About Me

Dr. Erin Fettes (she/her/hers)

Welcome! I am so glad you are here. I am honored to be considered to be part of your healing path.

In order to help you determine if I might be a fit for what you are looking for, let me share about myself. I am a white, queer, small-fat, cisgender femme, originally from Michigan and living in Oregon since 2019.

I attended graduate school at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and completed my pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral training at the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System in Honolulu, Hawai’i. During my postdoctoral training, I focused on women's health and the treatment of sexual trauma, and that remains one of my areas of specialty and passion.

Following my training, before moving into private practice, I worked in several VA Medical Centers in California and Oregon, in a variety of roles but always focused on serving the most othered and minoritized.

Why Higher Heart?

“Think about it, there must be a higher love
Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above” Higher Love Lyrics

One of my coping strategies is music, and a dear friend once shared during a hard time they would listen over and over to the song Higher Love. This led me to create my own playlist of almost a dozen different artists’ versions of Higher Love, a song originally recorded by Steve Winwood and the iconic Chaka Kahn performing background vocals. I listen to this playlist whenever I need a boost, a reminder, to cope, to center.

The idea that the highest expression of humanity is rooted in love and we strive for this expansive version of ourselves inspires me greatly and regrounds me in my purpose. Embedded within my psychotherapy work is a desire to facilitate connection with our highest and most loving selves, with love for us, our people, nature, the future and the world. For this reason, I chose the name Higher Heart Psychology.

In addition to music, I love spending time with my wife and family (including our always cold tiny dog!), drinking tea lattes, nail art, reading (mostly non-fiction but I love a good romance), starting and stopping many hobbies (I have knit exactly one dog sweater).

Therapeutic Style and Values

Curiosity

I am a deeply curious person by nature and have learned in my practice that being curious together will lead us to meaningful insights, revelations and self-knowledge. Asking questions, having patience with self and moving from judgment of a thought or action to curiosity is a healing balm.

Humor

I love to laugh! Being a person in the world is funny, silly, maudlin, ironic, surprising and melancholy. Laughing together at the pains, joys, twists and turns gives relief, perspective and endorphins, and you will find in therapy with me our work is often accompanied with humor.

Humility

I want to know you and your experiences well, and will commit to participate fully in the process of psychotherapy, however I also hold space for humility and willingness to acknowledge when I have made assumptions or misunderstood. I welcome how to make therapy better meet your needs and am well able to receive feedback and collaborate.

Respect

I desire to move through the world in a way that embodies respect and consideration for the people, nature and needs around me. To admire and appreciate the vast variability of experience, culture, self-definition, ways of learning and knowing and self-expression. I am respectful of your needs, autonomy, body sovereignty (use fidgets during session! turn the lights to a sensory friendly level!) and the resources that you are dedicating to therapy.

Let Me Help

Fill out the interest form and I will contact you!

Training & Experience

  • Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) - Nova Southeastern University

  • Pre-doctoral internship - VA PIHCS

  • Post-doctoral fellowship in Women’s Health and Military Sexual Trauma - VA PIHCS

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (training and 6 months of consultation) - 2015

  • Specialty Care Access Network-Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (SCAN-ECHO) for Transgender Veteran’s Healthcare (2016)

  • Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression (training and 6 months of consultation) - 2017

  • Reproductive Mental Health Training series - VA Women’s Mental Health Team - 2022

  • EMDR - EMDRIA approved training (training and 10 months of consultation) - 2022

  • Multicultural and Diversity Committee Co-Chair - VA Portland Health Care System (2020-2022)

  • Committee for Women in Psychology - American Psychology Association - 2020-2023 (Vice Chair for 2023)