Shea Lowery LPC

Who I am as a therapist

I believe that healing occurs in the context of relationship. Whether it’s between a parent and child, between partners, or between client and therapist, growth comes from a sense of safety, connection, and feeling understood. When I meet with clients, I feel it’s an honored invitation to experience someone else’s world. I believe every client is the true expert on their life and their needs, and that therapy provides a new context for exploring options and clarifying personal goals and values.

I have spent over six years working with youth and families in various systems (including foster care, juvenile justice, and residential treatment) and treating a variety of complex mental health issues. This work instilled a passion for understanding that we operate within layers of context, and that these contexts have a powerful influence on our sense of self and well-being. It’s important to make the invisible visible and to speak the unspoken!

I also identify as a member of the LGBTQIAA community and I enjoy supporting and working with people in who also share these identities and inhabit these spaces.

Now, down to nuts and bolts: I believe that the bulk of our work will happen in the room during our sessions. I will commit to authenticity and to meet you with full presence. You guide the work and you tell us where we need to go. I may give suggestions of things to ponder or explore outside of our sessions, but your “homework” between meetings is to practice self-care and self-compassion. I look forward to starting our journey together!

What I Love Outside of my Practice

I was born in Montana and spent most of my life in Alaska. I love mountains, forests, rivers, and just being away from civilization via camping, rafting, hiking, backpacking, paddle-boarding, or biking. I do a ton of my own work via ecotherapy with my loved ones in the woods. I also love music, poetry, and creative writing and I’m more than happy to weave these into our work if that feels right!

Clinical Training and Education

I completed my graduate training at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) in 2015 with a Masters in Clinical Psychology. My training emphasized evidence-based practices with particular focus in mindfulness-based approaches. I am also under supervision for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) a comprehensive modality that utilizes current brain science and mindfulness-approaches to help clients work through a variety of issues including traumatic memories, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. I obtained my Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Oregon after moving to Portland in September of 2017.