Conditions We Treat
Our Approach
Questions about therapy or getting started? Let's connect — call or text me at (503) 984-2926.
Conditions We Treat
Our Approach
Questions about therapy or getting started? Let's connect — call or text me at (503) 984-2926.
Finding freedom in flexibility. A different approach for those who've always tried to do everything right.
Welcoming new experiences and feedback with curiosity.
Responding to life's changes with ease rather than resistance.
Building genuine closeness through warmth and authenticity.
"Overcontrol is often rewarded—it's associated with success, reliability, and the capacity to delay gratification. But true well-being requires openness, flexibility, and social connection."
RO-DBT is designed for people who've spent their lives trying to do everything right—yet still feel disconnected or unfulfilled. It helps you ease the grip of over-control and move toward greater openness, flexibility, and genuine connection.
"Overcontrol is often rewarded—it's associated with success, reliability, and the capacity to delay gratification. But true well-being requires openness, flexibility, and social connection."
Developed by Dr. Thomas Lynch, RO-DBT focuses on disorders of overcontrol, distinct from the undercontrol issues addressed by standard DBT. It targets the biological and social factors that lead to rigidity and isolation.
RO-DBT is supported by extensive research into the neurobiology of social signaling. It posits that open expression and social connectedness are essential for down-regulating the nervous system's threat response.
Our Framework
We move from rigid over-control to flexible openness. These principles help signal safety to your nervous system, allowing you to lower your guard and build deeper, more authentic connections with others.
Questioning our own certainty to find new perspectives.
Communicating intent clearly to foster trust.
Reactivating the social safety system.
RO-DBT offers a unique pathway for conditions rooted in too much self-control, helping you move from rigidity to connection.
Persistent, excessive worry that feels difficult to control—often about everyday things like work, health, or relationships. The mind races, the body stays tense, and relaxation feels out of reach.
An intense fear of being judged, embarrassed, or rejected in social situations—leading to avoidance of everyday interactions, performance situations, or simply being seen by others.
A cycle of intrusive, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental rituals (compulsions) performed to temporarily relieve intense anxiety. The cycle can consume hours each day.
A response to traumatic experiences that can include intrusive memories, flashbacks, nightmares, emotional numbness, and a persistent sense of being unsafe—even long after the event has passed.
More than just feeling sad—a persistent low mood, loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, and changes in sleep, appetite, or energy that significantly interfere with daily life.
A chronic, low-grade depression that persists for years—often mistaken for "just how I am." Less acute than major depression, but equally deserving of care and equally responsive to treatment.
A recurring pattern of depression that arrives with the changing seasons—most commonly in fall and winter when daylight diminishes. It's not just the "winter blues"; it's a real, treatable condition.
A form of depression that can emerge during pregnancy or after childbirth, involving intense sadness, exhaustion, anxiety, or difficulty bonding. It's more common than many realize—and highly treatable with proper support.
Recurring episodes of eating large amounts of food with a sense of loss of control, often rapidly and to the point of discomfort—accompanied by intense feelings of shame, guilt, or distress.
A serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by a cycle of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors—such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, or laxative misuse—driven by a need to undo the effects of bingeing.
Persistent, distressing preoccupation with perceived flaws in physical appearance that may be minor or unnoticeable to others—significantly impacting mood, self-worth, and daily functioning.
A serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by restrictive eating, an intense fear of weight gain, and a distorted relationship with body image. It can affect people of all ages, genders, and body types.
An unhealthy fixation on eating "pure" or "clean" foods that becomes rigid and all-consuming—leading to social isolation, anxiety around eating, and potential nutritional imbalance.
When movement becomes compulsive rather than restorative—continuing despite injury, illness, or significant consequences to relationships, work, and daily life. Often co-occurs with other eating disorders.
Clinically significant eating disorders that don't fit neatly into the criteria for anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder—but are equally serious and deserving of care. OSFED is the most commonly diagnosed eating disorder.
You've worked hard to hold it all together. Let's explore what becomes possible when you loosen the grip.