Charlotte McKernan-O'Brien
MS, LMFT
You are so much more than the critical voice inside your head, your past, your failures, and your disappointments.
I will help you develop a more loving and gentle relationship with yourself through self-compassion and inner child healing that will inspire change in every area of your life.
I used to think that if I could only be better, smaller, smarter, funnier, everything for everyone, I would find love, joy, and contentment. Instead, my increasingly tight control over my life and body left me heavily anxious, experiencing stress and burn out, and with an eating disorder. By detangling my worth from the perception of others and nurturing my inner child, I released my shame and found peace.
I want to help you do the same.
Through mindfulness, self-compassion, parts work, and advocacy work, I will help guide you to finding your own inner strength and acceptance.
Outside of the counseling room, I love the restful side of life. When I'm not with my clients, I like to read and write, make pottery, and relax with my husband and our daughter. As a family, we love to hike, camp, and play board games.
I assist clients who are experiencing a range of presenting concerns including: relationship issues, disconnection, disordered eating, anxiety, perfectionism, burn-out, and depression.
AREAS OF FOCUS
Who I Work With: Adults, Couples, Teens
While I work with a wide range of people and presenting problems, some of my most common topics of focus include:
Anxiety
Perfectionism
Disordered Eating
Body Image
Couples Therapy
Relationship Issues
Disconnection
Burn-out
Depression
Counseling Technique
For Couples
Having worked with a diverse collection of couples on a variety of issues, I have witnessed first-hand the transformational power of effective, collaborative couples counseling. Using primarily an attachment lens, I help couples understand their own stories, how they’re getting into trouble with each other, and how to get back out. By teaching my clients to understand their partner’s attachment history and to pay attention to their partner’s arousal signaling in the present moment, I enable clients to move toward secure functioning relationships. I assist my clients in learning communication skills (verbal and otherwise) to create or rekindle a relationship that is fair, safe, and mutual. When appropriate, I prefer to run a fairly “hot” therapy room with couples, which inspires real, heartfelt interactions and long-term, bottom-up change. Using mindfulness, grounding techniques, and co-regulation, I invite my couples to partake in real time healing while building new skills and strengthening their care of one another.
For Individuals
In my work with countless women and teenagers who have come to me for treatment of anxiety and perfectionism, our work has almost always evolved into a process of uncovering and dismantling internalized body shame. Using mindfulness and compassion-focused therapy, as well as parts work and inner child healing, we collaboratively and tenderly uncover the lies of diet culture. I employ psychoeducation about the pervasiveness of anti-fat bias in our world and how it is ultimately rooted in sexism and racism. Through this work, I enable my clients to rebuild a belief system in which their body is a tool for enjoying life, rather than an ornament to be looked at.
Professional Background
I earned my Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Colorado State University and have built my expertise in working with couples by completing trainings in Psychobiological Approach Couples Therapy (PACT; levels one and two) and Gottman Couples Therapy (levels one and two). My individual work has been strengthened through training in Intuitive Eating, Compassion-Focused Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
Education Credentials
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (T-2295, Oregon).
BA in Psychology, International Studies, and French from University of Oregon
MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from Colorado State University
PACT-II
Gottman-II