Elise is an outpatient counselor at Rimrock Trails Treatment Services. Her furry, four-legged accomplice, Baxter, a certified therapy dog. In 2022, Elise graduated from Portland State University with a master’s in clinical social work, and during her studies she interned with multiple teams in the Deschutes County behavioral health department, where she gained valuable, hands-on experience. After graduating, Elise worked on the child and family team at the county for over a year before transitioning to Central Oregon Family Therapy, where she worked as a therapist for two years before making the move to Rimrock Trails, where she’s comfortably settled.   

Highlighting her delight in the vastness of the human experience, Elise works with a wide age range — from eight up to 108 — along with those of all orientations, creeds, and beliefs, and will work with individuals, couples, and families alike. As a lifelong learner, Elise is influenced by and integrates varied modalities into her practice. These include psychoanalytic, internal family systems, emotionally focused, somatic experiencing, attachment theory, and a neurobiological approach, among others. Baxter, too, incorporates an assortment of modalities in his work, namely taking naps, receiving pets, and being fed treats, all of which he shows passion and devotion. 

Knowing there is great value in a relational and collaborative approach to therapeutic work, Elise trusts in the wisdom and lived experience of each client and uses both as a guiding force in her practice, integrating a person-centered and trauma-informed core in her approach. Elise believes that consideration of the individual should be highlighted and treated with care, while also understanding that everyone is also influenced by family of origin, culture, and other socializations in which we all live and navigate daily. Existing is a complicated thing, and Elise offers support, connection, and education for all those who seek assistance in finding their way through life.