Lizzy Selves, CSWA

About Lizzy

I believe families are deeply important, and they can also be the place where our deepest wounds begin. As an online therapist serving Oregon, I help individuals and families heal, whether that means supporting a child in processing their experiences through play therapy, coaching parents on connecting with their children through an attachment-focused lens, or helping caregivers of traumatized children understand the meaning behind their child's behavior.

Because I provide telehealth only, I work with clients 16 and older, and I am open to clients as young as 14 when it is the right fit. I offer individual, family, and group therapy, all online.

Education & Experience

I hold a Master of Social Work (2023) and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts (2015), both from George Fox University, and I am a Clinical Social Work Associate (CSWA) in Oregon.

I have worked in community mental health with children, teens, and families from a variety of backgrounds, with a special focus on foster and adoptive families. I am a trained Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner and a graduate of the Training in Adoption Competency (TAC) through the Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE). I am also trained as a Making Sense of Your Worth facilitator.

My Approach

I believe you are the expert on your own life, so our work together starts from a client-centered approach that lets you decide what you want to focus on in therapy. As we get to know each other, I bring in clinical insight and interventions suited to your needs, drawing from Person-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, attachment theory, and a strengths-based perspective.

I have experience helping individuals work through anxiety, depression, grief, divorce, ADHD, trauma, adjustment disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, and the unique challenges of foster care and adoption. I also use Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) to support children and caregivers affected by trauma, disrupted attachment, and toxic stress, and I work closely with parents using Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), which builds practical skills for strengthening the parent-child connection. My goal is to help parents feel confident and equipped to be an active part of their child's healing and growth.

Personal Life

I work remotely from The Dalles, Oregon, in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. My husband and I recently welcomed our first child, the smileyest, sweetest boy you will ever meet. Outside of work, I enjoy writing, hiking, coffee dates, music, lap swimming, baking, and learning new board games.