- 33 years experience
- Practical coping skills
- Nonjudgmental partnership
About Richard
Richard "Rick" Dawson is a licensed clinical social worker with 33 years of experience who returned to practice after retirement to continue helping people navigate life’s challenges. He is based in Oregon and brings a calm, straightforward approach to conversations about stress, anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, and self esteem.
Rick spent much of his early career in inpatient psychiatric settings. He provided individual, family, and group therapy while completing his counseling degree and then stayed on for about 15 years. He later added independent practice work and positions in a stand-alone psychiatric hospital, community mental health, and hospice care.
In outpatient practice he worked for a decade in a family medical clinic in suburban Portland, Oregon. That time deepened his experience with common life problems such as parenting strain, relationship difficulties, sleeping problems, anger, and coping with life changes. He also helped people dealing with mood disorders, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and trauma and abuse.
Rick uses practical methods drawn from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness, and solution-focused techniques. Sessions focus on clear steps people can try between meetings, skills for managing strong emotions, and ways to reduce unhelpful thinking patterns.
He aims to build a nonjudgmental partnership where people can talk through feelings and find solutions that fit their life. To begin, he asks people to share their goals so sessions can be shaped around what matters most to them.
Rick spent much of his early career in inpatient psychiatric settings. He provided individual, family, and group therapy while completing his counseling degree and then stayed on for about 15 years. He later added independent practice work and positions in a stand-alone psychiatric hospital, community mental health, and hospice care.
In outpatient practice he worked for a decade in a family medical clinic in suburban Portland, Oregon. That time deepened his experience with common life problems such as parenting strain, relationship difficulties, sleeping problems, anger, and coping with life changes. He also helped people dealing with mood disorders, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and trauma and abuse.
Rick uses practical methods drawn from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness, and solution-focused techniques. Sessions focus on clear steps people can try between meetings, skills for managing strong emotions, and ways to reduce unhelpful thinking patterns.
He aims to build a nonjudgmental partnership where people can talk through feelings and find solutions that fit their life. To begin, he asks people to share their goals so sessions can be shaped around what matters most to them.