Neeka Safdari, CSWA
They/Them | Clinical Social Worker Associate
I believe therapy works best when it's honest, collaborative, and genuine. I emphasize humor, openness and creativity in the therapeutic space, and encourage you to be your most authentic self!
I especially love working with youth (14+) and adults who identify as BIPOC, (im)migrant, LGBTQ, neurodivergent (with an emphasis on folks with ADHD). I am ENM-affirming and committed to providing culturally responsive and equitable care. I am also closely connected with the local SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) community, and I love spending time exploring the gorgeous, green PNW and all sorts of National Parks.
I received a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan and am currently a Clinical Social Work Associate registered with the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers. I am currently supervised by Marisela Van Sickle, LCSW.
Currently Accepting New Clients In-Person & Online
Contact them directly at Neeka@linkpdx.org
How I Got Here
I spent the first five years of my career working in intensive behavioral, school-based, and community-based settings. That work taught me something I couldn't unlearn… Mental health care too often shows up after the fact. After the crisis. After the breaking point. After someone has already been carrying something alone for way too long. That realization is what brought me here. I wanted to be part of something more preventive, more relational, and more rooted in the belief that people deserve support before things fall apart, not just after.
I also came to this work carrying my own experience of searching for the right therapist and not being able to find one. I know what that feels like. The mismatch, the quiet disappointment, the exhausting work of trying to figure out whether someone can really understand your story before you've even begun to tell it. That experience sits with me in every session. It's part of why I take fit seriously, why I hold representation as a real and meaningful issue rather than an abstract one, and why I care so genuinely about making quality mental health care more accessible and more equitable for the people who have historically been underserved by it.
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I believe that good therapy starts with a real relationship. Not a technique, not a framework, not a treatment plan, but a genuine, trusting, human connection that creates enough safety for you to challenge yourself, discover things about yourself, and grow in ways that actually stick. Everything else grows from that foundation.
While I tend to work from a more general humanistic approach, some of the modalities I use most often with clients in session include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Mindfulness
Play Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
Strengths-Based Therapy
Emotionally-Focused Therapy
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While I work with a variety of clinical concerns, some that I’m most passionate about include:
ADHD
Alternative Relationship Structures
Anxiety
Autism
Chronic Illness & Pain
Depression
Family Issues
Grief and Loss
Identity
OCD
People Pleasing
Perfectionism
Relationship Issues
Self-Esteem
Sex & Sexuality
Trauma
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I work with a wide variety of clients across different ages, identities, and life experiences, including:
BIPOC
Caregivers
Children of Immigrants
College Students
Individuals with Disabilities
Immigrants & Children of Immigrants
LGBTQIA+
Parents/Parents-to-Be
Youth & Teens
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I hold a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan and am a Clinical Social Work Associate (CSWA) with the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers, currently supervised by Marisela Van Sickle, LCSW.
Let’s Work Together!
If you find yourself connecting with what I’ve shared, I encourage fill out our online interest form and our admin team will reach out personally to learn more about what you're looking for and help match you with the right therapist. You also welcome to reach out to me directly at Neeka@linkpdx.org with any questions you may have about me or how I work.