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Meaningful, mindful, existential, attachment-based support
Hello! My name is Gemma Baumer. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Oregon. I love being a therapist because I believe deeply in people’s innate power to grow and evolve when held in a supportive container.
Individuals:
If you resonate with this, maybe I would be a good fit for you! I tend to work with people on a journey to value their own experience. Maybe you feel sensitive but overwhelmed by your body and emotions. Maybe you’re a people-pleaser. Maybe you don’t buy that you should value your own needs, especially if they conflict with others’. Maybe you’re just trying to understand what your feelings are, or where your anxiety or uncomfortable sensations are coming from. Therapy can be an opportunity to form a relationship that feels supportive and genuine, to unpack past trauma and wounding held in our bodies and develop a deeper sense of connection to oneself. I draw from attachment theory, existential therapy and somatic experiencing techniques to deepen and explore the material that arises in sessions.
Couples and Partners:
Whether you’re struggling with communication, sexuality, or undergoing a big transition like opening up, trauma responses arise. We hold within us long-held patterns of self protection and learning to manage boundaries—how “I” meets “we”. We form hidden expectations from early life. Sometimes how we react surprises us in relationship. I seek to help unpack these wounds, uncover emotional associations and work with partners to bridge each person’s own experience in order to facilitate stronger and healthier communication. I will also utilize creative ways of meeting each partner’s needs, such as occasionally meeting with partners as individuals to explore therapy progress and go deeper, then coming back together to integrate what that may have been brought up.
Who do I work best with?
Our earliest experiences affect us. They form the basis for the nervous system we carry into adulthood and into our relationships. Oftentimes, our earliest wounds show up as anxiety and a feeling of disconnection, or just feeling “off”. Especially when we had to manage great amounts of emotional stimulation, we may find life and the experiences of our own bodies overwhelming. Therapy can help with this because it is a space, and a relationship, in which to unwind and turn toward ourselves.
I approach my clients collaboratively and flexibly, so each space is different. I utilize, when resonant, both my training from the Hakomi Institute to support processing on a somatic/nervous system level, as well as my background in Existential-Humanism.
I believe therapy should be real—sometimes humorous, sometimes painful. Most importantly, for me, therapy is about forming a genuine connection and alliance, and allowing this connection to support greater connection with oneself, honoring and tending to the existential nature in us all. Change and growth comes from feeling safe enough to explore one’s own nervous system and emotional experience (or that of a partner’s), thus being able to approach life with more freedom.
About me:
I first started coming to therapy after the sudden loss of my father as a child. I have always felt an intuitive draw to regulate myself, which came about from years of feeling dysregulated—hard-to-understand anxiety, physical discomfort and somatic symptoms, existential dread and worry plagued me for many years.
Through the healing space of many caring therapists and healing others, I’ve found more nurturance for myself and more dedication to my own self. What I once thought selfish, I now try to cultivate as a form of self worth.
One thing I want my clients to know about me is that I am not an expert on anyone else’s experience. Only we can be that for ourselves. I think the most empowering thing is to make the choices that feel true to each of us, and we all deserve to be affirmed and cared for as we do the difficult work of peeling back the layers, understanding what comes from where and why, and becoming more connected to ourselves, others, and life itself.
My Approach to Therapy
Education and Experience
I hold a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's in Mental Health Counseling from Lewis & Clark College. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor. I worked with Philip Zimbardo on curriculum for promoting a Growth Mindset. I completed my internship at the Mindful Experiential Therapy Counseling Center (M.E.T.A.), where I received training in the Hakomi Method and Body-Centered awareness. I have served on the board of Existential Humanist NW since 2019, where I curate the blog. I became a therapist because I am inspired by the way we humans make meaning of and transform our experiences. I too have benefited from the non-judgmental and embracing space of a good therapeutic relationship in which to explore my own being, and I feel passionate about holding this space for my clients.
License Number: C7813
I am LGBTQ+, poly, trans, kink, body positive and psychedelic affirmative
Fees and Rates:
20 minute consultation: free
50 minute individual session: $145
50 minute couples/partners session: $160
***limited sliding scale offerings
Extended Offerings upon Request:
60 minute session: $170
*I now take OHP, careoregon!
When I have a waitlist, you are more than welcome to contact me and tell me a bit about yourself and your availability so that I can alert you to when I am taking clients again.
Atticus is my trusty sidekick. Plenty of research shows that the presence of an animal aids in feelings of trust, mitigating anxiety and general well-being. He shows up to in person and virtual sessions. If you have an allergy or an aversion, please let me know.