Alyson “Aly” Dearborn is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in California and Oregon (LMFT#45462; #T2025). Certified as a Sex Addiction Therapist and guided by Polyvagal Theory, Feminist Theory, and Attachment-Focused EMDR approaches to clinical work, Aly offers online, neuro-affirmative therapy and/or professional consultation for adult women.

I believe all beings in nature have an innate biological intelligence and aim to help clients explore and deepen a connection with this source as inner wisdom using the lens of polyvagal theory.

With 19 years of post-graduate clinical experience focused on the treatment of complex post-traumatic stress, Aly has a vast amount of perspectives and tools to offer, ranging from the evidence-based/scientific to the esoteric.

Aly’s practice is rooted in the principle that “safety is the treatment” and is based upon the three essential elements required for the nervous system to experience safety (as taught by Deb Dana, LCSW):

1) Context. I love information! and enjoy providing information of all kinds, including the perspectives that inform my work so that you have some context for who I am as a therapist. See my clinical perspectives page.

2) Choice. Having choices in therapy (as in life!) is essential to true safety. I work collaboratively and openly with clients around treatment goals, interventions, and potential paths we can take in therapy. I can offer referrals to other clinicians if there are specific treatment needs or interests that fall outside of my current scope of practice.

3) Connection. I believe that “safety is the treatment“ and actively work to explore and provide the cues of safety each client needs to ground into a deeper connection with their inner wise Self – and with me (as therapist).