Rehumanizing Therapy: A Student Salon on Existential-Humanistic Practice
What does it mean to truly meet another person in the therapy room?
Facilitated by Clare Knudsen, LPCA, LMHCA and Sara J. Smith, LMHC
Cost: $0 - $20
Online via Zoom
Join us for a student salon exploring how existential-humanistic (E-H) practice invites us to rehumanize therapy by looking beyond diagnoses, symptoms, and treatment protocols to the person experiencing them. Together, we’ll explore the values and principles that shape an E-H approach, considering how our understanding of human beings, their struggles, and their capacity for growth influences the way we show up as therapists.
Through open discussion and shared reflection, we’ll consider questions such as: What if the behaviors we identify as symptoms or problems are also adaptations to difficult experiences? How might our work change when we prioritize being with clients alongside doing therapy? What becomes possible when we approach the therapeutic relationship with presence, mutuality, and curiosity rather than hierarchy or a singular focus on content?
This salon is an invitation to explore the ideas that ground existential-humanistic practice, including the human tendency toward health and wholeness, the protective nature of our struggles, the importance of therapeutic presence, and the existential themes woven throughout our lives. Whether you are new to existential-humanistic ideas or already drawing from them in your practice, we welcome you to bring your questions, experiences, and curiosity into the conversation.
Come as you are, bring your questions, and join us in exploring what it means to meet our client (and one another) as fully human.
About the Facilitators
Clare Knudsen, LPCA, LMHCA
I am a Professional Counselor Associate in Oregon and Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate in Washington. Since graduating from Western Seminary’s CACREP-accredited Master’s program in counseling in April 2026, I have been working with clients at Charis Counseling Associates in the Portland area. My previous clinical experience took place at A New Day Counseling in Portland, Oregon, and I have received additional training in Existential-Humanistic psychotherapy core skills from the Existential-Humanistic Institute (EHI). I joined the board of Existential-Humanistic Northwest (EHNW).
Sara J. Smith, LMHC
I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Washington State currently working in group private practice. I take an existential-humanistic, experiential, and relational approach to therapy, working with adolescents and adults navigating shame/self-worth, trauma, grief/loss, and life transitions. My background in Community Mental Health and lived experience as a biracial person inform my commitment to cultural humility and understanding how identity and life experiences shape how we see ourselves and the world. My practice emphasizes the therapeutic relationship, self-exploration, and creating space to find meaning and connection in our lives. I hold a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from George Fox University and have been involved with Existential-Humanistic Northwest since 2023 and serving the board since 2025.
For any questions, contact us at: event-host@ehnwpdx.org