About Jessica
Welcome to my practice. I'm Jessica Van der Merwe — licensed therapist, wife of over 20 years, mother to two deeply-feeling teens, and karaoke enthusiast. I've lived abroad and around the country, and now call the Pacific Northwest home. I love good food, coffee and drinks, being in nature, and running up my local trail to burn off steam. I sing loud in the car, and don't apologize for it.
Like you, I come from my own struggles throughout childhood into adult life. I'm fully recovered from anorexia and bulimia (yes, you can be fully recovered), experienced and survived a dysfunctional childhood, and suffered from panic attacks and trauma responses. To put it plainly, as a survivor and ADHDer, I'm not too different from you.
I'm open about these things because I believe it makes a difference to know your therapist isn't a perfect human, and yet has also overcome difficulty — not unlike your own. It's nothing to be ashamed about. There is always an option for healing and change; we sometimes just need help finding it. That's why I do this work. I hope you join me.
How I got here
I started my early work in crisis counseling in the Bay Area of California. Later, I served as a mentor and lay counselor at a transitional home for foster youth. When I relocated to Portland, I used my crisis counseling skills and humor (this isn't vouched for) as a guidance counselor for junior high and high schoolers. My clinical experience as a therapist includes providing trauma-informed counseling for adults, couples, and teens in community mental healthcare and now in my own private practice.
Education and training
I hold a Master of Arts in Counseling from Western Seminary in Portland, OR, and a B.A. in Psychology from San Jose State University. I'm an Approved Brainspotting Consultant, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, and trained in Gottman Method (Level 2) for couples therapy. I am also a Certified Trauma Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST) Therapist. TIST is an integrative approach that incorporates mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, ego state techniques, and Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS). It is especially successful for the treatment of Complex PTSD, attachment trauma, borderline personality disorder, addictions, eating disorders, and dissociative disorders.
I am a member of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, and hold a certificate in Advanced Studies of Trauma and Dissociation through their Center of Advanced Studies. I am also a member of Rocky Mountain Brainspotting Institute and Columbia River Eating Disorder Network.
Why Protea?
The Protea is a native flower to South Africa, where my husband is from, and where we spent a number of years living and raising our children when they were small. That time of my life was probably the most precious and transformative.
The Protea is as rugged as it is beautiful. It survives fires and droughts, and has proved its resilience since prehistoric times. It symbolizes diversity in its flora, which I consider a symbol of the rich tapestry of diversity of our humanity and experiences. It symbolizes courage and "daring," which I consider essential qualities for rebelling against the status quo to expand our expectations and limits. Finally, the Protea symbolizes transformation, which is a core goal for our healing experience.
My hope is that you experience transformational healing in your mind, body, spirit, and relationships as you begin your counseling experience.