FIND YOUR NORTH STAR

TRAUMA THERAPY FOR BIPOC IN PORTLAND, OREGON

ON THE OUTSIDE, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER, BUT ON THE INSIDE, YOU FEEL LIKE A MESS.

They say it’s not healthy to bottle up your emotions, but what else are you supposed to do? You have a to-do list a mile long, and a whole line of people waiting who need things from you. You like making them happy, but what you want always ends up on the back burner. When you try to set boundaries, you just end up feeling guilty, or worrying about the blowback. Sometimes you wonder…what do I really want, anyway? You feel so disconnected from yourself that it’s hard to tell. 

You’re exhausted from grinding all the time,

But you’re afraid that everything might fall apart if you relax and slow down. Actually, you’re not sure you’d even know how to.

Sometimes you try to do a little of that self-care you’ve heard so much about, but it doesn’t seem to rejuvenate you like it’s supposed to. Every once in a while, you take a glance at the dreams and passions you used to have that have been up on a shelf for so long, but you don’t know how to fit those in around the crowded edges of your already too-busy schedule.

You thought you’d feel like you were in the driver’s seat of your own life by now, and you worry something’s wrong with you that you don’t. Deep down, you think you might just not measure up. People talk about loving yourself, and that sounds great in theory - but how? You try to tell yourself you deserve better than how things are right now, but it feels hard to really believe.

african american woman typing on their laptop

You may have been interested in trying therapy for a while,

BUT YOU HAVE FOUND IT DAUNTING TO TRY TO REACH OUT INTO THE SEA OF WHITE THERAPISTS IN PORTLAND TO FIND SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS YOU.

 Or maybe you’ve been to therapy before, and you spent so much time educating your therapist about your experience as a person of color that you never got to the issues that were bringing you to therapy in the first place. It feels scary to reach out and take the leap of trusting someone again. 

At Aurora Counseling,

WE GET IT.

You won’t have to explain to us the many complicated layers of what it means to be a person of color in this world (and in this city) - we live it ourselves.

In therapy, we will hold space for you to connect to yourself, get in touch with your dreams and desires, explore past hurts, and help you learn how to show up for yourself in the present. You can take the driver’s seat in your life and find a sense of adventure along with it. We already know you deserve better than how things are right now - and we’ll help you believe it, too.

mirror, artwork and candles on a mantle
aurora counseling logo - oval with curved lines and a star

MEET THE OWNER | Shannon N. Mouzon, MA, LPC 

Hi, I’m Shannon. I show up for my clients as the person I really am – no “Portland nice” here. I’m direct, have a sense of humor, and I care…a lot.

Shannon Mouzon – woman sitting cross-legged on a chair

I know what it’s like to carry the burden of intergenerational trauma, caught up in the ripple effects of loved ones who didn’t know how to reach out for the help they needed, or who ran up against the wall of unfeeling, disempowering systems when they did reach out. Because of that, treating each person I encounter in my work as a therapist with the dignity, kindness, and respect they deserve is one of my most fundamental values. I know how much courage is required, and how much vulnerability is involved, in taking this step to work on yourself and heal. 

When I learned about the northern lights as a child, the image of that magical light dancing in the darkness of my mind became a guidepost for me in my most difficult moments. That light symbolized my dreams of a world where I could exist as my whole self, and of a life that was bigger than my pain. I named my practice Aurora Counseling because my goal is to help my clients find that same light inside themselves. I can sit with you unflinchingly in your darkness, amidst pain that you find difficult to speak, because I’ve been there, and I didn’t land there. I give what I wish I had gotten – because now, I can. 

MEET OUR TEAM

OUR SPECIALTIES

  • Childhood Trauma

    Whether you call it trauma or not, you deserve to have space for your experiences to be heard. We offer targeted trauma therapy, including EMDR, to effectively process childhood trauma and help you show up in the life you have now as a more present, self-assured version of yourself.

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  • Relationship Trauma

    Break free from old relationship patterns that are no longer working (or that never worked in the first place.) We will help you unpack the contributing factors to your difficult relationships, learn and apply new relational skills, and process old trauma that may be holding you back.

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  • Racial Trauma

    Our BIPOC clinicians meet you from a place of shared experience and mutual understanding. We know it’s not just you. We will help you unpack racial trauma from your past as well as support you in the ongoing struggle of simply existing and living your life as a person of color.

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  • Anxiety

    Anxiety is a part of life, but it doesn’t have to be in charge of it. We can help you learn to slow down, interrupt the cycles that maintain the anxious loops, get to know the unmet needs that are underlying your anxiety and get to work on meeting them. You’ll learn to feel more present, confident and alive.

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  • Depression

    Our therapists will guide you in treating yourself with kindness as we unpack the factors that are contributing to your depression, helping you build in the supports you need and feel the feelings you’re afraid to feel – embracing your full self and moving in the direction that helps the darkness lift.

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READY TO START YOUR JOURNEY?

Our dedicated clinicians are ready to support you with comprehensive, compassionate care and curiosity about your lived experiences.