Dr. Bryce Doehne

I specialize in helping people who may appear to others as high-functioning, high-achievers, who have it “all together.” However, too much self-control, striving, inhibition, and perfectionism can result in suffering. This overarching problem is called overcontrol and it gets in the way of people being able to relax, loosen up, enjoy relationships, try new things, and create fulfilling lives. People I work with often attempt to suppress their emotions and needs in order to achieve success in their career, college, relationships, and other life goals. They are usually achievement-oriented, detail-focused, driven, ambitious, and place high standards on themselves and others. Although their qualities may help with pushing through struggles to achieve success, limiting emotional expression can result in long-term negative effects. These effects can be chronic depression and treatment-resistant anxiety, which do not respond well to traditional forms of therapy. This means clients I work with have often been in therapy before and found it unhelpful. A treatment I offer for the above difficulties is called Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy or RO DBT. It focuses on being more open with others about who you are in order to create a meaningful life. RO DBT is a comprehensive, active treatment that focuses on learning new skills to reduce shame, feel less anxious around others, and create desired relationships. Even though RO DBT is a new type of therapy, it is based upon 20 years of research and is considered an evidence-based treatment for chronic depression, avoidant personality disorder, treatment-resistant anxiety, obsessive compulsive personality disorder, and maladaptive perfectionism. In addition to RO DBT, I also specialize in helping people change their relationship with alcohol, cannabis, and overall health behavior. I do this by using a highly supportive and empathic treatment called Motivational Interviewing (MI). MI is a well-known and well-researched therapeutic approach. It has been scientifically tested and has demonstrated its ability to be effective in changing alcohol use and other health-related behaviors. Overall, my approach is grounded in science-based and behavior therapies. Behavior therapies are different from other forms of therapy that focus on spending most of the time in session discussing your past or what you think about things you have not done yet. This is because the science shows that if you want your life to be different, you have to do something different. Therefore, the therapy I offer focuses on taking risks to try out new behavior, learning new skills to increase social connection, living more aligned with your values, and taking action that changes not just the way you think about your past, but the way you live in the present. My approach to therapy is informed by my educational and training background. I have provided group and individual psychotherapy since 2012. I have a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree in psychology, and I have completed a postdoctoral residency. I am one of only five psychologists in Portland, Oregon who are board certified in clinical psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. Board certification consisted of a rigorous examination of my education, training, professional standing, and clinical practice by experts in the field of clinical psychology. It is achieved by less than five percent of psychologists nationally, and is considered the highest level of certification.