Counseling
Meeting you where you are
JFCS’ Counseling program provides compassionate, person-centered, trauma-informed mental-health services to adults, children, teens, couples and families facing life’s challenges. Our priority is to provide support based on trust, empathy and understanding to ensure that our clients feel safe, empowered and able to make progress toward their goals.
Our Counseling team – with combined 50 years’ experience – and program:
- Include licensed and master’s level providers (MSWs and LCSWs)
- Provide culturally competent, confidential and effective services
- Offer our clients as many treatment options as possible
- Accept private pay, sliding scale, Medicare and secondary insurance, as well as commercial insurance according to plan provision
- Meet clients where they are

L to R: Missy Fry, Douglass Ruth, Laura Cohen
What does this phrase “meeting you where you are” really mean?
- Our clinicians work with clients in the physical space that works best for them and also in their most comfortable emotional space. “It has to do with a person’s right to self-determination that we always honor,” says Missy Fry, LCSW, CAGCS, Aging & Adult Services Clinician.
- We see clients by appointment-only at our downtown offices and in our new space at the Eastside Jewish Commons (EJC); in their home when warranted; and online thanks to the advantages of telehealth.
Laura Cohen, LCSW, ACSW, child and family therapist, says, “The power of therapy is being present with that person and in that moment.”
JFCS offers counseling services that focus on wellness and the development of coping strategies via a strengths-based approach for a variety of mental health issues.
Our counseling services include:
- Psychotherapy for adults across the lifespan
- Specialized geriatric psychotherapy
- Counseling for children, teens and families
- Short-term solution-focused therapy
- Processing and support groups
- Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE)
- Staff training and development
For more information, click here to contact the Counseling department.
Navigating your Children’s Mental Health Challenges:
A Parent Support Group
Join us the first Monday of each month to connect with other parents experiencing similar challenges and to learn more about relevant topics relating to mental health in children and youth.
The first part of each evening will be facilitated by presenters from our Anxiety Series and will offer an informal opportunity to check -in, connect and share with other parents. The second part of each evening will be led by a guest speaker who will share their wisdom and expertise on topics that resonate with so many of us.
Our first session, “Navigating School Success,” will be held October 2, 2023, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Click here to learn more.
Partnerships power Counseling
“Partnerships are what make us a social-services organization,” says Douglass Ruth, LCSW, clinical director of Jewish Family & Child Service.
He and JFCS Counseling program colleagues Laura Cohen, LCSW, ACSW, child and family therapist, and Missy Fry, LCSW, CAGCS, aging & adult services clinician, engage local and national partners to expand JFCS’ reach and strengthen community for clients seeking mental-health support.
Click here to learn more.
SPACE: Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions
Is your child or teen struggling with anxiety? Is it impacting how you and/or your family function(s)?
If so, consider contacting JFCS’ Child and Family Therapist Laura Cohen, a licensed clinical social worker. She is offering a new treatment option called SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) that provides parents with skills and tools to help their child cope with and overcome anxiety.
Click here to learn more.
Mental Health Spotlight
In addition to one-on-one psychotherapy, JFCS offers Mental Health Spotlight to shine a light on areas where all people – children through older adults, including self-identified disabled members of our community – struggle and can seek help. Mental Health Spotlight’s goal is community outreach and providing pertinent information about topics our clinicians are tuned in to through their client work.
Mental Health Spotlight is not one-on-one therapy. It offers groups, workshops and presentations — spaces for anyone in the community to connect with others and share what’s on their mind.
Click here to learn more about this important program or check out our group sessions currently being offered below.
Our ongoing, drop-in groups:
Community Connection
Join JFCS for weekly conversations on Zoom: It is a space for anyone in the community to connect with others and share what’s on their mind.
Grief Connection
Grief affects every part of our lives and can be a lonely road to travel. Join us for our monthly grief-processing group for adults. In our virtual sessions, we will have the opportunity to share our own experiences with grief, connect with others, and learn strategies for moving through loss. Click here to learn more.
Cancer Support Group
Community is important. Cancer is lonely. Jewish Family & Child Service has combined these two truths to create this support group open to anyone with a cancer diagnosis. Click here to learn more.
All groups meet on Zoom. Zoom links provided below.
2023 CALENDAR
SEPTEMBER
Friday, September 1, 10am-11am
Grief Connection
Click here for Zoom link
Friday, September 8, 10am-11am
Community Connection
Click here for Zoom link
Tuesday, September 12, 3pm
Cancer Support Group
Click here to learn more and get Zoom link
Friday, September 15
No Groups
Friday, September 22, 10am-11am
Mental Health Spotlight: Change, Transition, & Adaptability
Click here for Zoom link
Friday, September 29, 10am-11am
Community Connection
Click here for Zoom link
OCTOBER
Friday, October 6, 10am-11am
Grief Connection
Click here for Zoom link
Tuesday, October 10, 3pm
Cancer Support Group
Click here to learn more and get Zoom link
Friday, October 13, 10am-11am
Community Connection
Click here for Zoom link
Friday, October 20, 10am-11am
Mental Health Spotlight: Chronic Pain and Mental Health
Click here for Zoom link
Friday, October 27, 10am-11am
Community Connection
Click here for Zoom link
NOVEMBER
Friday, November 3, 10am-11am
Grief Connection
Click here for Zoom link
Tuesday, November 7, 3pm
Cancer Support Group
Click here to learn more and get Zoom link
Friday, November 10, 10am-11am
Community Connection
Click here for Zoom link
Friday, November 17, 10am-11am
Mental Health Spotlight: Forgiveness: Making Meaning Later in Life
Click here for Zoom link
Friday, November 24
No Groups
DECEMBER
Friday, December 1, 10am-11am
Grief Connection
Click here for Zoom link
Friday, December 8, 10am-11am
Community Connection
Click here for Zoom link
Tuesday, December 12, 3pm
Cancer Support Group
Click here to learn more and get Zoom link
Friday, December 15, 10am-11am
Mental Health Spotlight: Strategies to Manage Depression
Click here for Zoom link
Friday, December 22, 10am-11am
Community Connection
Click here for Zoom link
Friday, December 29
No Groups
Watch this short video above featuring JFCS’ clinicians discussing community need and their role in supporting clients’ mental health.
Learn more about our Counseling program:
The “C” in JFCS is now firmly in place
Learn more about JFCS’ new full-time child and family therapist
JFCS: the community’s go-to agency for mental health services
Learn more about our mental health services and PCTI approach to care
Click here for a list of Behavioral Health Community Resources
Meet Our Counseling Team

Douglass Ruth, LCSW, CCTP
Clinical Director
A Duke University grad with a master’s from Smith College School of Social Work, Doug has been with JFCS since 2010 and provides individual, couples and group counseling in addition to supervisory responsibilities. Passionate about providing person-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) care to his clients, Doug might be equally passionate about his playful dog Balto. Learn more about Doug here.

Missy Fry, LCSW
Aging & Adult Services Clinician
Missy earned her master’s from Portland State University’s School of Social Work in 2016 and specializes in grief therapy and working with older adults. She also holds a graduate certificate in Gerontology from PSU. Her clinical focus is PCTI and a strengths-based approach to therapy (while also proud to be a natural redhead). Learn more about Missy here.

Laura Cohen, LCSW, ACSW
Child and Family Therapist
In addition to her 30 years’ experience and Hebrew fluency, Laura leans heavily on Jewish values in her PCTI and strengths-based therapeutic work. Learn more about Laura here.


Click here to read our June newsletter with a spotlight on our Counseling program.
Click the video above to watch a Legal and Financial planning presentation with Elder-law expert Michael Rose and learn about important concepts that are relevant to you and your loved ones.

Missy Fry wins Rogoway Award
Congratulations to Missy Fry, Aging & Adult Services Clinician, who is the 2022 recipient of the Laurie Rogoway Outstanding Jewish Professional Award, which recognizes a current Jewish communal professional in greater Portland.
With JFCS for 11 years, Missy is the first therapist to win this award in its eight-year history.