I am Vanieca Kraus, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and I can help:

I am continually impressed with how hard my clients work to overcome challenges and find healing and restoration in their relationships. I know this is hard work and I'm honored to be able to be a part of your journey. ~Vanieca

Philosophy and Approach to Counseling:
I am a systemic therapist. As I work with you individually, as a couple, or as a family, I will consider your relationships and other contextual factors. If you are seeking help for couple or family problems, I will encourage your partner and/or family to be involved because I believe it is the most effective way to help you solve a variety of problems.

Individual and Family Counseling:
By utilizing a collaborative strengths-based approach, I will help you identify strengths and resources needed to overcome anxiety and depression; improve relationships; and navigate life transitions, such as grieving the loss of a loved one, pregnancy, adjusting to new children, adolescence, divorce and remarriage, and merging of step-families.

Couples:
Through premarital/pre-commitment and marriage/commitment counseling, I will gently help you identify your part in strengthening your relationship, improving communication, working through past hurts and betrayal, navigating transitions, and renewing your commitment to each other. In addition, we'll identify strengths and growth areas and develop a plan for you to continue to address these together on your own.

What to expect in counseling:
At the beginning of therapy, I will help you talk about the problems that bring you to see me. I will ask you some questions about your background but will mostly focus on the present and your future without the problem. We will set goals together and work collaboratively to identify the strengths you have to fulfill these goals. Once you feel you have achieved these goals, therapy will be over. The length of therapy varies for each person/family and depends on your goals. I generally function within the structural/strategic and solution-oriented frameworks.

Supervision:
It's a joy for me to mentor you in such a rewarding profession. Through supervision, I will assist you in developing your skills, theory, and practice. I'm an approved supervisor in the state of Oregon. I'm also an AAMFT supervisor in training. I'd love to help you work towards your goal of becoming a licensed counselor or marriage & family therapist.

ABOUT ME:
I am a licensed marriage and family therapist and have over eight years of clinical experience. My professional counseling interests include working with adolescents, couples, and families. I have a Bachelors degree in psychology from the University of Oregon and a Masters degree in marriage and family therapy from George Fox University. I am currently working on my dissertation to complete my Ph.D. in human development at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In addition to counseling and clinical supervision, I teach graduate classes in marriage and family therapy and counseling at a local university.