About
Zila Phillips, LPC
Mental Health Therapist
My approach
Human beings are born with an immense capacity for growth, transformation and self-actualization. Life inevitably provides challenges to a smooth path. Often these can be exciting and adventurous detours. Sometimes challenges are overwhelming and can become paralyzing. We can feel stuck in the aftermath of trauma. This can be a terrifying and lonely experience. I believe we all possess an innate wisdom to heal and nurture ourselves. In the therapeutic process it is my honor to support my clients in gaining access to their innate wisdom to heal. Through connection we explore together ways to transform life challenges and traumas of all sorts into opportunities for growth.
Training
I am trained in Internal Family Systems (Level 1; Level 2 Addictions and Eating Disorders; Trauma and Neuroscience), EMDR, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and certified in PCIT (Parent-Child Interaction Therapy) and Yoga Calm.
Bachelor degree in Psychology at Idaho State University in 2003, followed by a Masters in Community Counseling from Oregon State University in 2008.
About Me
As a teenager I knew already that I would one day become a counselor. Though my sense of curiosity led me to explore different possibilities early on, this has been an inevitable and amazingly rich path of career and personal development. Over the past 20 years I have gained experience in residential, community, school and clinic settings with children, adolescents and adults.
Fun Facts/Multi-cultural Experience
Born and raised in Brazil, and now having spent over half of my life in the United States, I am grateful for the opportunity to experience a multicultural lifestyle and ability to serve diverse populations. My native language is Portuguese and I provide services in both Portuguese and English.
In addition to continually learning from a myriad of different sources, I love to travel, read, run, ski, challenge myself learning to surf, spend time in nature, with family and friends, and eat good food!
Internal Family Systems
Internal Family Systems acknowledges that humans are multifaceted complex beings. It normalizes the experience of having different parts that appear contradictory to each other and helps us find freedom from over identifying with only one aspect of who we are. It is a compassionate and gentle approach to transformation and provides an effective way of caring for the most uncomfortable and unpopular parts of us.