Alyssa Ramirez Stege, PhD

I am a counseling psychologist specializing in trauma, loss, discrimination, life transitions, and identity development. I support diverse populations, including Spanish-speaking immigrants, BIPOC individuals, and the LGBTQIA+ community. I earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Universidad de las Américas Puebla in my hometown of Cholula, Puebla in Mexico. I migrated to the U.S. in 2012 and completed my master’s and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2018, I moved to Portland, where I completed my doctoral internship at Pacific Psychology and Comprehensive Health Clinics, focusing on serving local Latine communities. I returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a clinical faculty member, leading bilingual training and conducting community-engaged research grounded in liberation frameworks before returning to the Pacific Northwest to continue building similar systems of care.

I believe that healing is both an individual and collective journey, and we thrive when we can embrace ourselves in our full humanity. My emotion-focused psychodynamic therapeutic approach is culturally affirming and justice-oriented, emphasizing understanding our development and suffering within the context of broader systemic influences. I believe psychotherapy can facilitate change through experiential learning, promoting adaptive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that empower individuals to engage with truth, justice, reparation, and transformation. Additionally, I seek to decolonize and reintegrate ancestral wisdom from indigenous epistemologies that have shaped my upbringing and complement Western psychotherapeutic approaches. This wisdom emphasizes the balance among interconnected areas of Spirit, Body, Mind, and Environment. I believe that uncovering your individual and collective sabiduría (wisdom), and expressing yourself fully is essential to your healing journey.

In my personal life, I enjoy being active, dancing, watching movies, listening to podcasts, and spending time with friends and family. I love cooking and sharing meals that remind me of home. I also cherish outdoor adventures with my partner and caring for our pets—a Pitbull and two cats.