If you’ve ever crossed paths with Donna Roy, you already know, she’s part therapist, part teacher and part shaman with an industrious streak. The kind of wise, unflappable mentor who can spot your hidden potential from miles away, tilt her head just so, and with one well-timed question, blow your whole carefully-crafted comfort zone wide open.

Decades before Mindful Therapy Pacific NW was even a twinkle in the eye, Donna was already shaping the landscape of mindful, body-centered therapy in Portland, Oregon. A Hakomi Teacher and Hakomi Institute Board Member, published author, and co-founder of Mindful Experiential Therapy Approaches (or “M.E.T.A.” as affectionately known by those “in the know”), along with one of the founding fathers of Hakomi, Jon Eisman, she has guided countless clinicians to meet their clients and themselves with presence, compassion, and unrivaled courage. These days, she continues that essential work through Primary Attachment Therapy (a.k.a. PAT) with beloved friend and colleague, Jessica Montgomery, blending the wisdom of attachment, mindfulness, and therapeutic intuition. 

Years back, in the midst of Jenn’s own Hakomi training, she came to Donna looking for internship placement referrals in the local community to fulfill her university requirement. Donna paused, you know, the long kind of pause that always means she’s about to rearrange the molecules of your life.

“I’ve been wanting to create a clinic. A Hakomi clinic. What do you think about helping me do that?”

Jenn said “Yes!” before she even realized what she was agreeing to and took the idea to her program chair at Portland State University. He skeptically leaned back in his chair, looked at her over the top of his reading glasses and with a sigh said:

“I usually steer students away from creating something new… BUT I will tell you this: aligning yourself with Donna Roy will certainly never hurt your career. Let’s give this a shot!”

And so the META Community Counseling Clinic was born, a long-held dream of Donna’s that collided with Jenn’s grit and enthusiasm at exactly the right time. What started with three interns grew into a thriving clinic that drew intern applicants from all over the country and trained therapists in embodied mindfulness for over a decade and served thousands of clients in the community, until COVID forced its closure, breaking Donna’s heart but not her spirit.

A few years later, Donna and Jenn met for a post-COVID lunch… two old friends catching up on life, META memories, and the state of the world. Jenn mentioned turning away client referrals nearly every day demonstrating the demand for therapy far outpacing what one small practice could handle. Donna paused, held her tea mid-sip, got that unmistakable glint in her eye (the one that makes you sit up straighter), and said:

“Hm. Have you ever thought about opening your own clinic?”

Jenn laughed. “No, Donna. That’s not for me.” Donna just smiled, eyes twinkling and said, “Okay. But if you ever decide to, I’ll do whatever I can to help you make it successful.”

Jenn went home, but the words wouldn’t let her go. All night they echoed, that familiar Donna-Roy alchemy of intuition and gentle insistence. By sunrise, Jenn texted her:

“Dammit, Donna. I can’t stop thinking about what you said about a clinic. I think we need another lunch date.”

And that’s how Mindful Therapy Pacific NW was born, from a conversation, a vision, and a shamanic nudge in the right direction.

Around here, we still affectionately call it what it was named in it’s early days: The Dammit Donna Project.