About

Elyse Conterno, PsyD (she/her)
Psychologist licensed in Oregon and Washington

Dr. Elyse Conterno’s interest and passion for working in mental health started about 10 years ago when she began working as a psychiatric technician for Albertina Kerr’s Subacute facility in Portland, Oregon. As a psych tech, Dr. Conterno worked directly with children and adolescents experiencing acute mental health crises, assisting with their daily living activities, and leading them in interactive skills groups. This challenging work drove her desire to further learn and understand the complexities of human psychology. She became determined and committed to expanding her knowledge and education and decided to attend graduate school in California where Dr. Conterno completed her doctorate in clinical psychology.

As her training and career continued, Dr. Conterno began to narrow her focus on exclusively using the theories, concepts, and interventions of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to treat OCD and other anxiety disorders. Not only did she find these approaches fit with her personality and individual philosophy, but Dr. Conterno also saw how these evidence-based therapies more quickly and effectively created meaningful, and lasting change in her clients. She was fortunate to refine her specialization working at NW Anxiety Institute in Portland, Oregon. There Dr. Conterno advanced her skills and passion for helping her clients using CBT and ACT and she increased her experience and knowledge using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). She’s developed a special passion for working with people struggling with OCD and continues foster her ability to effectively treat OCD through ongoing training, supervision, and consultation.

As Dr. Conterno has settled into her clinical and professional identity, she continues to strive to provide compassionate, culturally responsive evidence-based behavioral therapy. She seeks out up-to-date research and training in her commitment to the ethics and principles as a licensed clinical psychologist. This includes additional training and supervision to uphold values of social justice in her personal and professional life. In treatment, Dr. Conterno uses a trauma-informed approach to consider how systems of inequity and oppression impact those in marginalized groups including BIPOC and LGBTQ+ persons. She seeks to create a space where personal and cultural identities are thoughtfully and deliberately brought into the room as an essential consideration in treatment.

Education and Affiliations: