Most therapy practices read the research. We produce it.
Portland Psychotherapy is the only mental health clinic of its kind in the country: a private practice built so that about 10% of our revenue funds an in-house scientific research lab. No government grants directing our questions. No pharmaceutical funding shaping our conclusions. The clients we serve are our benefactors — every therapy session helps fund independent science aimed at reducing human suffering.
Learn how our business model works >
What This Means for Your Care
Several of our therapists are also active researchers who publish in peer-reviewed journals, develop new treatments, and train therapists around the world. When you work with us, you’re getting care from clinicians who don’t just keep up with the science — they help create it. And if we’re not the best fit for what you’re facing, our grounding in the evidence means we’ll tell you, and help you find who is.
What We Study
Our research focuses on developing new ways to help people live fuller, more meaningful lives.
Shame, Self-Criticism, and Self-Compassion
We are one of the few labs in the world focused on how shame and self-criticism affect mental health — and how therapies like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help. Current work includes Project LISTENS, a longitudinal study of shame and self-compassion in therapy, and Big Heart, Open Wide, a 9-week program we developed for highly self-critical people.
Social Anxiety
Project MESA (Motivation and Emotion in Social Anxiety) investigates how shame, coping, and interpersonal behavior interact in social anxiety disorder — laying the groundwork for new treatments.
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Our lab conducts research on psychedelic-assisted therapy, including a clinical trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for social anxiety disorder and collaborative studies with Oregon Health & Science University on Oregon’s first-in-the-nation legal psilocybin services. We also study the ethics, safety, and training standards this emerging field needs. Read our overview of psychedelic research >
Our Publications
Scientists at Portland Psychotherapy have produced nearly 100 scientific publications, including research articles in journals such as World Psychiatry, The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, and the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, plus widely used books for clinicians including Learning ACT and Values in Therapy.
Independent Ethics Review
All of our research is reviewed by an independent, federally registered Institutional Review Board that we helped establish in 2008, hosted by the nonprofit Behavioral Health Research Collective. Independent review ensures every study meets the highest ethical standards for protecting participants.
Get Involved
Participate in a study. Many of our studies rely on community volunteers. See current research and how to join >
Train with us. We offer a postdoctoral fellowship with dedicated research time, and mentorship for volunteer research assistants. See current openings.
Become a client. The simplest way to support independent mental health research is also the most personal: getting care that helps you live better.