Vegan Therapist in Oregon

Welcome To My Therapy Practice

Specializing in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

Welcome! I work with individuals, couples, families and businesses. I use my understanding of people’s dynamics, emotions and relationship needs to help understand what is problematic in the here and now.
We all have emotional responses to those around us and to our environments. Generally emotion comes in at two levels, a primary level and a secondary level.

Most of us are consciously aware of the secondary level emotion (frustration, anger, annoyance) as we navigate through our daily lives. If we dig deeper and understand what is beneath the secondary emotion we gain access to our most authentic self. As we do that we can learn to share those parts of our experiences and with those who matter in our lives. That is what I endeavor to do with my clients.

Emotionally Focused Therapy

EFT For Couples

Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT) offers a comprehensive theory of adult love and attachment, as well as a process for healing distressed relationships. It recognizes that relationship distress results from a perceived threat to basic adult needs for safety, security, and closeness in intimate relationships.

This experiential/systemic therapy focuses on helping partners restructure the emotional responses that maintain their negative interaction patterns. Through a series of nine steps, the therapist leads the couple away from conflict deadlock into new bonding interactions. EFT is now one of the best delineated and empirically-validated approaches in the field of couple therapy.

Goals of EFT

To expand and re-organize key emotional responses.
To create a shift in partners’ interactional positions.
To foster the creation of a secure bond between partners.

Strengths of EFT

As an EFT therapist I am a process consultant. I am available to show a couple the choices they make implicitly. I help them see the binds they put their partner in which are the result of their perfectly understandable ways of dealing with their emotions.

As an experiential therapist, I show couples the process of choice. I help them uncover the choice they make and I help them open up, by creating more safety, to more choices.

I don’t save marriages, rather I try to show people how to process emotions and send signals in ways that open up their options and their moves in the dance. As an EFT therapist I am committed to what works for people and what leaves them whole. (adapted from Sue Johnson)

ICEEFT Certification

I am also an ICEEFT Certified EFT Therapist.

To become an ICEEFT Certified EFT Therapist, candidates must meet various pre-requisites and complete several EFT training and supervision requirements including an intensive 4-day basic EFT Externship, Advanced training course(s), consultation / supervision by a Certified EFT Supervisor and review by a Certified EFT Trainer at ICEEFT of 2 different video excerpts demonstrating the therapist’s grasp of the model. Click the ICEEFT logo to find out more.

About Jean Shirkoff

I graduated from Portland State University in 1987 with a Masters degree in Social Work (MSW). I was licensed in 1989 and received my ACSW in that year as well. Having completed an internship at an agency, I was subsequently hired and worked for several years seeing individuals, couples and families. While at the agency, I trained as a supervisor so I could supervise interns and clinicians working toward licensure. In 1993, I went into Private Practice and added Business Coaching.

I have always been influenced by an experiential and systems approach to my work with a focus on attachment needs. Whether I am working with an Individual, Couple, Family or Executive, I believe that we are moving from an information age to a relationship age. No matter what the context, we all must focus on our relationships. Learning how to regulate our emotions and how to respond to those around us is the crux of success.

I live in Portland with my husband and four dogs.

Supervision

I offer supervision in Emotionally Focused Therapy. The International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy offers certification in EFT and I am both a Certified EFT Therapist and Supervisor (see www.iceeft.com). Anyone interested in becoming Certified as a Therapist or Supervisor can contract with me to fulfill the required supervision/consultant hours. I very much enjoy working with clinicians who are learning EFT. It can be challenging to become proficient at EFT and finding a supervisor/consultant who can provide a solid understanding of the model, while fostering a validating and empathic experience for the supervisee is the heart of my goal.

If you are interested in supervision please feel free to contact me to discuss your needs further.

Services, Fees And Forms

My fee is $150 per hour. I usually see individuals and couples for one hour appointments weekly. Most couples I see for a minimum of 20 sessions.
I charge $150/hour for supervision/consultation but I do have a few sliding fee spots.

Business coaching is done on a one year contract either weekly or bi-weekly and my fee ranges from $300-500 per hour depending on the complexity of the situation. A one year contract is necessary for accountability since often the habits we are trying to change require focus, commitment and time.

Most of my clients pay each session through an app called IvyPay. If you pay at the time of the session, a super bill will be sent to you each month. I will bill insurance for a client, although my fee is the responsibility of the client. I accept Medicare.

I ask for 48 hour notice for cancellation so that I can fill the session, but if a client is ill then generally if we can reschedule in the same week there is no charge for the missed appointment.

I do save a few slots for clients who need a sliding scale fee. Please let me know if this is your need so we can work together to try to come up with something that works for both of us.

Psychotherapy

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