Steven Balshem, LCSW

Are you a teen or adult experiencing changes in your mood, or feel that your emotions and negative thoughts are becoming too difficult to manage? Do these changes impact your every day life? If they do, maybe they were brought on by a big life transition, a traumatic experience, navigating systems of oppression, and may even be linked to underlying anxiety, depression, ADHD, identity development, or a traumatic life event. Whichever it may be, your willingness to be vulnerable and commitment to change is the first, and sometimes the hardest, step along the path of personal growth and healing. My Approach My collaborative approach to support begins with establishing a therapeutic relationship rooted in trust, non-judgment, empathy, and validation. I recognize the challenges around sharing your thoughts, feelings, and life experiences with a complete stranger, so I am a big advocate of meeting you where you're at as we begin our time together. As our therapeutic relationship strengthens, we will begin to unpack the connection between your thoughts, values and beliefs, feelings, and behavior to assist us in identifying areas of growth that you feel will be most beneficial to prioritize. Along with setting concrete therapeutic goals, we may also explore specific skills and strategies that aim to strengthen your current foundation of distress tolerance, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and staying in the present moment. Meet Your Therapist Hi there! I'm Steven (he/him), I truly appreciate you for taking the time to learn a little more about me during your search for a therapist. As an adopted, cisgendered, Korean American who has lived in Portland, OR for their entire life, I value and affirm all identities and walks of life. I am passionate about fostering a supportive space for people of color and LGBTQIA+ individuals, with the understanding that although we may not share the exact same identities and lived experiences, we are able to acknowledge that we navigate the same social and political systems that perpetuate varying forms of oppression, which have a significant impact on an individual's sense of self and overall mental health. While I am not in session, I am most likely nurturing my inner-child, whether that be by playing basketball, enjoying the outdoors through disc golf, camping, swimming in a body of water, traveling to new places, trying my hand at wildlife photography, or being a home body and spending my down time playing video games, reading sci-fi/fantasy books, playing card/board games, procrastinating chores, and spending quality time with my friends and family (pets included). Professional Experience In 2013, I began my professional journey into the mental health field and worked as a skills trainer and supervisor at a residential treatment facility and partial-hospitalization program for youth and adolescents. After deciding to pursue my graduate degree in social work in 2015, I then transitioned to working as a behavioral health therapist at an adolescent psychiatric unit at the hospital level of care. While in graduate school, I gained internship experience as an emergency department social worker at a local children's hospital, and as a student counselor with an after school program. After finishing graduate school in 2018, I became a therapist with an intensive outpatient program. In 2022, I then joined an outpatient mental health group as both a therapist and a student mental health specialist at a local high school, before officially going into private practice in 2025. Billing/Insurance I offer an initial consultation session at no cost and a sliding scale for session costs if you decide to move forward with me. At this time, I qualify as an out-of-network provider for most major insurance carriers and am in the process of becoming credentialed with major insurance carriers. For clients paying without insurance or insurance reimbursement, I also offer a limited number of reduced-rate spots with the intent to make therapy more accessible.