Therapy for loneliness Portland is more than a search term—it’s a real need for so many adults in our city. You can live in a city full of people and still feel completely alone. In Portland, where people often keep to themselves, whether you’ve just moved here, are struggling to find your people, or feel distant from friends and family, that sense of disconnection can quietly take over your day-to-day life. Loneliness is more than an emotional experience—it’s a mental health issue.
At Holistic Community Therapy, we specialize in therapy for loneliness Portland residents can truly connect with—serving adults navigating loneliness, social anxiety, or isolation using a trauma-informed, neurodivergent-affirming approach. Through occupational therapy (OT) and mental health support, we help you build real-life, culturally grounded tools for connection—not just small talk scripts or generic advice.
Loneliness Is More Common Than You Think
Loneliness affects people of all ages, but it’s especially common among adults dealing with life transitions, chronic illness, grief, burnout, or mental health conditions like anxiety or depression.
If you’ve tried attending a community event, joining a class at a local studio, or even messaging folks on Bumble BFF without much success, you’re not alone. Portland’s unique culture—independent, introverted, and transitory—can make it harder to build lasting connections, even if you’re surrounded by friendly faces. That doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It means your social environment and nervous system might need more support—therapy for loneliness Portland can help bridge that gap.
How Occupational Therapy Supports Therapy for Loneliness in Portland
In occupational therapy, we view relationships and social connection as occupations: essential, meaningful parts of everyday life. Just like managing your schedule, making meals, or caring for your health, social connection takes real energy and planning. If connecting with others feels hard or draining, there’s likely a reason. We explore:
- Sensory regulation: Is your nervous system overwhelmed in social settings like cafés, group hikes, or happy hours?
- Executive function challenges: Do you forget to text people back or lose track of community events you meant to attend?
- Communication style: Do neurodivergent traits affect how you process or express social cues?
- Trauma history: Have past relationships left you feeling unsafe or unseen?
OT gives you the space to understand these patterns, then helps you create a plan to build connection your way.
What Rebuilding Connection Can Look Like in Therapy
Connection doesn’t have to mean a big social circle. It can mean:
- Reaching out to a former friend
- Attending a queer-friendly yoga or dance class in SE Portland
- Going to a regular class or community space
- Practicing conversation skills
- Setting boundaries that create safe socializing
- Creating an after-social “decompression” plan for when your energy crashes after being around people
Together, we break it down into small, manageable steps so you can move at your pace, not anyone else’s.
Therapy Can Help You:
- Explore what connection means to you: Do you crave deeper friendships? Intimacy? Simply not feeling invisible? We clarify your needs first.
- Unpack barriers: Shame, trauma, or past rejection can all block the path to connection. You don’t need to untangle that alone.
- Build a “connection toolkit” that fits your energy, routine, and Portland life: We can role-play difficult conversations, explore social scripts, or even co-create a “social energy plan.”
- Create a connection roadmap: From building routines to finding aligned spaces in Portland, therapy helps turn intentions into action.
You’re Not “Too Much” or “Not Enough”
Whether you’re introverted, neurodivergent, chronically ill, or someone who’s been burned before, it’s okay to want meaningful connection and to be scared of it. Both can be true.
At our practice, we create a space where you don’t have to mask or perform. No need for “therapy voice” or polished stories—just your real self. You can show up messy, honest, unsure, and we’ll meet you there.
Ready to Reconnect?
If you’re feeling lonely in Portland and want support that’s grounded in who you really are, we’re here to help. Whether it’s your first therapy experience or you’re looking for something different—less clinical, more human—we’ll walk with you. We provide in-person and virtual sessions tailored to your needs, goals, and unique way of engaging with the world.
Let’s build connection from a place of safety, authenticity, and self-trust, one step at a time.
