Hello and welcome to the webpage (under construction, September 2026) for Collaborative Compassion, LLC.

Portland area in-person mental health services, with attention to systems (not web-design or marketing). Accepting self-pay now (no ID or insurance required). Some sliding-scale availability. Actively working to accept health insurances (OHP/medicaid, and private insurances) soon.

Our sessions are about your life and supporting you and your goals. My orientation to this page is about helping you get a sense of who I am and what our working together could be like.

I'm very relationship oriented. It's my intention and attention for people working with me to feel cared about and supported while I work as an experienced guide walking along with you (in my office) on this journey, for the duration of our time together. There is a Philosopher/Psychologist/Poet named Bayo Akomolafe, originally from western Nigeria, who said in a talk, "we aren't in relationship, we are relationship". This really resonates for me. I'm a direct communicator and have enough experience, humility, and insight to know that you're the expert on your life and you know more about some things than I ever will.

My mom’s family was Jewish, and my dad's family was Catholic. It's probably reasonable to say that I'm a first generation UU Buddhist. I was strong at some things academically but struggled in some ways as a student. I am light skinned, masculinely embodied, and am quite sensitive (to my own and others’ needs, as well as the environment). I left a short career as an EMT/Firefighter with bad arthritis and chronic pain. I look "OK" while having a non-apparent disability. I have some sensory difficulties in the built environment, especially chemical sensitivities - being around synthetic fragrances is really hard for me (please, no perfume in my office). I think these aspects of my life contributed to my feeling like both an insider and outsider. One of the things that drew me to social work for my graduate training is the focus on systems (and social justice). 

It has been my experience that, particularly when our basic needs are met, if we experience a sense of belonging, and affirming relationships (with oneself and others), we can be well. Every minute, day, or season might not be great, and we might be dealing with very difficult things that are natural (eg., sickness and death) or unnatural (eg., racism, homophobia, exclusion, ...), and yet we can live a life worth living, with joy and gratitude.

Beyond being able to be supportive for depression, anxiety, and relationships, I have focused/extra/additional professional and/or personal experience with:

• CBT 

• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

• DBT

• Gender diversity

• Relationships that fall outside the norm

• Being "mixed class"

• Pain and trauma around activism and going against the stream in a values aligned/congruent way

• Neurodiversity - ADHD and Autism Spectrum, specifically

• Feminist and liberatory theory(ies) and praxis

• The death of family/loved-ones

When not at work I like to share time with my spouse and our three bunnies. I especially enjoy going for walks, watching stuff, tinkering with computers and electronics, making friends, volunteering, and reading.

If this resonates with you, please get in touch. Good luck on your journey!

-Christopher, MSW, QMHP (he or they)

Webpage made without big tech, without AI, without trackers, and I want it accessible and easily readable & navigable on whatever device you use. Please let me know if you aren't able to fully read my page.