Eric Goodwin

Anxiety, self-doubt, shame, or uncertainty about your own worth can leave you feeling unsettled and unsure whether you can trust your gut. It is difficult to feel at ease with a choice when part of you is still wondering what you missed, or to feel secure in yourself when your mind is quick to find more reasons for doubt. I tend to connect especially well with thoughtful, creative people who spend a lot of time in their heads and want more relief from overthinking, self-criticism, and want more self-trust and the ability to be present during meaningful experiences in their lives.

Creativity and humor have been important parts of my life, and they shape the way I practice therapy. I've long been curious about how we make sense of the world, what gives an experience meaning, and what can make a reaction understandable from different vantage points. That curiosity eventually led me from the creative arts into psychotherapy.

That interest become more focused through my studies in psychology and mental health counseling, including research on LGBTQ+ mental health and homophobia-related trauma. Later, working in student services at Oregon College of Art and Craft gave me another perspective on how identity, creativity, community, and mental health intersect in peoples' lives. I opened my private practice in 2017 and have continued weaving those threads into counseling ever since.

Over time, I've noticed that our experiences are much richer and more layered than any neat explanation can offer, and that there are many ways of coming to understand ourselves. In my practice, I make room for contradictions, uncertainty, humor, imagination, absurdity, and parts of ourselves that have been judged. Drawing from IFS Therapy and mindfulness-based psychotherapy, I want us to give difficult experiences the care and attention they deserve while still inviting in humor and all the different shades of being human.

I'm openly Queer, and that part of my life is present in sessions with me. I know from personal and professional experience how not having to explain every piece of context before you can get to what actually matters can help lower some of the stress of beginning therapy. Shared identify never tells me someone else's story, but being in community can offer a meaningful sense of connection when we're exploring experiences related to LGBTQIA+ life.