About Me
Hello! I’m Ashley Parkinson—parent, daughter, sister, spouse, dog (and cat!) lover, and therapist. I use she/her pronouns. I am a white, cisgender, heterosexual, middle-aged, body positive woman. I read a lot and like to write, and I love spending time outdoors hiking, birdwatching, and soaking up the sun (when we have it in Portland).
From a very young age, I have been interested in people, culture, and issues of social and environmental justice. My desire to do good in the world brought me to the field of social work when I was 22 years old, and since that time I have been privileged to work with people across the lifespan and from a wide variety of walks of life. Now, as I settle into “middle age,” I am drawn to supporting my fellow mid-lifers as we (gracefully? sometimes not so much!) navigate the stress and complexity of this unique life stage.
Philosophy and Approach
As a clinical social worker, I practice therapy from a strengths-based perspective, meaning that I work with my clients to understand what strong, natural skills and talents they possess that can be used as launching points to tackle issues causing hardship in their lives. I am an integrative therapist, which means that I personalize therapy to meet the needs of my clients, paying attention to an individual’s affective, behavioral, cognitive, and physiological levels of functioning, cultural and spiritual beliefs, and level of motivation. Some tools for therapy that I use frequently include mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and polyvagal theory. I have deep respect in therapy for clients’ rights and work to build a strong therapeutic alliance. I strive to be a genuine, warm, non-judgmental therapist, committed to creating a safe space for people to share their concerns.
Education and Training
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor-I (CADC-I). I hold a Master of Social Work from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, as well as a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana in Missoula. I received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley.
I have experience working with life transitions, anxiety, depression, addiction, domestic and interpersonal violence, severe and persistent mental illness, trauma, as well as relationship and family dynamics. In addition to my main focus with mid-lifers, I love working with young people in quarter-life transition, as well as college students. I also enjoy working with people who simply want to grow and learn about themselves and who are interested in exploring the big existential questions of life.
Western Meadowlark (photo by Jeffrey Hamilton on Unsplash)
Why meadowlark?
This beautiful bird, the state bird of Oregon, Montana, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming, has a strong, confident and distinctive voice and, unlike other birds, can sing while it flies. For me, the meadowlark has always symbolized joy and the freedom that comes with inner discovery.
Note: all site photos, with the exception of the meadowlark, were taken by A. Berenbak and used with permission. See more of her beautiful stuff at https://aberenbak.tumblr.com/