About Leah Hutchinson Sanchez

Leah Hutchinson Sanchez | BA

GRADUATE STUDENT COUNSELOR

Counseling for Adults (Age 18+)

Leah seeks to create spaces for clients to feel safe, empowered, and valued. She believes each client is the expert of their own life and approaches counseling with a collaborative and non-pathologizing lens. Sessions with Leah provide a space to explore the complexities of life, supporting each client to live more authentically and in alignment with their values. She is passionate about helping clients feel seen and heard in mental health spaces.

Leah sees individuals aged 18 and older. She enjoys working with a variety of concerns, including anxiety and depression, grief and loss, body image and disordered eating, interpersonal relationships, queer liberation, disability justice, and the COVID-conscious community. She strives to build a safe and understanding environment to help clients navigate the complexities of living in our current world.

Her therapeutic approach is influenced by humanistic and client-centered approaches. Leah knows each client brings in their own unique experience and draws from multiple approaches, including attachment theory, Health at Every Size (HAES), Somatic Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and creative exploration. She is intentional about social justice and multiculturalism in counseling, weaving in a client’s intersecting cultural and social identities to provide inclusive, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed care. Leah’s therapeutic practice is also informed by body liberation, queer liberation, and disability justice.

Outside of counseling, she enjoys going on scenic drives with her loved ones (with an incredible playlist, of course), playing with the neighborhood cats, and creative writing.

Education:

• Earning Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Portland State University
• Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Social Science from Portland State University

Areas of Interest:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Grief & Loss
• Body Image
• Family Issues
• Religious Trauma
• Identity Exploration
• LGBTQIA+ Affirming Care
• Chronic Illness and Disability