Ruth Tessema, LPC
Animal Lover & Cat Mom
Nature Enthusiast
Portland Local
First Generation American
Spiritual
Sci-fi & Mystery fan
About Ruth
Ruth Tessema is a Black, Ethiopian American holistic psychotherapist based in Oregon. As a licensed professional counselor, she combines cognitive behavioral therapy with various somatic practices to offer a holistic approach to healing.
Ruth immigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia at age four and grew up in North East Portland, a place she feels deeply connected to. She honors the land’s history, traditionally cared for by the Cascade, Clackamas, and Multnomah Chinook Tribes. Ruth earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Portland State University and her Master’s in Counselor Education from Penn West University. After working in community health and as a school counselor, she transitioned into private practice to focus on mental health and holistic healing.
As the founder of Rising Self Wellness, Ruth Tessema is dedicated to guiding individuals through their healing journey with compassion, trust, and a focus on personal growth. She empowers clients to recognize their inner strength and autonomy, helping them explore the layers of their identities and experiences. Rather than "fixing" problems, Ruth supports clients in making their own realizations and choices, fostering independence and self-worth.
Rooted in holistic wellness, Ruth integrates physical, energetic, mental, and spiritual aspects into her practice. With expertise as a licensed therapist and educator, she specializes in somatic trauma healing and is passionate about addressing inequities in mental health and wellness for marginalized communities. Through Rising Self Wellness, she offers holistic psychotherapy, breathwork, sound healing, and wellness workshops tailored to her clients' diverse needs.
Ruth is committed to creating safe, inclusive spaces where healing can flourish, empowering clients to lead their lives with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Restorative & Holistic Approach
Imagine a historic building, weathered by time and the elements, standing in gentle ruins. Though worn and stressed, you can still see the intricate beauty and potential within. Each crack and detail tells a story, a testament to its resilience and strength. Trauma can often feel like this—leaving us feeling damaged, broken, and beyond repair. In traditional Western medicine, trauma is often approached with surface-level solutions, akin to cosmetic fixes on a building—polishing the exterior without addressing the deeper, structural issues.
True restoration, however, takes a different approach. Much like the careful restoration of a historic landmark, healing trauma requires patience, intention, and respect for the complexity of the whole person. This process involves delving into the root of the harm, preserving the core essence, and nurturing the individual back to wholeness. It’s not about masking the pain but honoring it, understanding the sacredness of the experiences that shape us.
Just as ruins hold a unique beauty and history, each of us carries our own sacred experiences and energy. Trauma survivorship is a journey of treating ourselves with the same gentle care and respect, acknowledging our past while cultivating the strength to rebuild. The process of post-traumatic growth is not a quick fix but a gradual restoration, empowering us to heal deeply and fully.
Restoration is not only possible—it is our birthright.
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare”
-Audre Lorde
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
-Rumi
What is Holistic Therapy?
At Rising Self Wellness, our approach to therapy is grounded in the belief that true healing involves treating the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. We employ specific techniques and styles to guide you on a path to wellness, with a restorative, person-centered focus. As emerging research continues to highlight the powerful mind-body connection, we embrace an integrative model of mental health care that supports comprehensive healing.
Holistic therapy goes beyond addressing just the mental or emotional aspects of well-being. It incorporates the physical body, social influences (such as community, environment, cultural identity, and relationships), and spirituality (including self-awareness, values, and belief systems). Treatment begins by identifying which areas need attention, exploring what methods may support healing, and collaboratively creating a plan that nurtures every part of you.
A key component of our holistic approach is integrating the physical body into the healing process. This can involve practices like somatic exercises, nervous system regulation, breathwork, chair yoga, meditation, guided imagery, sound healing, expressive arts, and parts work (Internal Family Systems). We also coordinate care with other professionals, such as naturopathic doctors, holistic nutritionists, and acupuncturists, to provide well-rounded support.
Our goal is to help clients reconnect with their bodies, fostering a sense of embodiment and reconnection. It is through this reconnection that true restorative trauma recovery can take place.
Advanced Trainings
These are a few highlighted trainings among others completed
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Fully Trained Clinician issued by Diane DesPlantes, EMDRIA
Spiritual, Ethical, & Religious Counseling Certificate issued by Penn West University
Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level III Practicum issued by Michael Brown, The Gottman Institute
The Resilient Heart™: Trauma-Sensitive HeartMath Course and Certification issued by HeartMath
Breathwork Teacher Certification issued by Jon Paul Crimi, BREATHE
Somatic Experiencing Professional Training Intermediate III issued by Joshua Sylvae, Somatic Experiencing International
Internal Family Systems Level 1 issued by Kim Paulus and Crystal Jones, IFS Institute
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