Margot Standeven
Welcome and congratulations on taking your first step towards resilience!
Being resilient allows you to recover and adapt to difficult experiences. Instead of being overwhelmed, the resilient person is able to manage their strong feelings and impulses and communicate their concerns and needs. Resilience is not a trait that you either have or do not have. It involves behaviors, thoughts, and emotions that can be learned and developed in all of us.
Couples who are resilient are open, attuned, and responsive to each other. They are able to recognize their deepest needs and longings, and risk reaching out to their partner to communicate and connect. Most often, couples who develop an enhanced emotional connection, also experience greater intimacy and sexual satisfaction.
It can be both exciting and overwhelming to seek out therapy.
I believe you will find that I possess a natural way of communicating with people that allows for immediate connection and safety. By being present, genuine, and accepting, I hope to motivate you to take constructive risks to promote self-understanding and encourage a new way of connecting with others.
Couples tend to look for counseling when they feel distressed and stuck in a negative pattern of interaction. Our work together would de-escalate those repetitive arguments that cause injury, and allow for expression of longings in a way that facilitates ongoing connection and trust in the relationship.
Education & Training
I hold a B.Ed from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and earned my Master’s degree in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon. After graduation I spent five years volunteering at William Temple House before launching my private practice. I have obtained advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy and have worked primarily with couples over the past decade.
I adhere to the Code of Ethics established by the American Association of Marriage & Family Therapists, American Counseling Association, and the Oregon Board of Counselors and Therapists.