Hey, I’m Brede Parker-Adams. I am a postdoctoral resident at Portland Mental Health and Wellness working under the supervision of Len Kaufman, PhD. During my training, I have specialized in working with children who have experienced trauma and struggle with behavioral issues, focusing especially on developing parent-child relationships and ADHD strategies. I have also worked with adults of diverse backgrounds to address trauma, attachment issues, relationship issues, mood disorders, questions of meaning in life, identity development, expressions of masculinity, and religion/spirituality. 

Parents, I look forward to working together to help you with your kids. I primarily use play-therapy as a way to treat trauma and behavioral issues. My focus is to create an environment where imagination, understanding, and patience open up opportunities for healing and connection. Using the Nurtured Heart Approach, I have also created strategies to help you, as parents, channel the energy of ADHD while deepening your relationships with your kids. 

To my adult clients, my goal is to offer a collaborative and creative space in which I join you in exploring parts of yourself that may have been hurt or neglected and then put away. I work primarily from a relational psychodynamic framework and focus on attachment as a foundation for healing. This means my goal is to establish a relationship in which we can share honestly with one another, and together discover and experience new ways of being in the world. 

Whether we’re playing with toys on the floor or engaged in deep conversation, I believe you are each rooted in your own personal and social context. I strive to honor the uniqueness of your story. Part of our work in therapy might be to deepen our understanding of who you are because of, maybe in spite of, and in response to those influences. I believe that by entering the therapeutic space honestly and authentically together, you can begin to imagine, and access, a more dynamic version of yourself. 

In an effort to stay grounded, I try to be just as present in my life outside the office as I am when in session. I enjoy running, playing board games and D&D, spending time with family and friends, and reading fantasy and sci-fi novels (always down for suggestions). 

Education & Training

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Fuller School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy (2023)

Doctoral Internship, Parkview Behavioral Healthcare, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Master of Arts, Psychology, Fuller School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy (2020)

Master of Arts, Pastoral Care and Counseling, Talbot School of Theology (2017)