With Connection’s Clinicians

In-person therapy in Portland, Oregon and online throughout Oregon

Katie Statman-Weil, EdD, LCSW

Founder | Parent & Family Therapist

The parents I meet love their children deeply. They are reading the books, listening to the podcasts, trying the strategies, and wondering why none of it seems to work for their family.

Over the years, I noticed something that changed the way I practice therapy. Parents often came into my office believing they needed better parenting strategies. But most of the time, strategies were not the real problem. The parents I work with are often already working so hard, but it is not landing as they hope.

When we begin to understand the "why" beneath emotions and behavior, everything starts to make more sense. A child who seems defiant may actually be overwhelmed. A parent who feels reactive may be carrying the weight of their own experiences into the present. And families who have spent years feeling stuck often discover that understanding, not judgment, is where lasting change begins.

That realization has shaped my career. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Doctorate in Education, I've spent years helping children, parents, and educators understand the connections between child development, attachment, trauma, and the nervous system. I'm also the author of Trauma Responsive Strategies for Early Childhood and provide consultation and professional development for schools and organizations across the country. Whether I'm working with educators or families, my goal is the same: to translate research into practical, compassionate strategies that help relationships thrive.

My work is also shaped by my own life. As both a biological parent and an adoptive parent through foster care, I know firsthand that every child is different and parenting rarely unfolds the way we imagined it would. I have learned that two children can receive the same love, guidance, and support, and experience it in completely different ways. That experience continues to deepen both my compassion and my conviction that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to parenting.

I created With Connection to be the kind of place I believe every family deserves: a place where you do not have to pretend everything is okay, where the hard parts of parenting can be spoken out loud without shame, and where you will be met with curiosity instead of judgment.

You do not need to become a perfect parent. You need someone who can help you understand what's happening beneath the surface, so you can respond with greater confidence, strengthen your relationship with your child, and begin creating the family life you have been hoping for.

Helene Hanson, CSWA

Child & Family Therapist

Children rarely have the words to tell us what they are carrying. Instead, they tell us through play, behavior, big emotions, withdrawal, or the ways they seek connection. What may look like defiance, anxiety, aggression, or shutting down is often a child's best attempt to communicate something that feels too big to put into words.

That belief has shaped my work from the very beginning. Before becoming a therapist, I spent many years as an inclusive early childhood educator, where I learned to look beyond behavior and see the whole child. Today, as an attachment-focused play and family therapist, I help children experiencing trauma, neurodivergence, anxiety, and emotional or behavioral challenges feel safe enough to express themselves, strengthen relationships, and heal through play.

My perspective is shaped not only by my professional experience but also by my own family's story. As an adoptee, adoptive parent, and foster parent to five children ranging from infancy to young adulthood, I understand that every child's path is different. Those experiences have deepened my appreciation for the complexity of family relationships and strengthened my belief that healing begins when children and caregivers feel seen, understood, and supported.

Play is how children process experiences, practice new skills, and make sense of their world. By partnering closely with caregivers, I help families understand what their child is communicating beneath the surface and build the connection that allows lasting change to happen.

My hope is that every family who walks through our doors finds something they may have been missing for a long time: a place where they can slow down, feel understood, and discover that they do not have to navigate their child's story alone.

Laurel Johnson, CSWA, RIE® Associate

Perinatal & Early Parenting Therapist

The transition to parenthood can be filled with joy, uncertainty, grief, hope, and questions you never expected to ask. Whether you are preparing to welcome a child, navigating pregnancy or postpartum, processing fertility challenges or loss, or finding your footing in early parenthood, you do not have to do it alone.

I support birthing and non-birthing parents through the emotional complexities of the reproductive years and the early seasons of family life. Together, we will create space for your story, your relationships, your fears, your hopes, and the parts of yourself that may feel difficult to hold right now.

My therapeutic approach is grounded in mindful self-compassion, curiosity, collaboration, and deep respect for your lived experience. I believe healing happens when we feel truly seen, and I hold a profound trust in your resilience, your courage, and your innate capacity to grow through life's most transformative moments.

As a RIE® Associate, I also bring a relationship-centered perspective to supporting parents as they build secure, connected relationships with their children from the very beginning.

Whether you are seeking support during pregnancy, postpartum, early parenthood, or another part of your reproductive journey, my hope is that therapy becomes a place where you can slow down, reconnect with yourself, and move forward with greater confidence and compassion.

Before founding With Connection, Katie Statman-Weil and Helene Hanson co-founded and led Wild Lilac Child Development Community, a nonprofit early childhood education and parent support organization in Portland, Oregon. It was there that they met Laurel Johnson, one of Wild Lilac's exceptional teachers.

Today, we are honored to continue Wild Lilac's mission through our work at With Connection: supporting children, parents, families, educators, and caregivers with the same belief that meaningful relationships change lives.

At With Connection, we believe behavior always has meaning. Rather than asking, "How do we stop this behavior?" we ask, "What is this child, parent, or relationship trying to communicate?"

Every member of our team is committed to providing compassionate, evidence-based care that honors each person's unique story, strengths, and nervous system. We believe healing happens in relationships, and we work collaboratively with children, teens, parents, and families to create lasting change.

Our work is informed by extensive training in attachment, trauma, foster care, adoption, neurodiversity-affirming practice, perinatal mental health, and child development. Depending on your family's needs, we may draw from approaches including Theraplay®, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Attachment-Based Family Therapy, AutPlay®, DIRFloortime®, Circle of Security Parenting™, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), and EMDR.

While our therapeutic approaches may differ, our philosophy remains the same: when people feel safe enough to be understood, healing becomes possible.

Our hope is to help families move beyond simply surviving the hard moments, to finding more connection, more confidence, and more joy together.