Kaeli Parrish, Graduate Student Intern

she/her

Professional Life

I am a graduate student earning my Master’s of Arts in Counseling at Northwestern University with a Child and Adolescent specialization. I am passionate about working with ages 6-12, hoping to provide children with a calm, creative and safe space to explore their emotions and identity through child-centered play therapy. My years of experience volunteering with kids and working with neurodivergent children has helped me understand how important it is for children’s wellbeing to have tools to identify feelings, and develop healthy emotional regulation skills.

While my educational focus is on middle childhood, I recognize that teens and adults of all ages may have similar needs to develop these tools in a safe environment. I am happy to work with people of any age who want support during life transitions, exploring identity and processing emotions. My focus during sessions is creating a collaborative, authentic and safe environment for clients where they can develop social skills, emotional regulation strategies and work to foster a deeper connection with themselves and others. As part of my supervision at Oregon City Counseling, I am receiving training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). 

Some challenges that I have particular interest and experience working on with clients include:

• Anxiety

• Coping skills

• Divorce, separation, and other major life transitions

• Identity exploration

• Neurodivergence (i.e., ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder)

• Relationship skills

• Self-esteem

• Sleep issues

Personal Life

I was born in California and moved to the Portland area in 2022 to be near friends and experience all four seasons. When I am not working towards my master’s degree, you can find me:

• Snuggling my dog, Denali

• Spending time with my chosen family

• Seeing live music, comedy shows and musicals