• About Alisha K. Hurlbert

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    My Story

    I want to be an outpost of hope. My mission is to empower others to find deeper connection with God, with their true self, and one another, fostering an environment where they flourish, thrive, and live with the ease of well-being.

    I received my Master of Arts in Counseling from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon in 2009. Prior to earning my master’s, I worked with various homeless and at-risk groups; young children; high school and college students.

    Since earning my MA, I have worked in Community Mental Health, The Portland DBT Institute, and have been in private practice since July of 2016. I’ve been intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Interpersonal Neurobiology and the Polyvagal Theory. I used DBT primarily for the first eight or so years of counseling, including leading DBT skills groups for teens, young adults, adults, and parents. 

    My heart is to be increasingly equipped in helping others find hope, healing and freedom.

    I feel called to this work and am honored to support others on their journey to ever-increasing wholeness.

    Motivation & Skills

    Working with people who found themselves homeless was really the catalyst for my wanting to get specifically trained to help people. I wondered how people got to this state of such desolation, and if it was possible to help people find stability, well-being and connection after having gone through such immense struggle.

    Working with different populations from there, and in my own life, I wondered how we each find our best self and live from that. I wanted to be equipped to come along side people, no matter how dark or hopeless the situations seemed, to let them know they’re not alone and that there is a way back into the light.

    We are wired for connection, belonging, to be seen and celebrated. This kind of attunement helps our brains and nervous systems to let go of what’s not helpful/been wounded, and rewire/reshape in ways that bring a greater experience of well-being. This is what I endeavor to offer you in therapy – help coming home to yourself; healing from things that have kept you stuck; and moving forward with a greater sense of freedom, connection and joy.

    Are you ready to take the first step?

    My Values

    Connection

    We are created for perfect connection and community. Our society is more disconnected, lonely, distracted, medicated, and unwell than ever before. Knowing and being known are vital to our life and well-being, complicated and vulnerable as those are.

    Flourishing

    We are created for Life Abundant. Not merely to get by. Flourishing is a matter of our inner formation and life with Jesus. God is the source of our life and hope. This is how we can face the challenges of life in this broken world. 

    "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." ~ Jesus, John 10:10 ESV

    "...Polyvagal Theory....is the science of safety - the science of feeling safe enough to fall in love with life and take the risks of living." ~ Deb Dana, The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy




    Hope

    God is now about the business of Answering and Restoring all things in the best way possible, doing all that needs to be done. It can look like a mess down here, and He's taking longer than most of us would like - But! We know He will finish what He started. 

    One day, we will be with Him face to face, in "the kingdom come in its utter fullness...peace as wholeness, as fullnes of function, as the restful but unending creativity involved in a cosmoswide, cooperative pursuit of a created order that continously approaches but never reaches the limitless goodness and greatness of the triune personality of God, its source." 

    ~ Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy, p. 400

    "...and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." ~ Romans 5:5


    Beauty

    God creates beauty and order out of chaos. He began in Genesis hovering over the waters, speaking creation into existence. He has been doing it ever since. Our whole system - brains, nervous systems, heart - come alive in a new way when we regularly encounter, are surrounded by, engage with, soak in beauty. We are created for beauty.

    Reach out to me today!

    Please complete the form below to schedule an appointment.
    I will try my best to accommodate your request and will be in touch ASAP.