Where the sun don't shine...

July 31, 2010 3:58 PM

[Asking-for-a-friend-filter] My uninsured friend needs a queer-friendly, preferably queer or female therapist with a sliding fee scale in Portland, OR.

I've seen the previous recommendation questions in AskMe, but I thought I'd ask for an update. My friend is dealing with issues of depression and anxiety, is queer and needs a therapist familiar with queer issues, and has no insurance (and very little money). I've looked through the Women's Therapy Project and I'm aware of PSU's clinic, but know that there must be other therapists who aren't connected with those entities. Any recommendations?

[Asking-for-myself-filter] Bonus points if you know anyone who takes Kaiser insurance who does CBT. Thanks!

posted by verbyournouns to health & fitness (4 answers total)

I am not a Portlander, but when an uninsured friend of mine needed therapy ASAP, we were able to all local teaching hospitals which had psychiatry programs and get VERY CHEAP (like, $25 a session, plus similarly-discounted meds) from student doctors. The quality of care was quite good, too. I'd call every hospital in town and see what they had to offer - you might be surprised.
posted by julthumbscrew at 4:38 PM on July 31, 2010

Not sure sure of the wisdom of selecting a therapist based on their gender or sexual orientation. Your friend should seek out the best therapist for his or her needs that fits within the budget.
posted by charlesv at 6:36 PM on July 31, 2010

This reminds me of the type of question that gets asked pretty regularly on the DamnPortlanders community on Live Journal.

Here are 15 or so posts that have something to do with finding a therapist in Portland.

Here are another dozen tagged 'mental health.'

This thread in particular might be relevant.
posted by bluedaisy at 7:41 PM on July 31, 2010 [1 favorite]

Charlesv: the friend just has difficulty feeling comfortable opening up to people who aren't female or queer-identified, because of a traumatic past. I think we can all agree that that's not ideal, but that's part of what the therapy would be for; the best therapist for her needs is someone who she feels safe opening up to.

Julthumbscrew and bluedaisy: thanks for your suggestions! I'll be checking into resources on Monday, and your help is appreciated.
posted by verbyournouns at 8:45 PM on July 31, 2010