• Noha Mostafa, MS, NCC, LPCA  

    MS, Clinical Mental Health Counseling

    National Certified Counselor 

    Registered Professional Counselor Associate (R7136)

    Master Certified Health Coach

    EMDR Trained Therapist

     

     

    If navigating your personal and/or professional roles involved putting your real challenges “on mute”, you may at some point sense how overall health, bodily sensations and loss of connection with what really matters to you, will find ways to “speak on behalf of” your unspoken stress.

    My interest in studying clinical mental health counseling evolved when my work allowed me to see that even if there is access to quality care and resources for physical health, unaddressed or “skillfully masked” distress may stand in the way of enjoying real and sustainable sense of progress and aliveness.

    I hope when people join me, their intentional engagement in strengthening their resilience, can help break those old cycles where attempts would be made to only “manage” the physical symptoms, while the suppressed psychological stress is left to silently feed many more imbalances.

    With the help of your own strengths, your counseling and therapy with me can aim at long-term health, sustained psychological wellbeing, and mindful navigation of experiences including:

    Despite years of unaddressed challenges, it’s possible to effectively and gently work with the origins of current imbalances without “reliving the pain” of past distressing events.

    You can expect to co-craft your experience with me based on your needs and goals. You can also expect to be regularly invited to share your feedback and questions to co-facilitate a human to human connection and a steady movement towards therapeutic outcomes.

    Clinical Experience

    I am grateful that throughout my clinical training, I was part of dedicated and supportive teams of clinicians who offered exceptional care for clients and for one another. I received clinical training and offered counseling in the Community Counseling Clinic and at The Center For Student Health and Counseling (SHAC) at Portland State University. I offered individual counseling sessions, group psychoeducation and co-facilitated counseling groups.

    Credentials  

    • Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling- Portland State University
    •  BA, Political Science – The American University in Cairo (AUC)
    •  Professional Counselor Associate (LPCA) with the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists ( R7136). Clinical supervisor: Josie Juhasz, LPC
    •  National Certified Counselor (NCC) by the National Board of Certified Counselors
    •  Certified Grief Informed Professional 
    • EMDR Trained Therapist

    Therapeutic Approaches & Modalities

    I see us as humans; within the contexts of our lives and as parts of larger structures and systems that impact our health.

    Working within a trauma informed, culturally responsive and existential-humanistic framework, I use different therapeutic modalities including: eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), internal family systems (IFS), attachment based therapy, brief psychodynamic therapy, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, solution focused family therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), emotionally focused therapy (EFT), and somatic interventions. Psychoeducation can be offered to support clients’ understanding of their own experiences.

    I acknowledge health disparities and invite clients to co-explore with me possible ways to remove barriers to optimal wellbeing.

    Memberships 

    • Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic & Professional Honor Society
    • National Board for Certified Counselors
    • American Counseling Association (ACA)
    • Oregon Counseling Association (ORCA)

     

    A bit about the path..

    In 2001 and after a period of challenging transitions, I started to practice and study mindfulness based mind body modalities with the intention to discover new self care tools.

    Until 2005, I served as an instructor and professional skills trainer as I taught and coached adults who were engaged in intensive professional development programs to actualize their career goals. In 2006, with a hope to help people access effective tools to enjoy rather than endure the process of optimizing physical and psychological resilience, I co-established a mindfulness studio to offer individualized mindfulness based movement education for different abilities and diverse cultural backgrounds. It was a uniquely refreshing opportunity to work with group members from different parts of the world including Africa, Asia, Europe and the US as we cultivated a deeper and sustainable sense of wellbeing through intentionality and commitment.

    After moving to Portland and before I started Counseling & Therapeutic Wellness as a mental health professional, I  continued to work as a master certified health coach and mindfulness instructor with professionals and families living across the US and in different parts of the world.

    Whole Person Health and Wellness Oriented Counseling

    What started it all..

    My interest in how the body and mind connection can be leveraged to promote sustained physical and psychological health, started in 1999 as I was writing a paper on that topic during my undergrad years at AUC.

    As a certified teacher of mindfulness based somatic approach since 2010, I customized mind-body tools so that people with different abilities, physical limitations and cultural backgrounds can use them as relatable, accessible and sustainably powerful self care tools.

    In my role as a master certified health coach, I enjoyed working with professionals and families as we incorporated a whole person approach to optimal health that fits into a busy lifestyle. While completing my graduate studies in clinical mental health, I remained engaged in my role as a health coach and worked virtually with professionals and families living across the US on stopping stressful diets and building sustainable lifestyle habits to improve health and prevent chronic imbalances. A background offering education and coaching on nutrition, self care, joyful movement and mindset, inspires how my current work in counseling and therapy is led with the hope to help clients experience optimal wellbeing.