Jamie Watson, LMFT, RPT-S™ - President
Jamie is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Oregon and Washington (with a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy from George Fox University, 2011), and the Mental Health Therapy Director at a local non-profit in Portland. Jamie is a core faculty member at the University of Western States teaching in the Graduate Department of Counseling, having written the Play Therapy course currently offered. Jamie is a Registered Play Therapist- Supervisor™ and is recognized nationally through the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT) as an Approved Clinical Supervisor (along with OR/WA). Jamie has additional training in Foster and Adoptive Family Therapy, Parent-Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT), and Trauma-Focused CBT, specializing in child attachment and trauma. Jamie's specialties include working with children with special needs and their families, foster care and adoptions, the effects of trauma, ADHD, anxiety, depression, and systemic issues within families. Jamie has been a member of the Association for Play Therapy (APT)/Oregon Association for Play Therapy (ORAPT) since 2009 and has been involved on the ORAPT Board of Directors for over a decade.
Paulina Smith, M.C., L.M.H.C, N.C.C., C.M.H.S, RPT™ - President-Elect
Paulina Smith is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (WA) and a Nationally Certified Counselor who works with youth and families across SW Washington and Portland. She has a Master's Degree in Counseling from Arizona State University. She has past experience serving on the Arizona APT board and is a graduate of the APT Leadership Academy. She is currently working towards her RPT credential through APT. She is passionate about spreading the therapeutic powers of play across OR and supporting the play therapy community at large.
Bryanna Oliver-Palmquist, MA, LMFT, RPT™ - Secretary
Bryanna Oliver-Palmquist is an LMFT and RPT who graduated from George Fox and has worked in Outpatient Mental Health for over 7 years with Options Counseling in Salem. Bryanna primarily focuses on play therapy, using Non-Directive and Child-Parent Psychotherapy approaches. In her non-work time, Bryanna enjoys spending time with her partner and 2 children doing “nerdy things” that usually involve dungeons….or dragons.
Emily Mitchell, LPC - Treasurer
Emily is a Licensed Professional Counselor and an Oregon native who pursued her Master of Science graduate degree by moving across the United States to attend Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida. Knowing Oregon was her home, she moved back in 2016 to pursue her passion for working with children and families. Emily works as a school-based therapist at Yamhill County Family and Youth. She is excited to be a board member of the Oregon Association for Play Therapy as she believes play is an important and effective modality when working with children.
Cheryl Seagren, MS, SB-RPT™
Cheryl is a licensed school counselor and a school-based registered play therapist (SB-RPT). She has served as a school counselor for over 20 years, both in the United States and internationally where she worked in Tunisia at the American Cooperative School of Tunis. She received her Master’s in School Counseling from California State University-Long Beach and completed extensive coursework at George Fox University. For the past six years, she has combined responsibilities as a school counselor and a play therapist at over seven schools in Yamhill County. She currently serves in the McMinnville School District working in a self-contained behavioral program for students who have experienced complex trauma. Cheryl has presented play therapy workshops at the Oregon Association of School Counselors Conference and the International Association of School Counselors 2023 Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. Cheryl has been a member of the Association for Play Therapy (APT) in congruence with the Oregon chapter (ORAPT) since 2019. She is passionate about working with children in the school setting who have experienced trauma, combining ideas from Neurosequential Modeling, Synergistic Play Therapy, and Child-Centered Play Therapy.
Courtney Catt, B.A.
Courtney is a current Marriage, Couple, & Family Therapy master’s student at Lewis & Clark College with internships at Family Solutions in Vancouver, WA as well as the Lewis & Clark Community Counseling Center. Coming from a background in non-profit work and youth development/programming, her clinical interests include working with LGBTQIA+ youth and those in the foster system as well as family reunification and strengthening caregiver-child bonds through creative play. By engaging the family system, she hopes to create trusted spaces for children and their families to engage in and create Self-led, meaningful connections. In her spare time, Courtney can be found soaking up the beauty of the PNW, testing out new recipes, and sharing time with friends and family. Serving as a Student Representative for the ORAPT Board since January 2023, she is excited for the opportunity to further explore and share the world of play therapy.
