Paislie McNutt, MA (she/they)
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate
Children|Teens|Adults|Parents
Accepting New Clients
THE WORK I DO
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I want every child who walks into my office to know: I'm here, I hear you, I understand, and I care. Children deserve to feel safe enough to be fully themselves, and I believe healing begins when they experience someone who is genuinely present with them. By slowing down, following their lead, and meeting them where they are, I strive to build an authentic relationship grounded in trust, curiosity, and acceptance.
Because every child communicates differently, I work to ensure that therapy is always developmentally appropriate and tailored to their unique needs. While adults often process their experiences through conversation, children naturally communicate through play. Play is a child's language, and the toys become their words. Through play, children can express thoughts, emotions, and experiences that may be difficult—or even impossible—for them to put into words.
In the playroom, children have the opportunity to safely explore their feelings, practice new skills, work through challenges, and make sense of difficult experiences in ways that feel natural to them. My role is not to direct their play, but to thoughtfully join them with curiosity, compassion, and clinical intention. By honoring their unique way of communicating, I help create an environment where children feel understood, empowered, and supported as they build confidence, resilience, emotional awareness, and healthier ways of relating to themselves and the world around them.
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Navigating life and its many transitions is challenging enough. Adolescence and young adulthood are also periods of remarkable brain development, bringing significant changes in emotions, relationships, identity, and decision-making. These years can feel uncertain and overwhelming, not only for teens and young adults, but for the parents and caregivers who are trying to support them.
Understanding how the developing brain influences behavior, emotions, and relationships can help transform moments of conflict into opportunities for connection, curiosity, and greater understanding. My goal is to support adolescents and young adults while also partnering with the people who care about them most, when clinically appropriate, helping everyone feel less alone as they navigate this season of growth and change.
Whether I'm working with a teen, young adult, or their caregivers, my goal remains the same: to create a safe and brave space where each person feels seen, understood, and supported. Together, we'll make sense of your experiences with curiosity, compassion, and honesty, build on your strengths, strengthen relationships, and cultivate the confidence to navigate this stage of life with greater connection, authenticity, and hope.
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Parenting is one of the most meaningful and challenging relationships we experience. There are times when our child's behaviors leave us feeling confused, overwhelmed, or unsure of how to respond. My goal is to support parents and caregivers in moving away from cycles of frustration and toward deeper understanding, confidence, and connection with their child.
One of the ways I do this is through Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), an evidence-based parenting intervention grounded in the belief that a secure parent-child relationship is one of the strongest foundations for a child's emotional well-being and healthy development. Rather than focusing solely on changing behavior, CPRT invites us to become curious about what behavior is communicating. As parents develop a deeper understanding of their child's underlying emotional needs, they become better equipped to respond in ways that strengthen attachment, support emotional regulation, and foster lasting connection. Through this process, parents often find that as the relationship grows stronger, many behavioral challenges begin to shift as well.
Throughout our work together, you'll learn practical skills that can be integrated into everyday interactions and intentional play sessions with your child. These skills help you respond with greater confidence, set developmentally appropriate and effective limits, and create opportunities for your child to feel seen, understood, and emotionally safe. As your confidence grows, many families notice improvements not only in challenging behaviors but also in communication, resilience, and their enjoyment of one another.
CPRT was originally developed for children ages 3 - 8 and has since been adapted for younger children and preadolescents. While it is often offered in a group setting, I provide CPRT in an individual format, allowing us to tailor the process to your family's unique strengths, needs, and goals. Together, we'll approach parenting with curiosity, compassion, and honesty, building on the strengths that already exist within your family and creating new opportunities for connection, understanding, and growth.
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Life asks a lot of us, and you deserve a space where you can show up exactly as you are - a space to pause, make sense of your experiences, heal, and grow. Whether you're experiencing burnout, navigating anxiety, processing grief or trauma, exploring your identity, or moving through a significant life transition, therapy offers an opportunity to reconnect with yourself and discover new ways of moving through the world with greater clarity, confidence, and self-compassion.
I believe healing begins within a safe and brave therapeutic relationship where you don't have to perform, mask, or carry everything alone. I strive to create that kind of space - one where you don't have to explain away, minimize, or hide parts of who you are. Whether your experiences are shaped by your sexuality, gender, relationships, spirituality, neurodivergence, or other aspects of your lived experience, all parts of you are welcome here.
My practice is LGBTQIA+-affirming, gender-affirming, body-affirming, neurodiversity-affirming, sex-positive, polyamory-affirming, and spiritually affirming. I welcome adults and couples seeking a therapeutic relationship where they feel respected, understood, and supported as they explore every part of themselves without judgment.
Together, we'll make sense of your experiences with curiosity, compassion, and honesty. As we build on your strengths and deepen your understanding of yourself, my hope is that you feel more connected - to yourself, to the people who matter most, and to the life you're creating.
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Therapy, at its core, should be developmentally appropriate and responsive to each person's unique strengths, needs, and way of experiencing the world. I recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. As someone who has worked with a wide range of children and individuals with neurodivergent identities - including autism, ADHD, giftedness, intellectual disabilities, and learning differences - I strive to help people develop a healthy sense of self, foster belonging, and build confidence in who they are. I view autism and neurodivergency as a natural variation in human neurodevelopment rather than something that needs to be changed. I work collaboratively with clients and families to support self-understanding, emotional well-being, and meaningful participation in the environments that matter most to them.
Play therapy can be an effective approach for children who are learning to identify, communicate, and regulate their emotions. Through the therapeutic relationship, play therapy supports the development of secure attachment, social communication, emotional regulation, and neural integration within a safe, supportive environment. I also integrate other evidence-based approaches to best meet each individual's unique needs.
No matter which therapeutic approach we use, my goal remains the same: to create a safe and brave space where you feel supported in exploring your experiences with curiosity, compassion, and honesty. Together, we'll build on your strengths, make sense of the challenges you're facing, and work toward a life that feels more connected, authentic, and meaningful.
A Passion for Authenticity
My belief is that therapy is something that should be done collaboratively with clients through their healing process while remaining humbly inquisitive to each client’s unique experience. My goal is to create a safe, brave space for each client to be able to better explore their personal strengths. I hold a strong belief that each individual has the inherent ability within themselves to move toward positive growth.
My Path to Counseling
I was born in Atlanta and raised in Savannah, Georgia, giving me the opportunity to experience both urban and rural communities throughout my childhood. I was also fortunate to travel from a young age, and those experiences shaped the way I see the world and the people in it.
One of the most influential experiences of my life came in high school when I was selected to serve as a student ambassador to Japan. Through an immersive cultural exchange, I learned about traditional tea ceremonies, visited historic temples and landmarks, wore a kimono, planted rice, stayed with a host family, and connected with people whose perspectives were very different from my own. Those experiences deepened my appreciation for the many ways people experience and make meaning of the world.
I went on to earn my Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia, along with minors in History and Political Science. As part of my undergraduate education, I completed my minor coursework at Cambridge University in England. Although I originally planned to study biology, everything changed after taking my first course in Philosophical Psychophysiology. I became fascinated by the brain and the incredible complexity of human thoughts, emotions, and relationships, and I knew I wanted to spend my career helping others better understand themselves.
In 2017, I moved to Oregon to pursue my goal of becoming a therapist. I earned my Master of Arts in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy from George Fox University and am currently a Marriage and Family Therapist Associate in the State of Oregon (Lic. # R10323). Upon graduating in 2020, I was honored to receive the Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling Outstanding Student Award in recognition of my academic achievement and dedication to the profession.
In addition to my clinical work, I had the privilege of serving on the board of the Oregon Association for Play Therapy (ORAPT) from June 2019 through May 2024. My experiences in leadership, education, and diverse cultural settings continue to shape the way I approach therapy—with curiosity, compassion, and a deep respect for each person's unique story.
My Approach
My approach to therapy is warm, collaborative, affirming, and free of judgment. I believe healing happens within a trusting relationship, so I strive to create a space where you feel genuinely seen, heard, and accepted. I approach each client with humility, curiosity, and deep respect for the unique experiences, identities, and cultural contexts that have shaped who they are.
Authenticity is one of my core values, both in and outside of the therapy room. I believe therapists are humans first, and I find it important to show up as my genuine self while inviting clients to do the same. As a queer, non-binary, and neurodivergent person, I understand what it can feel like to navigate a world that isn't always built with everyone in mind. Those lived experiences have deepened my empathy and continue to shape the affirming, inclusive, and compassionate care I strive to provide. While therapy often involves sitting with life's most difficult moments, I also believe healing has room for laughter, creativity, and moments of joy. Some of the most meaningful growth happens when we can hold space for both the serious and the silly.
My clinical experience includes working with infants, children, adolescents, and families from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in residential, outpatient, nonprofit, school-based, and community mental health settings. I view therapy as a collaborative process, where you and your family are the experts on your own lives. Together, we'll identify your goals, build on your existing strengths, and develop practical strategies that foster greater self-understanding, emotional regulation, confidence, and long-term resilience.
Because I completed my graduate training during the COVID-19 pandemic, I also gained extensive experience providing play therapy through telehealth. This has given me the opportunity to help children, parents, and caregivers access meaningful services in ways that best fit their goals, needs, and everyday lives.
My Experience
My work is grounded in a strength-based, humanistic, and trauma-informed perspective with a strong commitment to cultural humility, inclusivity, and anti-oppressive practice. While every client is unique, my primary therapeutic approaches include Person-Centered Therapy, Filial Therapy, Child-Centered Non-Directive Play Therapy, and Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), which I offer both individually and through a structured 10-week group program.
When it best serves your goals, I also integrate other evidence-based approaches, including Solution-Focused Therapy, Family Systems Therapy, Interpersonal Neurobiology, Relational-Cultural Therapy, Mindfulness-Based interventions, Ecotherapy, Sandtray Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
I have specialized training and experience supporting children, adolescents, adults, and families navigating:
Anxiety and excessive worry
Anger and emotional regulation
ADHD and executive functioning challenges
Attachment and relationship concerns
Parent-child relationships
Parenting support
Depression
Self-esteem
Stress and life transitions
School, peer, and social challenges
Grief and loss
Career counseling
Coping skills
Values clarification and living with intention
Gender-diverse youth and adults
LGBTQIA+ individuals and families
Military families
Children who have experienced sexual abuse
No matter which therapeutic approach we use, my goal remains the same: to create a safe and brave space where you feel supported in exploring your experiences with curiosity, compassion, and honesty. Together, we'll build on your strengths, make sense of the challenges you're facing, and work toward a life that feels more connected, authentic, and meaningful.
My Life Outside the Counseling Room
I share my home with my wife and our two sweet fur babies, my fluffy white cloud Artie (an American Eskimo mix) and our derpy sable-coated Charlie (a border collie-Shetland sheepdog mix). I value intentional time I am able to spend with my wife, close friends, and family . In my spare time, I enjoy listening to and playing music (karaoke, piano, guitar, and ukulele have been more intentional focuses, starting on the double bass and saxophone in elementary school), traveling (I’ve been to Japan, the United Kingdom, England, and Amsterdam), being outside or hiking out in nature taking photos (flowers and landscapes primarily), skateboarding (goofy-footed), painting/creating art (mostly acrylic medium and some digital), and playing video games (the horror genre being one of my favorites).
Video games have played a special role for my family and me. From learning to read thanks to the help from my Mum with Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 3 on the SNES (which is technically FF6), to enjoying various racing games with my Father, or learning how to skate, both in and out of video games with my big brother Nick. Video games have been a catalyst for connection in our family.
I am humbled you have read thus far, and it would be a privilege and an honor to have the opportunity to work alongside you and your family. Thank you for your time and commitment towards healing.
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Click here to book a free consultation.
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I currently accept Regence BCBS, Anthem, BlueCross BlueShield, Aetna, Cigna, and Evernorth insurance. Beginning November 1st I will also accept Moda insurance.
If paying out of pocket, please contact me for current rates and to discuss payment options. I believe in accessible care and can talk with you about your options, including sliding scale spots when available.
For clients paying out-of-pocket, I can provide a superbill (an itemized receipt) that you may submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.
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I receive clinical supervision from Andrea Larsen, LPC (C7187), and Leslie Taylor, LPC (C9013)