Day Adams

Relational Narrative Therapy

David 'Day' Adams

Marriage and Family Therapist Associate (License #R7823)

Supervised by Paula Emerick, LMFT

MA Marriage, Couple & Family Therapy

BA English, Creative Writing

I chose to pursue the work of relational therapy under the spell of a great curiosity and love for the diverse lives and relationships of this world. Partly this love and curiosity emerged from my own learning about how to navigate life and relationships as a man, in a society that has a wide variance of ideas about what that means. Through personal relationships, education and clinical training, my own therapeutic experiences, and the many conversations with people I work with, I’m centering the idea that meaningful connection is the crucial element to living the lives we want to live.

I uncovered my desire to weave together my dual loves of creative writing and talking with people about their lives through my experience training in narrative therapy at the Evanston Family Therapy Center with the guidance of longtime narrative practitioners Jill Freedman and Gene Combs.

Some of my loves in this life: My family. Swimming in lakes, rivers, and the sea. The many creatures of this world. Quiet mornings with a cup of coffee. To sit comfortably in silence with people I care about. To imagine, write, and reflect. Dreams and dreaming - one of the most compellingly creative aspects of being alive.

I live and work from home in southeast Portland.

People I work with may be:

struggling to engage meaningfully in their lives and relationships
seeking individual therapy to support couples therapy
wanting to understand and change after having an affair
having difficulty communicating and connecting in a partnership
wanting to feel closer as adults in a family together (siblings, parent/child, extended/chosen family)
wanting to explore ideas and experiences around masculinity
navigating feelings about being new dads
engaged in creative or organizing work and navigating feelings of burnout and hopelessness

Therapeutic style

I practice narrative therapy in a warm, conversational, and practical way, often incorporating writing of some kind. I believe therapy is a collaborative process in pursuit of preferred ways of living, facilitating different kinds of attention, perspective, and relationship. I'll accompany you in your search for understanding and welcome your curiosity, feelings, and reflections into our conversations. I'm here to help you articulate and foreground what you value and cherish most and to tell the meaningful stories of your life, painful, joyful, and in-between. I know you walk your own path, and where you head is up to you - it’s my honor to help you uncover and recover the skills and knowledges most needed to move in that direction with all possible resilience, flexibility, and a sense of connection with others.

Background

I have a Master’s Degree in Marriage, Couples, and Family Therapy from Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling. My coursework included major systemic therapeutic models, human development and family life cycles, equity in relational therapy, human sexuality, and assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning for individuals, couples, families, and groups. I have additional training in psychological first aid and suicide assessment. I have completed graduate-level narrative therapy training through the Evanston Family Therapy Center. My clinical work has been at the Lewis & Clark Community Counseling Center, Lutheran Community Services NW, and in private practice. Prior to graduate school, I was engaged in the training and practice of holistic peer counseling and as a labor organizer.

Therapy Rates

I offer sessions on a sliding scale from $120 to $185 per 55-minute session for individuals and relationships. I have some limited spaces available at $75 and $90 per session.

Consider paying a higher fee on this scale if you're able, as this allows me to offer lower-cost sessions to people with less access to financial resources.

I don't currently bill insurance, but you may be able to use Out-of-Network (OON) benefits to pay for our sessions. Let me know if you'd like to discuss this option.

Therapeutic letter writing is a fee-by-exchange - each exchange is on a sliding scale from $30 to $60. An exchange is one letter received plus one response. This fee includes the time it takes to read, reflect, respond, and edit the response, as well as the years I've spent studying therapy, practicing with clients, studying literature and creative writing, and regularly engaging in reading and writing practices. Given the intrinsic difficulty in setting fees for letter writing, I'm also open to negotiating payment alternatives.

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