Albany Therapists
Kierra Lara-Boykin, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Hello, my name is Kierra (pronounced like Sierra but with a K). My pronouns are she/they and I am a licensed marriage and family therapist, specializing in children and families. I am new to the Oregon area and greatly enjoy exploring new places and being out in nature. I think one of the most important things in life is to laugh and have fun, especially with those we consider our family and friends. I spend my free time playing games (both board games and video games), reading, watching anime and other TV/movies, hiking, working out, and going on adventures. I also really love trying new restaurants and love all kinds of food so please feel free to share your recommendations!
Kierra's Approach
My goal is to provide an environment where you feel safe to show up as your full authentic self, messy bits and all. Everyone is unique and what you need from therapy will be different from the next person. That's why my goal is to provide support and follow your lead on what skills to practice outside of session. I tend to utilize a combination of approaches to help people meet their personal goals for change. These include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Strengths-Based Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing (MI). I am always open to feedback about what is working for you and what is not. This journey is about you and I am here to support in the best way I can. In my work with families, I aim to help them reconnect with each other through play and fun. When working with families and children, I tend to use a combination of Play Therapy and CBT. I believe it's important to have time to connect with each other every day and therapy can help facilitate that connection when things get tricky. I also try to provide tools/skills that can be practiced at home in a way that makes sense for the whole family. Just like in my individual work, I follow the lead of the family and we work together to develop a plan to bring about change in a way that feels reasonable for everyone. No matter where you are in your journey, I am happy to be a support.
More About Kierra Lara-Boykin
Experience
I have been practicing therapy both as an associate and independently licensed therapist for 7 years. I spent time working in urgent care, where I gained valuable skills supporting people through crisis and developing safety plans that helped them feel safe to return home. I also learned how to help people navigate different care options and find the best fit for them whether that was in the hospital or at home with ongoing therapy or somewhere in between. I have worked with several companies providing child and family therapy as well as individual adult therapy. My most recent job was in a School-Based Health Center which gave me the opportunity to learn about school systems and how to support children and families with navigating classroom difficulties and advocating for their needs.
Education
I obtained my Bachelors degree in Psychology at Sonoma State University in California. I then obtained a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy at Cal Poly Humboldt in California. I am now a fully licensed marriage and family therapist in Oregon.
Can I Help You?
I treat patients for:
- Depression, grief, loss, sadness
- Anxiety, worry, stress, panic
- OCD: Obsessive-compulsive thoughts or actions
- Relationship struggles (couple, family, or parenting)
- Developmental/Autism Spectrum disorder
- LGBTQIA+ related issues
