Bryanna Goodman, LMFT/CEO/Owner

Bryanna Goodman’s Therapist Disclosure Statement <<< (Clickable)

I knew from a young age that I wanted to play an active role in people’s lives. I discovered that becoming a therapist was the perfect fit for me as it offered a special kind of relationship that allowed for deep, challenging conversations that resulted in personal change. I chose to study Marriage and Family Therapy as it fit perfectly with my belief that we are all affected by the different roles and relationships we have in our lives.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I received my masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Abilene Christian University and my Bachelors of Psychology from York College. I am a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. I have primarily practiced in the Portland/Vancouver metro area for the past 8 years.

Specialties and areas of focus

Couples Counseling

I specialize in helping couples of all types, from those who are trying to recover from an affair, those who are frequently fighting to those who are just needing some touch up in feeling connected again.

Here is what I offer:

I will give you new skills to reconnect as friends
I will give you new ways to repair your conflict
I will help you re-spark your sex life
I will help you embrace one another’s needs

Researched modalities I use: The Gottman Method for Healthy Relationships (Gottman Therapy) and EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy)

Individual Counseling

I specialize in working with individuals who are struggling relationally. This may include a marriage, boyfriend/girlfriend, family member, friend and/or yourself. I help you Identify who you want to be and who you want in your life by creating healthy boundaries and aligning your personal values with your choices. Common feelings may be depression, anxiety, loneliness, anger and resentment.

Researched modalities I use: CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), Narrative and Solution-Focused

Q&A with Bryanna

1.) Some therapists are more comfortable addressing the immediate problem, while others want to focus on the deeper issue. Which are you?

I would say I am both, I believe people want to see forward movement in their therapy process, therefore, desiring to receive feedback in order to help reach their goals. I strive to create a balance of addressing changes for the immediate need but also processing deeper layers and past experiences that impact our future.

2.) Do you tend to lead the session, or follow my lead?

In couples counseling, there are many times where my role is to lead and direct the interactions because often the couple is seeking counseling because they are stuck and unable to resolve ongoing, repetitive problems. It is also important that the couple takes initiative in their goals to improve their connection and understanding of one another. I believe as a couples therapist my role is to provide guidance, feedback and accountability in order to help strengthen the relationship.

In Individual counseling, it is important to let the client take the lead in sharing who they are and what they are hoping to get out of counseling while leading at the moments where they feel stuck and unsure of how to move forward. Part of my job is to flow and be flexible with where you are at in that day as the journey to healing and change is not straight and narrow.

3.) What are your strengths as a therapist?

I am very honest, not only to my clients about what I am hearing from their stories but also in sharing who I am. I am open and real that I am not perfect and am a work in progress too!

I like concrete tools and try to offer a variety of ideas for my clients to implement so when they leave their session, they have specific things to work on.

I believe my greatest strength as a couples counselor is that I am direct yet understanding. I am comfortable with interactions that are difficult which allows me to provide the space for the couples’ raw emotions to come out but then to re-direct the conversation to identify areas that can be improved to deepen their connection.

4.) If you had one superpower, what would it be and why?

I would be invisible… I guess as a student of human interactions, I would love to watch people without them knowing it!

5.) What makes you laugh?

My kids! They are just fun!

I love to be sarcastic. I love to laugh about real life events, finding the humor in the things we do is a way to not take everything so serious but allows me to just laugh at our shortfalls! A comedian I heard one time was talking about Football…he said I just wonder, like what was happening when these men came up with the concept of hiking the ball… So were they just all standing around one night and thought, “hey, you bend over, hold the ball between your legs and then I’ll grab it from behind you!”… I just died laughing! Isn’t that so true?!?

6.) Who would you have dinner with, dead or alive?

Oprah Winfrey! She is very intriguing and has an ability to capture the attention of many and I would love to know more about what traits she has to allow that influence.