Meet Molly
(she, her, hers)
One of Molly’s core beliefs is that trust and openness are the bedrock of a successful therapeutic relationship. Creating a safe and non-judgmental environment is paramount to building and sustaining this relationship. Molly has over 25 years of professional experience in various roles relating to providing service and access to the community, giving her many opportunities to work with those who have experienced trauma, anxiety, depression, OCD, as well as gender exploration. Molly's approach is warm, accepting, empathetic, and authentic. She commits to allyship in creating a uniquely safe space for each of her clients. Molly considers herself to be a collaborator. She enjoys her practice of helping clients foster self-discovery through a strengths-based perspective. She advocates for client goals and provides supplementary support, ensuring all aspects of the therapeutic environment align with client values and goals, while striving for improvement in quality of life.
EXPERIENCE
Molly has been supporting the Deaf community for over 30 years as an educator, interpreter, and community ally. She holds a masters in both clinical social work and D/deaf and hard of hearing education as well as a national certification in ASL/English interpreting. Her 20+ years of teaching students from grades Pre-K to post-secondary school has given her experience in a multitude of settings, including community mental health work. As an interpreter, she has enhanced her communication skills, inter- and cross-cultural competency, and self-advocacy. She continues to expand on these by practicing triage, assessment, diagnosis, and the application of therapeutic interventions such as risk assessment and safety planning.
SPECIALTIES
Molly specializes in narrative therapy, a specialized environment wherein respect is welcomed, and judgement is neutrally observed. The narrative therapy approach utilizes clients' built-in wealth of resources found in their identities, skills, abilities, and experiences to help individuals explore how societal structures have shaped them. Clients learn to build supportive toolkits based on these unique strengths, to help discover their inner truths. Molly also utilizes Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), aspects of Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI) to provide comprehensive and individualized care through a culturally sensitive lens.
EDUCATION
- Masters of Social Work, Clinical Focus, Specialization in Behavioral Health Integration Program, Portland State University
- Masters of Science, Teacher Preparation: Deafness, Western Oregon University
- Bachelor of Arts, Elementary Education, Emphasis: American Sign Language, University of Alaska, Anchorage
- American Sign Language/English Interpreting Program, Western Oregon University
