Elizabeth Cook  Elizabeth Cook, MA, MFT

Beaverton, Oregon Work: 503-828-4565
Near Walker Road and NW 170th Drive Voice Mail: 503-828-4565
Fax: 503-430-7469
Disabled Accessible: No E-Mail: cook.liz@comcast.net
Location: Located in Northwest Beaverton, near Walker Road and NW 170th Drive with easy access  to Highways 26; 217; 5; specific direction will be provided.

Degrees:
Master of Art
Counseling Psychology
Master of Art Applied Spiritual Theology
Bachelor of Arts Theology
    
Licenses: Licensed Marriage Family Therapist
Training & Certifications: Completed five years of Jungian Analytical training, in process of certification as an  Analyst, CG Jung Study Center in Southern California.
Prior national certification as Chaplain and Supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education; current status Supervisor Emeritus.
 
Availability: Generally see clients on a weekly basis; new clients are seen within 72 hours to one week of first contact request. Telephone calls are generally returned within 24 hours or as soon as possible.
Affiliations: American Mental Health Alliance - Oregon
Oregon Friends of Jung
CG Jung Study Center of Southern California
California Marriage & Family Therapists
 

Fees:		 $110 for individual sessions; $120 for couples sessions; both are 50 minutes sessions. Fees are payable at each session unless previously agreed upon. If requested a monthly statement will be prepared for client’s submission to insurance company. A limited number of sliding scale fees are available.

Specialization

Depression & Anxiety Stages of Life Transitions
Spirituality, Meaning & Direction Illness, Grief, Loss & Bereavement

Focus of Practice & Interests

I am a Jungian oriented psychotherapist. I create a safe, supportive environment that encourages clients to explore concerns, relationships and emotions that hinder wellbeing, creativity, personal growth and development. I make use of dreams, myths, symbols, active imagination and sandplay to assist clients tap into their own inner wisdom to meet life’s challenges and to achieve personal goals. I foster increased understanding and coping strategies for life transitions, especially those related to illness, trauma, loss of relationships, times of suffering and death. I seek to strengthen clients’ communication and conflict resolution skills, identify future options and find meaning and direction consistent with their personal values and spiritual beliefs.

Background & Experience

I have extensive experience in personal therapy and psychoanalysis and a strong commitment to my own life’s journey of continued education, personal growth and individuation. I am fortunate to have theological education and Jungian depth psychological training. I have been in private practice for five years. Prior to this I had thirty years experience as a hospital chaplain and training supervisor, counseling patients, families and professionals experiencing chronic and life threatening illness, crisis, anticipatory grief, death and bereavement. I have a passion for assisting others integrate their personal beliefs and values with the changing context of their daily experience. I have walked with countless persons for whom critical junctions in their lives have led them to counseling. In this process their strengths have been affirmed, new or enhanced coping skills developed, and many have found renewed meaning in the face of life’s painful challenges.  

Patient & Client Populations Served

Adolescents

Adults

Elders

Individuals

Couples

Bereavement Groups

Orientation & Approach

Arising from deep within there is a longing to become our authentic selves and develop our fullest potential. Psychotherapy can be beneficial when inevitable life experiences such as relational turmoil, loss of intimacy, depression, anxiety, grief, spiritual distress, illness and other major life transitions occur. In a supportive relationship we identify emotions, perceptions and behaviors that are distressing to you, explore how past events impact the present, increase self knowledge and coping strategies while discovering meaning and direction. My psychoanalytic therapeutic approach invites storytelling, archetypal symbols, dreams, active imagination, personal beliefs/values and sandplay to creatively respond to life’s challenges.

Personal Comments

Life is a journey.  Visualize if you will, a staircase, spiral in nature, with many steps leading both upward and downward.  As in life, personal change and growth happens one step at a time. Sometimes it seems painfully slow but then we pass through significant thresholds where we can see more clearly where we have come from and where we are headed. These thresholds are gateways that open us up to new possibilities and often are marked by significant junctures in life such as commitment to a life relationship, the birth of a child or reaching a personal or professional milestone. Or they may be experiences we would never choose for ourselves, such as loss of a job, diagnosis of a serious illness or the death of a loved one.  These thresholds can be defining moments of truth and new life or become crisis events that lead us to seriously question the very meaning and purpose of life.

The staircase image extends farther than the human eye can see.  The goal of this staircase is to become our most unique and authentic self. Carl Jung calls this journey individuation. The concepts of differentiation and wholeness are really important and not to be confused with perfection. When this journey becomes perplexing, leads to serious conflict or suffering, therapy can prove very beneficial. An objective skilled professional, who listens carefully, clarifies, expresses understanding, offers new insights, facilitates new skill development and invites one to seek and discover their own inner wisdom is a valuable companion along the way.

Analytical psychotherapy incorporates the wisdom of the unconscious which speaks through symbolic language of images, dreams and myths. Active imagination and sandplay are creative tools to promote healing and wellbeing, increase self awareness and wholeness. For me, this therapeutic process is best symbolized by a transformational staircase. What images come to your mind as you visualize your own life journey and strive toward your highest aspirations?

I would be happy to offer a free telephone consultation if I can be of assistance to you or would like to discuss the beginning of therapy. Please call me at 503 828-4565.