About Us
Learn about our approach, experience, and commitment to your well-being.
Life Solutions LLC is now part of Waypoint Counseling Services
✓ Assisting clients in improving the overall quality of living through empathetic listening, education, social skills training, and professional trauma treatment.
✓ Committing to use only the most effective evidence-based tools and techniques to stay on the edge of exploration and discovery of human potential.
✓ Offering comprehensive and culturally-specific assessments and professional counseling services.
Heleen Woest, MA, LPC, NCC
Licensed Professional Counselor • Oregon License #C6173
EMDR Certified
Trauma Treatment Certified
KAP Certified
IFS Certified
Oregon State License #C6173 • NCC (National Certified Counselor)
About Heleen
Philosophy and Approach
I love working with individuals of diverse ages, cultures, identities, and life experiences. My work centers on helping people heal from the impact of trauma and complex PTSD. Because this work is deeply personal and often vulnerable, I prioritize ensuring a good fit, building a strong therapeutic relationship, staying client-focused, and creating a safe, steady space where clients can process past pain while moving toward the future they envision. I strongly believe that trauma is treatable.
My approach is collaborative and grounded in evidence-based trauma treatment. I enjoy designing holistic treatment plans that integrate each client’s strengths, personality, and creativity with modalities such as EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Trauma-Focused CBT, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Mindfulness-based practices, and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).
Focus
Trauma
Single-incident or time-limited events such as:
✓ Sexual assault or attempted assault
✓ Accidents or near-death events
✓ Medical trauma
✓ Natural disasters
✓ Shootings or community violence
✓ Attacks or criminal victimization
✓ Disaster relief exposure
✓ Sudden or traumatic loss
✓ War, political violence, or forced displacement
✓ Reproductive trauma (miscarriage, traumatic birth, fertility-related trauma)
Complex Trauma
Chronic, relational, cumulative, or developmental experiences such as:
✓ Childhood trauma, including neglect, abuse, poverty, homelessness, third-culture kid experiences, chronic instability, parental divorce, blended family stress, bullying, loss of a caregiver or sibling, or growing up with parental mental illness, addiction, or chronic illness
✓ Domestic violence and coercive control
✓ Betrayal trauma
✓ Abandonment wounds and fear of rejection
✓ Workplace bullying, harassment, or institutional betrayal
✓ Vicarious trauma (first responders, soldiers, war correspondents, medical providers, mental health clinicians, caregivers)
✓ Chronic illness — your own or a loved one’s
✓ Full-time caregiving of a vulnerable adult
✓ Living with a treatment-resistant mental health condition
✓ Growing up with a sibling who has a chronic illness or mental disorder
✓ Religious, spiritual, or ritual abuse
✓ Immigration and acculturation trauma
✓ Divorce or high-conflict relational transitions
✓ Trauma bonds with unsafe or unpredictable people
✓ Marginalization and identity-based trauma (racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, ableism)
✓ Phobias (fear of flying, driving, etc.)
Formal Education & Training
I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor with the State of Oregon #C6173. My formal education and training include:
✓ Master’s in Counseling – Western Seminary
✓ B.Iuris in Law – University of South Africa (UNISA)
✓ Certified EMDR Therapist – EMDRIA
✓ Certification in Traumatic Stress Studies – Trauma Research Foundation
✓ Certified in Internal Family Systems (IFS)
✓ Certified in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
✓ Certified Veteran & Military Mental Health Professional (CVMHP)
✓ Certified Oregon State Victim’s Advocate – Domestic Violence Resource Center (DVRC)
✓ Certified in ASD and ADD/ADHD
✓ Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist (CAGCS) Certification
Professional Background
I have nearly a decade of private practice experience treating trauma, complex trauma, and dual diagnoses. Before that, I worked at the Domestic Violence Resource Center in Beaverton and the UGM Life Change Program in Portland, where I gained extensive experience with domestic violence, substance use, homelessness, and chronic mental illness.
Prior to becoming a licensed clinician, I spent eighteen years working in lay counseling and was trained as a nouthetic counselor, facilitating recovery groups for individuals struggling with eating disorders and food addiction. I have also authored recovery materials and created online courses for women and mothers.
Fees, Insurance, & Policies
✓ $195 for one clinical hour (55 minutes) of Psychotherapy and $250 for one clinical hour (55 minutes) of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. Payments can be made through the client portal, check, cash, or credit card. Limited sliding-scale options are available based on need.
✓ I currently accept Aetna Insurance and provide superbills for out-of-network reimbursement. My billing system will automatically create a superbill for you at the end of each month.
✓ I have a 24-hour cancellation policy – late cancellations incur a $100 fee except in the event of highly irregular circumstances.
Personal Background
I grew up in South Africa and immigrated to the United States more than two decades ago. This experience shaped my cultural sensitivity and deepened my understanding of identity, belonging, and transition. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and children, gathering with friends and family, playing piano, writing, hiking (the leisurely kind), taking road trips, reading historical fiction, painting with oils, doing strength/weight training, dancing, and karaoke.
✓ BLOG: Read more about my personal and professional endeavors and interests on my blog.
✓ PODCAST: Listen to interviews I conducted with fellow clinicians on my podcast.
To schedule an appointment, please call me at 503-395-5522 or email me at Heleen@WaypointPDX.com. Existing clients can request an appointment on the client portal.