Kelley O'Gorman, LPC, MA, MFT - Expert

Marriage and Family Therapist

SPECIALTIES

Addiction

Years in Practice

6-10 years

where

Portland OR 97205 - United States

Credentials

LPC, MA, MFT

Additional Expertise

Marriage/Couples Counselor, Mentor, Wellness Coach, YourTango Expert Partner

I Practice in

My state/province only

I AM FLUENT IN

English

I Believe

I'm pretty sure this therapy gig started with reading, The Giving Tree. The idea that someone had your back no matter how hard it got, sounded like a cool idea. It took a couple of years to get here, leaving what I thought I should do for a living, to what I am good at. Turns out, being the gal that people tell their life stories to on the airplane, is a skill. I think people are neat, and being a small part in navigating their lives, is an honor.

I'm sad Therapy has a stigma as I look at it as a cool conversation about making things better.  I hope you'll take a look at my web site and get to know me better.

www.portlandcouplestherapy.com

About Kelley O'Gorman

Hello! I'm excited to be here, sharing my thoughts and insights with you. This is a fantastic venue to help grow an important field. I work as an Individual & Couples Therapist out in Portland, Oregon.

My world view on relationships is an amalgamation of various therapeutic theories that amount to: Hope, Kindness and Strength. I enjoy understanding systemic patterns, family dynamics and how we make use of these things in our relationships. My side passion is studying the brain and it's connections to our emotions.

I actually didn't start in this field, however. My first job was in Advertising (Saturn Cars) as I really like to figure out what motivates people. From Advertising, I moved into Marketing, Focus Groups and Retail Design. I was fortunate enough to work for some amazing companies that had the leading edge on those things. Although the corporate world didn't have the certain je ne sais quoi I hoped it would. 

When I had my first baby, I decided to stay home. And I took it seriously. I studied the developing brain, the developing infant and the developing child. By the time I had my second child, I was enrolling for graduate school. 

I may have been the oldest student in my classes, yet passion burned. It seemed life had brought me to the very place I was supposed to be.

I've been honored to work with some amazing people so far and look forward to growing old in my therapists chair.
 

Kelley O'Gorman Success Stories

It Doesn't Always Mean It's Over

Couples dealing with infidelity

A few years back I received a call late night from a crying woman.  Her husband, she learned, had cheated on her and she wanted to come in right away.more

Having a couple come in when they are in crisis is difficult work in that there is a lot of energy in the room, and it's my job to get us all on the same page.

The couple decided they wanted to work things out, and that took some time.  We had to look at things that had happened before the affair.  Where, had this couple let their relationship fall?  It called for a great deal of honesty and tears.  

My role is as a consultant to help guide people on the path they want to go down.  I have no vested interest in that I am incredibly open minded to how a couple wants to work things out.  And there are probably a million ways to work through infidelity.

In between sessions, I would go to the bookstore and get the latest research on infidelity.  Armed with research, my education and my big heart, it seemed to do the trick.

I saw, after time, the loving looks between this couple again.  I heard laughter from them.  They remembered why they wanted to be together.  I was inspired to make a disk of music that represented their relationship - which they loved.

I've seen this couple out in public and I am proud to say they are still together and even have a new child.

I understand not all infidelity has this outcome.  Certainly variables play a part in healing one way or another.

Kelley O'Gorman Articles

Don't Let Depression Rain On Your Relationship

How To Deal With Depression And Not Let It Ruin Your Relationship

Self