Portland Therapist Spotlight: Carmen Schwisow—Supporting Misfits & Creatives

A Local Therapist for Portland’s Misfits, Creatives, and Deep Feelers

For adults in the Portland and Milwaukie area who feel out of sync with expectations—or who are juggling work, activism, and family life—therapist Carmen Schwisow (she/her) offers a grounded place to slow down, reflect, and reconnect.

Serving clients across Oregon and Washington, including Oregon City, Tualatin, Lake Oswego, and Beaverton, she works with people searching for belonging, clarity, and a more compassionate way to move through the world.

Carmen has a particular affinity for those who’ve always felt a little different—whether they’re neurodivergent (living with ADHD or on the autism spectrum), deeply creative, or simply wired to think and feel intensely. Many of her clients describe themselves as misfits, rebels, or outsiders, and together they explore how those very differences can become sources of strength, resilience, and authenticity.

“I love working with people who don’t fit all the socially prescribed roles,” Carmen shares. “Because I don’t either. I’ve never followed a traditional timeline, and I know what it’s like to feel out of sync with the world’s expectations.”

Her clients often come to therapy feeling broken, burned out, or unsure where they belong. Carmen helps them reframe those feelings as strength and individuality. “You’re not broken,” she says. “You’re human.”

A Nonlinear Path to Healing

Carmen’s journey to becoming a therapist was anything but linear—and that’s exactly what gives her work such depth. Before earning her Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Portland State University, she built a rich, people-centered career spanning political organizing, HR management, and student advising.

When the pandemic hit, she began to reexamine her life’s direction. “COVID put everything in perspective,” she says. “I realized I wanted my work to truly matter.”

The moment that set everything in motion came years earlier—on a flight home from Washington, D.C., when she happened to sit next to two counselors. “We talked the entire flight,” she recalls. “When I landed, I thought, that’s what I want to do someday.”

Her time at Planned Parenthood, her years supporting students at Portland State, and her own life transitions now shape the therapist she’s become—one who leads with empathy, honesty, and humor.

Supporting Portland’s Big-Hearted Overthinkers

As a Portland therapist, Carmen works with clients who care deeply—people balancing careers, activism, and family life while trying to stay grounded in a world that never stops asking for more.

“Portland is full of people who care deeply,” she explains. “They want to show up for their communities, for democracy, for justice—and sometimes that comes at the expense of their own emotional well-being. A lot of my work is helping people let themselves off the hook.”

Her sessions blend warmth with structure, creating a space where humor and honesty coexist. Whether clients are navigating burnout, grief, or identity shifts, Carmen meets them where they are—no fixing, no judgment, just support.

The Power of Parts Work (IFS)

Carmen often incorporates Internal Family Systems (IFS) or “parts work” into therapy, helping clients explore the many sides of themselves that developed to keep them safe.

“It can sound woo-woo at first,” she says, “but it’s really about noticing the parts of yourself that worked so hard to protect you—and realizing those old strategies may not serve you anymore.”

Her gentle, step-by-step approach helps clients gain insight without feeling overwhelmed. Over time, they begin to see that their inner chaos isn’t a flaw; it’s a map back to healing. “The shift comes when people realize there’s nothing wrong with them,” she says. “There are just parts that need care.”

Helping Portlanders Find Small Moments of Calm

Clients often describe Carmen as real, grounded, and compassionate—a therapist who can hold both the pain and the humor in a story. She helps people notice the space between their thoughts and their truth, reminding them that not every anxious or self-critical voice is reality.

“There’s so much we can’t control in the world,” she reflects. “But even in chaos, we can find a sliver of peace. Sometimes it’s only for a second—but that second matters.”

Rooted in the Portland area: From Mt. Tabor to Milwaukie

A lifelong Portlander, Carmen grew up near Mt. Tabor Park, where she still goes to think, walk, and reconnect. She remembers the countless teenage hours spent wandering its trails and debriefing life over coffee at Common Grounds.

Those local roots inform her approach to therapy—authentic, open-minded, and community-focused. Today, she offers telehealth and in-person therapy at Willamette Wellness Center in Milwaukie, Oregon.

Outside the Office

When she isn’t working with clients, Carmen finds calm in Portland’s green spaces, conversations with lifelong friends, and a well-earned cup of coffee. She describes herself as a lifelong learner, always curious about what makes people tick—and what helps them heal.

Ready to begin? If you’re looking for a Portland-area therapist, Carmen is accepting new patients.
Fill out the New Client Form to get started.