About | Spirit & Vessel

Meet Your Clinician

About Aleks.

Aleks Taylor (they/he) is a Professional Counselor Associate and a licensed psilocybin facilitator in the state of Oregon. In addition to therapy, Aleks works on a psychedelic support line as a supervisor and as Manager of Training. Aleks specializes in working with 2SLGBTQ+, BIPOC, and neurodivergent young adults, but welcomes anyone who feels called to work with them. Aleks brings authenticity, play, and humor into the healing space, creating a safe container for you to bring your whole self.

In the past, Aleks has worked in numerous mental health positions, bringing in a breadth of experiences from residential inpatient to addiction day treatment to outpatient services. They've also previously worked as a K-6 teacher and as a visitation coach for the Department of Human Services with the goal of reuniting families.

When Aleks is not working, they can be found at a concert, reading tarot, or sitting by a creek. Aleks volunteers with Phans for Racial Equity- a nonprofit organization in the jam band scene, as part of the BIPOC advisory board and as an educational content co-chair. Aleks also works with the Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy Association (PATA) as part of the Clinical sub-committee.

Education

2022-2023

Psilocybin Facilitation

InnerTrek

As my education requirement for my psilocybin facilitation license, I studied with InnerTrek in Oregon. I graduated in March of 2023 as part of the first cohort of legal psilocybin facilitators in the United States.

2018-2021

MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Naropa University

In 2021, I completed a 3-year Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a focus in Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling at Naropa University, in Boulder, CO.

Licenses

-Professional Counselor Associate-

Oregon Licensing Board of Therapists and Professional Counselors
License ID: #R7178

-Psilocybin Facilitator-

Oregon Health Authority- Oregon Psilocybin Services

License ID: FL-a9603586

My Philosophy

My therapy practice is a combination of narrative, gestalt, transpersonal, and humanistic-relational therapy. My belief that you are the expert of your own life and that your inner healer is there to guide you extends into the therapy room. I will work with you to foster an environment of safety and stability, where you feel comfortable working through whatever has brought you in at this time. My hope is that you leave our shared space with the feeling that you can navigate the world with confidence and authenticity, despite the challenges it throws at you. I use theory and practice that is queer/trans affirming, neurodivergent-affirming, antiracist, sex and kink-positive, traditional and non-traditional relationship affirming, and person-centered.

During psychedelic integration, I use a holistic approach that combines all facets of life in order to best support your processing journey and maintain any changes that you want to bring forward. By bringing together mind, body, emotions, spirit, your innate responses, and your community- we can begin to map out a way to incorporate your psychedelic experiences into your daily life in a way that feels sustainable and empowering. All emotions about your experience are welcomed and will be held with deep care and reverence.

I approach all interactions through a social justice and equity lens. This means considering all the societal factors when addressing your concerns. Socioeconomic status, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, education, and many more factors should all be considered, and when they are left out, we often take on burdens ourselves that are not ours to bear. Together, we can work to address some of the root causes of suffering from external sources and disentangle them, as we work to build and maintain your ideal version of you.

We Might Work Well Together If...

You Don't Have It All Figured Out

Life doesn't come with an instruction manual. If you somehow came across one, please, feel free to pass it along. Part of working with me is embracing that neither of us have the world figured out, but we can journey alongside each other to find the things that make you light up and ease suffering.

You Don't Conform to Societal Expectations

In the current state of the world, those who don't "get in line" are punished. My style of therapy challenges the norms of how we are "supposed" to show up in the world and encourages authentic expression. You can feel free to be yourself here without judgement.

You Want to Challenge Yourself

To me, the opposite of growth is stagnation. We often find ourselves staying within our comfort zone- and sometimes we are content with that. If you want to stay there, we may not be a good fit. When working together, I will gently challenge you to be your best self and to take the steps into the unknown to live the life you want.

You Believe We Never Stop Growing

If you believe that you can eventually reach a place where you can hang up your hat and say, "I've grown as much as I can," we may not be a good fit. I believe in constantly changing our goalposts to continue growing, while celebrating all the steps in between.

"The trick was to surrender to the flow."

Phish