my priority and the focus of my work with the LGBTQIA+ community. I have found that when my professional training and experience combines with a therapeutic relationship based on shared lived experiences, the results can be profound.

My approach to counseling is based in relationship. Building a strong therapeutic relationship takes time, but it is important that people I work with feel safe and supported so that we can take risks together and talk about challenging topics that clients may have no other opportunities in their life to discuss. I combine principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) and Existential-Humanistic Therapy into a style that is conversational, but with an eye towards exploring deeper meanings and identifying patterns of thoughts and feelings that are interfering with a client's well-being.

I believe in a holistic approach to mental healthcare which acknowledges and incorporates many aspects of a client's identity including ability, ethnicity, gender, orientation, and spirituality. The intersections of all these facets impact an individual’s mental health, and taking the time to understand these interactions can deepen our understanding of the specific challenge that brings a client to therapy and how best to address it.

I can bill CareOregon and Intercommunity Health Plan OHP as an out-of-network provider, and clients with those plans do not pay any amount out of pocket. For clients with other insurance plans, session fees are collected at the time of the session and I can provide paperwork for clients to submit to their insurance plans for reimbursement.